Two posts ago I shared my amazing evening seeing Yosemite's Horsetail "Firefall" That was how I ended my fun Saturday road-trip on February 20th. This post is how I started it. Or, at least my first stop of the day.
As I mentioned in my Yosemite post, I had originally intended to go to the Merced National Wildlife Refuge and possibly the nearby San Luis National Wildlife Refuge to photograph some wildlife. But a different "wild" thing has also been on my mind lately...wild flowers.
It's kind of early for wildflowers. There are quite a few though because of the really warm weather we've had after all the much-needed rain. So I've been thinking (and kind of worrying!) a lot lately because I'm afraid when they bloom, they won't last long. And will I miss them?? Silly, I know.
So when I saw a beautiful photo posted on my friend Cindy's Instagram of gorgeous wild daisies, I asked her where she had taken the photo. It seemed to be a good omen when she said they were on northbound Highway 99 between Merced and Atwater!
It was foggy when I left Sacramento (not as early as I had intended) and then it got sunny. But just before I got to Atwater, the fog took over again! I drove all the way into Merced to get some breakfast and was a little dismayed because I didn't really see any flowers except for a small patch along the center median. That wouldn't work. And, they didn't look like the daisies that Cindy had seen.
After breakfast, I headed back North, but I stayed on surface streets near the highway, hoping to find some flowers.
Success!
I found an interesting road surrounded by fields of beautiful flowers on three sides and rustic farms on the East. Photography Heaven!
It was still foggy and a lot of the flowers weren't fully awake. But that only increased their beauty and the dew from the fog was amazing.
Ah. May. Zing.
This tiny purple blossom was covered on every surface.
To give you a better idea of what these little fields of flowers looked like...
I was a little suspicious, to be honest. All these flowers were growing around areas that either were under construction or near construction.
I had an inkling that the only true wildflowers in my photos were the mustard stems you can see in the photo below. Not that I REALLY cared. :)
The foggy farms were pretty interesting too.
But lest we forget that this is not a pristine field in the wild...
I really don't know how it was standing up like that. But I didn't cross the road to look at the other side.
I was wandering along the fence line, checking out the farm, when I noticed some feathered friends posing for me. They were not deterred me or by the fog.
I even had to dodge a Canadian fly by.
All these birds were making me anxious to get to the Wildlife Refuge, so I started to walk back to my car. At one point a gentleman in a construction truck pulled into the dirt path where I was walking and asked if I was enjoying the flowers and if I had gotten any good shots.
I said I was and hoped I had some good ones. I said the flowers were amazing and he said that the city of Atwater air drops the wildflower blend seeds in construction zones to prevent erosion and make the projects looked more pleasing. Smart idea! I knew they weren't 100% wild!
Again, I'm not complaining.
So many colors! And combinations! I even found some Lakers colors. :)
Which is not to say that the occasional white flower was overshadowed. Not at all...still gorgeous.
But one of the most unique flowers I found will end the post. Loved this ombre-painted flower! The vibrant purple and fuchsia fading into lavender and white were brilliant against the orange daisies in the background.
I had so much fun walking around and photographing all the various "wild" flowers.
Big thanks to Cindy and the city of Atwater!!
xoxo
