Mariposa Lily - a lone beauty on the hillside

Spring is a wonderful time at Santa Teresa park with dramatic wildflower displays.  It is fascinating to see the variety of wildflowers there.  Some,  like the Popcorn flower and the Jewelflower,  I have not seen on any of my hikes in other parts of the Bay area.  Photographs in the first half of this gallery were taken three years ago.  There is a dramatic variety of wildflowers seen - California Gilia, Checker-bloom, Cream cups to name a few.
The display of wildflowers this year is very different - dramatic poppy spreads, an unusual Chia color and the Buckeye butterfly.  It makes one aware of how much of a part weather and ecology play in the survival of these wild plant species.  This year we had much less rainfall, so the variety of wildflowers growing was much reduced.
After photographing these flowers, I was coming to the end of the trail, weary after a hot day.  I was looking forward to some shade and lunch, and hastening my step.  Suddenly a solitary splash of color on a dry hillside caught my eye.  It was one of the most beautiful displays of a Mariposa Lily I have seen.   It being a cluster of three made it all the more unusual and special, and made the entire hike worthwhile.
As I have spent hours identifying the flowers by name, it has been fascinating to study their shapes, colors and environment, and means of survival.  I hope these photographs will provide you with a window into the existence of these small yet vital elements of nature.

Mountain lion sighting - a rare and magical moment

As a photographer I am always looking to capture images of memorable moments, spaces and living beings.  Last weekend three of us set out to scour Mount Diablo Park for wildflowers.  I love this park - it has so many special things about it - beautiful rolling hills with spectacular views of the bay, some unique wildflowers like the Mt Diablo Globe Tulip, a variety of dragonflies, butterflies, etc.  I thought I had seen many facets of this park over numerous visits, but was in for a surprise.
As we drove into the park from the north side we were looking for a trail to hike on and photograph wildflowers.  From my window, in a ravine and on a path along the hillside, I saw what looked like a very unusual animal carrying something. We stopped and on closer examination saw that it was actually carrying a prey, a jackrabbit.  He was striding along with complete confidence, very comfortable in his own habitat.  By the time I took my camera out of the bag, he had gone down the slope and disappeared in the trees near the stream below.  Much to our surprise we saw another one just like him follow him, but he too was too quick for me to capture an image of him.  It was a double treat though!
After doing some research I concluded that we were lucky enough to get a very rare sighting of a pair of mountain lions.  We wonder if it was a pair taking care of a set of cubs and probably will never know.  On talking to the park ranger we were told  that it is very rare to see a mountain lion in the daytime(it was 11.36 am) so this was truly serendipitous. Especially so, knowing that their habitat is being destroyed and their population decreasing.  It is great that we are doing a lot at Mount Diablo Park to preserve their habitat.  Watching these animals roam free, made me wonder if I would ever be comfortable seeing them in captivity in a zoo.
And next time I go to a park, I'll remember to have my camera ready well before I reach it for that chance encounter with a special animal.  Wildflowers give one enough time to get the camera ready, but unexpected mountain lions don't!