Whiteflower Parade

Washburn Trail, Joseph D. Grant County Park, Santa Clara County, CA, 3/22/2016

After photographing a grassy meadow of California poppies, I spotted this parade of Douglas' meadowfoam (Limnanthes douglasii nivea) growing along the meadow’s soggy trough. Forming a path for the eyes if not the feet, here is an attractive example of plants naturally occurring in an area that suits them. Meadowfoam is an annual herb that is native to California and flourishes in wetlands, and in wet, grassy habitat, such as vernal pools and spring meadows. Producing white flowers with yellow centers, the plant is also known as poached egg plant. It was collected by Scottish explorer and botanist David Douglas (1799-1834), the namesake of the Douglas fir. He worked on the west coast of America in the 1820s.