Photos of a short Spring in Orinda

[elagache]

Dear WeatherCat shutterbugs and drought watchers,

There is a patch of ground near somebody's house that appears to be ideal California poppy growing conditions. I thought they would have been cooked and dead by now, but the hearty plants are still blooming.



A few groupings made for nice wildflower "bouquets."  Here is the first:



and here is another:



Alas, here are the pictures that tell the real drought story.  It isn't the end of April but look at the hillsides:



In a normal year they shouldn't like like this before July.  Here is another picture that is even more disturbing:



Normally grasses don't take on that silvery color until late in the fall or start of winter.  My assumption was that this was caused by some sort of decay process in the dead grass shoots made possible by the first rains.  We have gotten a bit of rain this month.  This would mean that the grasses in this photo had already died before those rains.

We are going to have an absolutely - awful - summer . . . . 

Oh well, . . . . . Edouard

[elagache]

Dear WeatherCat shutterbugs and drought watchers,

I pulled out my camera to catch what should be the last gasps of spring around here.  There are two pictures you might enjoy.  I took one more photo of that group of California poppies next to the power pole:



They sure are doing well over there for the moment.  The other photo is of wild mustard plants blooming on a distant hill:



It is a very California scene, but alas always a brief display of color.

Cheers, Edouard 

[Bull Winkus]

Nice, Edouard! Hope it lasts this time.

 

[elagache]

Dear Herb and WeatherCat spring shutterbugs, . . .

We are finishing up a 2 day heat wave (given the time of year.)  So what signs of spring are left around here are going to disappear in a hurry.  Still, I got out my camera and grabbed a few more scenes before they disappear.  Here is another field of wild mustard blooming:



Here is a group of California Poppies that have succeed in establishing themselves in some gravel:



California Poppies can't compete with grasses very well, so the only places you can really enjoy them are rocky or sandy soils that don't support grasses.  Speaking of which here is a California Poppy that has found a spot next to some large rocks:



Here is one last group of California Poppies losing that struggle with the grasses:



You can also see that the flowers are getting smaller.  These plants are producing their last blossoms before going back into hibernation.  At least in places with little frost, California Poppies are perennials and weather permitting they bloom twice a year: once in the spring and once in the autumn before winter takes hold.

Enjoy,  because this is probably it.

Cheers, Edouard 

[xairbusdriver]

How far are you from those power lines? If less than a mile, see if you can get the power company to shut down the power for a few days (I'm sure you can work with them to find a mutually agreeable time and length) and see how your station reacts. jist sayin'...

[elagache]

Dear xairbusdriver and WeatherCat power outages experts,

How far are you from those power lines? If less than a mile, see if you can get the power company to shut down the power for a few days (I'm sure you can work with them to find a mutually agreeable time and length) and see how your station reacts. jist sayin'...

Uh, no I don't think I'll try that!  The problem around here is just the opposite.  We've had many more power outages than normal this year.  So far it appears to have just been bad luck.  Alas, the drought could lead us into rotating blackouts like what happened 2001.  So glad we have responsible people taking care of our infrastructure . . . . 

Cheers, Edouard