#wildflowers

#wildflowers

My most exulted sighting came as I drove out of upper Dovedale when, from the corner of my eye, I caught a blanket of gold running over the slope. The flowers held the foreground before the eye travelled onwards to Sheen Hill in Staffordshire. We overuse the word carpet, but in this instance it was appropriate. Each bloom was about the same height as all its neighbours, and if you eliminated gaps in colour by getting down face to face with the flower heads, then the whole land was turned into a single glorious sunshine hue.

The New River Gorge's moist, shaded forests are an ideal habitat for flowers that color the hillsides in April and early May, making it an excellent time to see the gorge in bloom.

Large blooms across the state typically occur after an intense rain year, and while blooms started appearing in late January, mid-March to late May is when spring colors are at their peak.

The Point Reyes National Seashore encompasses just over 71,000 acres. It was established in 1962 thanks to the work of Clem Miller, a United States congressman from Marin County. Mount Wittenberg is the tallest mountain at 1,407 feet in elevation. Point Reyes Hill is 1,336 feet and Mount Vision is 1,282 feet. The San Andreas Fault separates the Point Reyes peninsula from the rest of Marin County.

Recent studies suggest planting strips of wildflowers alongside crops boosts pollination and promotes higher yields.