Photos and Field Guides, Part 2

My violet-colored variety resembles Hairy Vetch, known out here as Winter Vetch, but there are fewer flowers than the usual 10 or more that sweep down the stem of Hairy Vetch. Also, according to the field guide I am thumbing through, they occur no higher than the foothills of the Sierras. I was much higher up in the mountains when I found them.

These colorful flowers were a brief interlude to the relentless advance of autumn, and were as thrilling and unexpected a sight as the Torrey’s Lotus. I knew, even as I crawled around them with my camera, I would have a hard time pinning an identity on them. Sooner or later I’ll stumble across their identity, probably when I’m trying to identify something else.

And as it turns out, that may be soon. Just this past week I found 2 varieties of Penstemon in bloom down in Yosemite. I’m waiting for the photos to be processed now.

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