Okay, class, let’s come to attention. Today’s lesson is wildflower nomenclature, specifically common names of California flowers. Oddly enough, there are no poppies to show you. Coffee and cookies are in the back.
I don’t usually take pictures of flowers. I tend to want people in my pictures, so I leave the scenery to Himself, who is much better at it than I am anyway. Today we hiked on Mt. Diablo and this is the perfect time for wildflowers. Our hike leader is a walking encyclopedia for the local flora, so I got lots of names. I also took the time to enter the names of each picture, mostly so I could take a breather from our uphill battle! Here’s what I learned.
First up is a PSA: watch out for Poison Oak!
Now, in no particular order (you might want to enlarge these – they’re worth it):
Marlene Dotterer 
Pretty. Monkey Flowers look a lot like an iris, my favorite flower.