Under the Solano Sun

This Mother's Day, three generations of my family enjoyed the Ruth Bancroft Gardens in Walnut Creek. I had been to the gardens once before on a Master Gardener field trip. That visit, aside from a few barrel cactus, there had been little in bloom.

Lavender has for as long as I can remember been one of my favorite scents and favorite plants. I enjoy brushing my hand through the blossoms when I walk by just to stir up the scent. Bees and butterflies are attracted as much as I am.

In a prior blog entry, I discussed how I had the pleasure of attending the annual mushroom camp this past January 2018, organized by the Sonoma County Mycological Association (SOMA). It was educational, fascinating, and delicious, and I will certainly attend again.

On as recent family vacation to The Big Island of Hawaii, I got to participate in one of the things I love most about travel; finding new plants, especially new blooming one's. All of the following plants were seen on a short hike at Akaka Falls State Park outside of Hilo.

I reported in my last blog entry that in January 2018, I attended a mushroom camp in Occidental, California. There were many activities, one of which I will be discussing in this blog entry.