I cannot believe that it has been one year since I instigated and began the UC Hopland Research & Extension Center BLOG (HREC BLOG). It was March of 2011 when I first posted a photo of Mission Bells (Fritillaria affinis). At the time I had discovered one of the best concentrations of robust plants that I had ever observed on the Center. So, today I returned to visit the location.
The plants were just as robust as last year, but I was a little too late for the show. Most plants were forming seeds already, with only a few flowers still in display. This perennial native lily is fairly common among the oaks and brushlands, but can easily be overlooked due to its drab blossom colors. The six nodding petals of this inverted-bowl shaped flower vary greatly in color ... from yellowish to greenish-brown to purplish-brown... and usually with maroon-brown spots.
The question is .... when you walk through a patch of Mission Bells is there a sound?
