California Wildflowers: Prickly Poppy

After photographing JuLee's Panamint Daisies I wondered if there might be anything else in the area. Looking across the narrow canyon I saw some white but thought it couldn't be my favorite flower. Being the inquisitive type I ambled over there and found, growing through the talus, several prickly poppies.

They were in several stages of development so I worked my way along the unstable rock photographing them. The dry air made everything sparkle, and the clinking of loose rock underfoot echoed through the silent canyon. These seed pods show clearly how prickly the plants are.

These small bees were too busy to notice me. I waited until I could see their activity through the lens. Note the full pollen baskets on the bee to the right. Also note the yellow tinge on the petals to the left; this is intense sunlight reflected from the stamens. Desert light is nearly a physical force.

California Wildflowers Prickly Poppy close-up Pavilion of Nature and History Human Touch Museum Visit the California Native Plant Society Web site

All contents copyright 1999 by Larry Nelson lord_chaos@compuserve.com

prpoppyb.htm 1999 November 5