Wild Flowers

How are the spring wildflowers doing in your area this year?

They are both doing fine in Southern Arizona (Tucson) -- just the opposite of last year's bounty!

We don't get much snow here in Victoria, B.C., but the drifts of cherry blossom petals more than make up for it. The blooming of snowdrops started in February and the usual succession of crocuses, daffodils, fawn lilies, etc. has been brethtaking. The California poppies bloomed four or five separate times over last summer (is that ususal?), and I hope for more of the same this year.

Trout lilies and trilliums are late and smallish this year--attributable to last year's drought in s. Ontario?

In Michigan (Detroit area) is not much happening, besides artifically = human planted ones. I guess it'll take another 2 weeks or so. The grass just started growing, I can't wait to leave the house.....

Not to be a twit, but this is not a question. Rather it is a salutation. Much like "how is the weather?" Not very useful. Perhaps it should be directed with some purpose with regards to location, i.e. a specific place. As no one could pretend that in the next few week to visit all places where it is spring. Even then, the question still leaves out 50% of the earth. Or, if being place specific is not good enough, how about some concern about the seasonal variation in this years flowers in a specific region. Such as, as desert blooms in the Mojave as great as they were with the past (97-98) couple years' El Nino precipitation. Or even a concern of how long the effects of a unusual season might have on the next season or the season to come? Still this are a bit vague but have a greater direction to them that hopes to accomplish some sort of goal when getting out there with film in back, so to speak.

Chris, (you twit)-

You're correct; this isn't a question. It is one of the more interesting threads (to me) to appear recently, though. I hope others continue to contribute. There are no spring wildflowers to speak of in central Florida, so things are pretty much normal here. We get to bask while northerners suffer through their miserable winters, but we do miss the vernal explosion of life that those in more temperate climes experience. (Just kidding about the twit thing, Chris).

On a recent trip to Seattle I took a few moments to visit the NPS office in the area. Thanks to record snowfalls in the Cascade mountains they anticipate that the summer wildflowers at Mt. Rainer and other Cascade areas will be anywhere from two to four weeks late. They told me there is still 45-50 feet of snow at Paradise!

Pretty good so far in south-eastern Ontario, couple of weeks early. Hepaticas, Dutchman's breeches, bloodroots, and spring beauties starting to come out in the sunny spots....even found some trilliums about half way up. Going to have to brush my dog and collect some dog hair to sprinkle on my "photogenic" ones. I had scoped out some Dutchman's breeches growing against some lichen-covered rocks that would have made a lovely backdrop..carefully picked off a few pine needles and old grasses that would have shown up as lines in the image....took a look today to see how they were progressing, and wouldn't you know the deer nibbled off the two plants that I have been waiting to bloom! So much for "setting up the shot".

Right now they are awesome (finally) in NW Washington. Things are at least 2 weeks late due to cool to cold weather but at last are in outrageous splendor at sea level and a little bit higher. Freezing level is down to 1500 feet tonight and snow not much higher in North Cascades. And, best of all, we've had some sunny days! Enjoy.

They are doing fine, thanks. Especially in southern Portugal.