March 14, 2012 - Buttercup Blossoms

I walked about an hour. I attempted 113 images. It was cold and dark. There were specks of rain on the top of my camera. I didn’t notice them on my body. But my windshield was quite wet when I got back to the car.

I was spoiled by good light last time. I didn’t adjust my thinking to the weak light. Lots of poor exposures. I kept 48 images even though some are bad … kept ‘for the record’.

The buttercup buds I have been watching, [one from February 22, three weeks] are little advanced and perhaps they are not at all advanced. But I saw, nearby, a couple of buttercups in full bloom and photographed them.

Coming on early seems to have been a mistake.

I checked the grass widow spears that I found last time just to verify that I could find them. I did not see more, today. [Till I saw some in my photographs that I didn’t notice at the time.]

A tiny plant was unfolding by the foot of one of the grass widow spears. I wonder if it will be Lomatium macrocarpum.

I spent a little time at a couple of locations with lots of Lomatium gormanii looking for buds to photograph but didn’t find any. I saw a speck of white at the bottom of one stem and thought it might be a bud but it isn’t.

I saw specks of glistening white among lichen lobes and tried to get their image. I saw nothing meaningful in the photo.

I walked over to the east end of the park. I saw buttercup buds showing yellow everywhere. I saw very few in full bloom anywhere, maybe six or eight, certainly less than a dozen altogether. And only a couple of those were in really good shape.

The first I saw in full bloom has that strange lacquered look. I wonder why.

I didn’t see the bugs on it till I got the photo into the computer.

I have a rather nice series for the buttercup ‘life history’ blog showing the process of the petals of the buttercup opening. A couple of my images do show a cup shape … so, perhaps the source of the name.

I walked through the grass of the north pond. There is no water there. The south pond still holds run-off water from the recent snow and this week’s rain.

I walked up to see if there was any action in last year’s early Lomatium macrocarpum and there was none, nothing at all.

There were some nice cup fungus nearby. They look better, smaller. I should fix that.

I saw a fleabane greening up. The phlox were greening a little.

I attempted some willow photos, the north pond willow from the east, with ponderosa behind. I hoped for sky textures. I got nothing much.

I checked some of the shrubs for leaf buds. Some were starting. Some were not. I attempted some photographs. I thought I knew what shrubs I was photographing but I’ve lost confidence. I need to go through last year’s shrub study and see what I can figure out.

The camera has an audio feature. I need to learn how to use it to make notes on the photographs.

The golden currant that is the earliest in the park showed lots of buds.

The golden currant in Grant’s yard came on even before the earliest golden currant in the park, last year, and it seems to be ahead, again, this year. It has leaf buds that are leafing out. They are tiny but there are there.

 


Not noticibly changed since February 22. Most of these next buds are 'old'.





I didn't see the bugs when I took the photo. Why the lacquered look?



I didn't notice the grass widow spikes when I took the photo






The following sequence is to suggest the petal unfolding sequence

A butter cup - this must be the reason behind the name






I noticed several glistening white specks and hoped they were something to see


I think the young plant has the look of young Lomatium macrocarpum

Someone or something tipped over my locator stone. It was more striking, standing.

A little patch of grass widow spears near Junction Pine


Lamatium gormanii - I thought the white speck at the base was a bud but it is more advanced than that

The first L. Macrocarpum last year. No sign of life so far this  year.

Cup fungus and maybe spike moss at the bottom looking like a head of wheat

Phlox foliage

Fleabane foliage

Bitterroot foliage



I don't know what it is but it's kind of pretty ... well ... colorful

I need to get better identifications for these shrubs






This and the remaining shrub-bud photos are of golder currant. This one is near north pond.




This was the earliest golden currant in the park. It is just south of Junction Pine. It has lots more buds,  now, and the buds are more advanced.

North Pond willow from the east