The scientific name means "finger-like" and refers to the ease with which a flower of Digitalis purpurea can be fitted over a human fingertip. No one knows where "Foxglove" came from, but most know of the medicinal properties, especially those which are used in treating heart failure. Because the potency is so "variable," it has long been discarded as an herbal remedy.

This photo was shot on a rainy day outside of Olympic National Park on a dirt side road nearing the Pacific. Though not native to N. America, it is a wildflower which has taken hold particularly in the Pacific northwest.

Note the plant louse in the open bell. Use large if you're interested. I admit I didn't see it when I took the shot. It was raining and getting darker when I was photographing these Foxgloves.

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A wildflower (seed pod) in the sunflower family. This one we found at the 7,000 foot level of Little Mt. Baldy in Sequoia National Park. Oddly, or maybe not, Little Baldy is 33 feet lower than Big Baldy. Either way, it you go, take the trail to Little Baldy if you want an overlook of the entire Western Divide.

This particular seed cluster caught my attention immediately. At 4 inches across and every seed perfectly arranged, it could only be missed by the most unattentive hiker. The flowers you see are not Goatsbeard, but two or three of the 20+ wildflowers you can see going up Little Baldy.

My wife and I made this hike five times. It is grueling when hot, but never tedious. I can't do it anymore, but I have no regrets: I have 1,000 pictures of scenery, wildflowers, three species of butterflies mating in "flocks," and two new species (for me) of birds. And chipmunks, sequoias, deer, (no bear on this trail) wildflowers that I see nowhere else. And better yet, a memory that recalls almost every wind in the trail, all the alpine meadows, and a lack of people.

Big Baldy was a bit of a disappointment because it is on the Fresno side of the park, i.e.,. to the west. But the Western Divide is what Little Baldy is to the west. The reason someone named them "Baldy" is that the crest of each trail is a huge granite outcropping. If you go, be careful in the last 250 feet or so. It's very slippery even when dry.

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It's spring! It's supposed to be 82° today. The trees are leafed already and the rest are in bloom. The Oak Titmouse serenaded me all morning long. The only thing that hasn't bloomed is this Japanese Iris. I named it "the Gossamer" because it just seemed so appropriate as the petals fade.

There are times when I think I was a better photographer in 2009, but I also realize that with flowers and some butterflies, I didn't have to rush to get the shot. In fact, I took much more time composing. But then along came the birds, nature's way of telling me that spring has sprung and I have to get rid of some winter weight gains by doing more running and chasing birds like a dervish.

Well, for those of you who still have snow on the ground, it won't be long. And then I'll be complaining about the heat.

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It was all by itself at the base of a Century Plant, but Snuggled in its own leaves leaving very little light, but enough to bring out this beautiful flower. The Calla Lilly is a wildflower in California.

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You think YOU have nothing to shoot? I'm back to flowers... Well, at least we had a little rain.

Tags:   Canon SX40 or SX50 DailyNature-TNC13 DailyNature-TNC14 North America NA Ethan Winning E. A. Winning

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