Natives

I drive slowly, but I know where the turnouts are and I always use them. That's what I was doing when, among an unremarkable clump of a member of my studio's namesake genus (Sticky Monkey Flower, or mimulus aurantiacus), above and below left, I caught sight of a little splash of yellow that I knew was special. Do you see it? Take a closer look, below right, etc. . . .

Growing up, we called these "fairy lanterns", and I watched for them every spring in the same shady wooded patch a little ways from my house. In recent years that little colony has waned, so I felt very lucky to find these.

In looking up the latin name (Calochortus pulchellus), I discovered another reason to feel lucky . . . check out this crazy isolated distribution! If you come visit in the Spring, drop me a line. I'll show you where the fairies are hiding these days. : )