California Poppies
A different kind of poppy
I grew up thinking of poppies as red flowers with black centers that you wear pinned to your coat on Remembrance Day. But, California poppies are a different beast as I learned. They’re just as beautiful, but have a more oval shape and are a brilliant orange color.
Because of a very rainy winter, the desert wildflower bloom was especially impressive this year. So, like every other person in southern California hungry for a photo opportunity, I trekked out to the Antelope Valley poppy reserve just outside of Lancaster, California. I’d love to tell you we were the only people there in amongst fields of beautiful poppies, but…let’s be honest, it was pretty packed. So much for my dreams of a Wizard of Oz moment.
We managed to find one patch that others appeared not to have discovered and grabbed some shots, careful not to crush any of the poppies. Sadly, a lot of people walk right through the flowers to get that perfect shot, destroying poppies as they go.