EARLY SPRING
While the rest of the United States is in deep freeze, California, in its fourth year of drought and is fast tracking from fall to spring missing winter along the way. These are buds of Sierra manzanita flowers. We usually find the bell-shaped flowers blooming in April and later, but the unseasonably warm February has fooled the bushes to come to life already. The ridge behind our cabin would normally be accessible only on snow shoes with sub-freezing temperatures, but today we walked on dusty trails under a warm 70 degree sun.
EARLY SPRING
While the rest of the United States is in deep freeze, California, in its fourth year of drought and is fast tracking from fall to spring missing winter along the way. These are buds of Sierra manzanita flowers. We usually find the bell-shaped flowers blooming in April and later, but the unseasonably warm February has fooled the bushes to come to life already. The ridge behind our cabin would normally be accessible only on snow shoes with sub-freezing temperatures, but today we walked on dusty trails under a warm 70 degree sun.