Scarlet Fritillary: The 26th Flower of Spring!

[best appreciated at full size against black]

Here is a flower bud I found next to the trail on top of our ridge. I noticed these buds about two weeks ago and I took this picture about a week ago. I've been checking every few days to see if it's opened, including this morning, but I think it has stage fright! :D I wonder what it will look like when it opens!! Please keep your fingers crossed that a deer or other animal doesn't EAT IT!!! It's the only one I've seen anywhere on our property, though I've been looking for others.

I am very unhappy to report that I went to check on the progess of one of the flower buds I posted and a few days ago I found that it had been eaten right down to the ground! *cry* *tantrum* *howling fit* A few days ago I spent a couple of hours climbing around on our hillside, looking for another one of those flowers, but alas, I didn't find any, nor did I find any more of this kind either. I was, however, very impressed by all the neat plants and trees up there...it's a mess of brush, fallen trees, and thickets of awful poison oak, but there are many deer trails criss-crossing the acres that comprise the hillside up to the ridgeline. I wish I had the time to begin clearing out the brush and dead trees and branches, but I'm just too busy at this point. I do look forward to this project though...I really enjoy cleaning up our property and have most of our lower forest in good shape now, with enormous piles of brush and branches scattered all over. They make wonderful homes for birds and other animals, though at some point we hope to burn the piles or put them through a wood chipper. I do love the idea of having better access to the wonderful habitats on our hillside instead of needing a machete to hack my way through! :D I will be going up there on a regular basis through the summer though--I know Indian Paintbrush will be blooming, and there are bound to be other surprises as well! :)

This image was taken in March, 2012. Explored on April 11th, 2012.