"From Rainy Spring into Deep Summer"

Well, folks, I don't want to speak too soon, but I think that summer's finally here. The weather's been good lately (and hopefully it will stay that way...?). And the parks (at least the lowland ones) are starting to look like summer - the grass is yellowing out a bit, the yarrow are blooming, and the spring flowers are gone or fading.

To that end, I took a trip to Discovery Park the other day to catch the last of the late spring/early summer wildflowers, especially the lupines and daisies. There were still some nice ones, but those two flower types are definitely on their way out for the year. It was rough going, because it was very breezy down on the beach trail, where I spent most of my time. I also found it difficult to always remove distracting elements from my shots, like really obtrusive blades of grass in the background. Still, a few pictures ended up post-worthy.

First, the daisies, which were pretty magnificent. I think these are the biggest daisies I've seen growing wild in a park:

Next, the lupines. In this first picture, the strange blob in the background in the upper left corner is a bird.  Were I ever to do anything with this picture, I would of course edit it out.

Finally, a few other kinds of flowers that I found. The flower in the first two pictures I couldn't identify; my hunch is that it's some sort of fleabane. The second is - you guessed it - fireweed! The fireweed season is upon us. The majority of plants have not begun to bloom yet, but a few brave souls have begun their show. There'll be more fireweed pictures up soon, you can bet money on it.

Next up (maybe even later today): my trip on Saturday to Goat Lake! The longest photo hike I've attempted to date.