We are blessed with mild weather in the Bay Area, but we all know when the winter ends and the spring begins. It is hard to miss it because you can see it: the mountains are turning into gardens with overwhelming green grass and colorful flowers.
Now spring is officially here! Days without rain are precious. Andrea is on the road to enjoy fresh air and explore wild flowers in the Henry W. Coe State Park.
Henry W. Coe SP is only one hour drive from the Bay Area. It contains over 89,000 acres, making it the largest state park in Northern California. There is only one way to go in and out of the main park entrance. The paved road ends here so even it is relatively close to the populated Silicon Valley, it really feels like a very remote wilderness. Many visitors are backpack campers. According to the park ranger, you won't see anybody if you camp out in the park wilderness...
After paying $8 for parking at the visitor center, we begin our hike on a trail along the green hillsides. This is the perfect time of the year to see spectacular wildflowers in bloom. How many do you recognize in these pictures? We will give you the answers at the end of this post!
Nature is the best playground for kids. Everything seems interesting to them and they become little adventurers.
A short hike on the Corral trail, we went through the woods and followed flowing creeks to meadows, with spooky trees!
Andrea found some "treasure". She carefully put them into her hat and plan to bring them home... 😂
It was such a pleasant day trip! If Andrea could also learn something, it will be perfect. After we got back home, we did research on the names of the flowers we saw today. We all learned!
These little flowers seem fragile. They only bloom shortly during the rainy season. But when they do, they together change the view of the landscape! This is the power of life.
So how many Norcal flowers did you recognize?
1. California Milkmaids; 2. Johnny Jump Up/Yellow Pansy;
3. Tufted Poppy; 4. Shootingstar 5. Red Maids;
6. Grand Houndstongue; 7. Bird's-Eye Speedwell;
8.Lupine; 9. Cow Parsley