By now there certainly are some plants which I don’t need to photograph anymore because I studied them enough with the camera, and the Scarlet Larkspur (Delphinium cardinale) is probably one of them… see here, here and here. :-)
Torrey Pines
The area that San Diegans commonly just call “Torrey Pines” is a clifftop mesa which is home to one of the rarest pine trees on Earth, the Torrey Pine (it only grows here, and on one of California’s islands off the coast a little bit to the north). The mesa is officially called Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, and the beach beneath the cliffs is Torrey Pines State Beach. Both are extremely popular among both tourists and locals. Nearby, on the southern end of Del Mar, is Torrey Pines Extension, which is more rugged and chaotic, and far less popular.
Torrey Pine Forest on Santa Rosa Island
There are only two populations of Torrey Pines in the entire world: the ones growing at and around Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in San Diego County, between Del Mar and La Jolla, and the ones growing on an ocean-facing ridge in the northeastern part of Santa Rosa Island, part of California’s Channel Islands National Park.
Larkspurs in the Landscape
Six photos of Scarlet Larkspur (Delphinium cardinale) in the landscape at Torrey Pines Extension in Del Mar, California.
Red on Black
Three photos of red wildflowers against a mostly black background, with a little help from on-camera flash & sunlight :-)
Torrey Pines Wildflower Bloom
There’s another bloom in town… it may not be as spectacular as the Anza Borrego wildflower “superbloom” this year, but it’s quite a treat for the eyes nevertheless: plenty of wildflowers are in bloom right now at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve – more than I have ever seen there!
Coastal Fog at Torrey Pines Extension
My mid-day scouting at Torrey Pines Extension in bright sun paid off today. :-) I caught a tweet by the National Weather Service San Diego, announcing dense fog at the immediate coastal areas – and I knew exactly where I wanted to be…