Northern California Wildflowers Photo Gallery by Barry Langdon-Lassagne at pbase.com

Northern California Wildflowers

This gallery is a collection of California native wildflowers and plants, mostly from the San Francisco Bay Area. I've specified the location in the description below each photograph. If you see any incorrect species identification, please let me know by leaving a comment for the particular wildlflower.

Some of my favorite places to go for wildflowers are Edgewood County Park, Picchetti Ranch, Stevens Creek County Park, Sunol Regional Wilderness and Hidden Villa.

Although I am currently more interested in photographing North American birds, I have always enjoyed photographing and identifying native plants. If you visit the page with birds listed by site, you will find many of these wildflower photographs mixed with photos of the birds found at the same location.

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Giant Wakerobin (Trillium chloropetalum)	Giant Wakerobin (Trillium chloropetalum)	Giant Wakerobin (Trillium chloropetalum)	Checker Lily (Fritillaria affinis)
Jewelflower (Streptanthus species)	Yellow Violet (Johnny Jump Up, Viola pedunculate) with a small geranium and a blue miniature lupine	Baby Blue-eyes (Nemophila menziesii)	Phacelia species (possibly Canterbury Bells?)
Jewelflower, Popcorn flower and California Poppy	Checker Mallow (Sidalcea malvaeflora)	California Poppy	Owl's Clover
Blow-wives seeds	Butterfly Mariposa Lily (Calochortus venustus)	Butterfly Mariposa Lily (Calochortus venustus)	Butterfly Mariposa Lily (Calochortus venustus)
IMG_8612.jpg	Butterfly Mariposa Lilies (Calochortus venustus)	Butterfly Mariposa Lily (Calochortus venustus)	Butterfly Mariposa Lily (Calochortus venustus)
Butterfly Mariposa Lily (Calochortus venustus)	Ground Iris (Iris macrosiphon)	Ground Iris (Iris macrosiphon)	Ground Iris (Iris macrosiphon)
Ground Iris (Iris macrosiphon)	Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)	Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)	Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)
Hawkweed	Yarrow	Elegant Brodiaea (Brodiaea elegans)	Fairy Lanterns
IMG_8659.jpg	Chinese Houses	Butterfly Mariposa Lily (Calochortus venustus)	Fairy Lanterns seed pods
Yarrow	Red Thistle (Cirsium occidentale)	Red Thistle (Cirsium occidentale)	Buttercups
Elegant Clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata)	Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum)	False Lupine (Thermopsis macrophylla)	Delphinium
Yellow Monkeyflower	Oak Violet? (Viola purpurea)	Elderberry	California Polypody (Polypodium californicum)
Nice green moss	Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii)	Woodland Star (Lithophragma ssp.)	Lupine (Lupinus ssp.)
Coast Larkspur (Delphinium decorum)	Star Lily (Zygadenus fremontii)	Wild Hyacinth (Dichelostemma capitatum)	Milkmaids (Cardamine californica)
Baby Blue-Eyes (Nemophila menziesii)	Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum)	California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica) in grasses	California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) and insect
Mule Ears (Wyethia)	Mule Ears (Wyethia)	Thistle	Ithuriel's Spear
Blue-eyed Grass with insect larva	Grasses	Bugle Hedgenettle (Stachys aujgoides)	Checker Lily a.k.a. Mission Bells (Fritillaria lanceolata) seed pods
Hooker's Fairy Bells	Fat Solomon's Seal (Smilacina racemosa)	Fairy Lanterns (Calochortus albus)	Wild rose
Wind Poppy (Stylomecon heterophylla)	Trillium	Sticky Monkey Flower	Paintbrush
Pitcher Sage	Starflower	Douglas' Iris	Starflower
Clematis going to seed	Clematis going to seed	Blue Witch	Clematis in bloom
Striped Coral Root (Corallorhiza maculata)	Slim Solomon's Seal (Smilacina stellata)	Douglas' Iris (Iris douglasiana)	Checker Lily a.k.a. Mission Bells (Fritillaria lanceolata)
Checker Lily a.k.a. Mission Bells (Fritillaria lanceolata)	Five-finger Fern (Adiantum pedatum)	California Buttercup (Ranunculus californicus)	Purple Larkspur (Delphinium sp.)
Purple Larkspur (Delphinium sp.)	Forget-me-nots	Western Coltsfoot (Petasites palmatus)	Red Larkspur (Delphinium nudicaule)
Big Leaf Maple in bloom	Fat Solomon's Seal (Smilacina racemosa)	Checker Lily a.k.a. Mission Bells (Fritillaria lanceolata)	Hooker's Fairy Bells (Disporum hookeri)
Western Wakerobin (Trillium chloropetalum)	Indian Warrior (Pedicularis densiflora)	California Lilac	Woodland Star (Lithophragma sp.)
Douglas' Iris	Mountain Mahogany (cercocarpus sp.) blossoms	Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum)	Poison Oak berries
Dried Goldback Fern	:: Marin Headlands ::	Mugwort?	Mountain Mahogany (cercocarpus sp.) seed
Dried Maidenhair Fern	Blue-eyed Grass	Yerba Santa	Mule Ears
Maidenhair Fern	KY2A1485.jpg	Common Fiddleneck	Buckwheat at Point Bonita
Seaside Daisy (Erigeron glaucus)	Dudleya, dwarf brodeia, goldback fern	Sticky Monkey-Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus)	Morning Glory
Fuzzy rock plant	Godeia and Ithuriel's Spear	"Rock garden"	Dudleya, fern
Dudleya species	Wind Poppy	Wind Poppy	Sticky Monkey-Flower
Douglas' Iris	Coffee Fern	Poison Oak and lichen	Crimson Columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
Pacific Starflower (Trientalis latifola)	Striped Coral Root (Corallorhiza striata)	Striped Coral Root (Corallorhiza striata)	California Buttercup (Ranunculus californicus)
Pacific Starflower (Trientalis latifola)	Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)	Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)	Mule Ears (Wyethia)
Common Fiddleneck	Yellow Violet	Mariposa Lily (Calochortus sp.)	Thistle
Wild Cucumber	Skullcap (possibly Scutellaria tuberosa)	Douglas' Iris (Iris douglasiana)	Possibly Common Madia?
Indian Warrior (Pedicularis densiflora), past blooming	Yellow flower	Douglas' Iris (Iris douglasiana)	Douglas' Iris (Iris douglasiana)
Skullcap (possibly Scutellaria tuberosa)	Skullcap (possibly Scutellaria tuberosa)	Skullcap (possibly Scutellaria tuberosa)	Skullcap (possibly Scutellaria tuberosa)
Solomon's Seal (probably Smilacina racemosa)	Sticky Monkey Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus)	Sticky Monkey Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus)	Pacific Starflower (Trientalis latifolia)
Turkeytail mushrooms on fallen log	Pacific Starflower (Trientalis latifolia)	Crimson Columbine (Aquilegia formosa), not fully open	Crimson Columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
Fairy Lanterns (Calochortus albus)	Fairy Lanterns (Calochortus albus)	Flannelbush	California Poppy
Striped Coral Root (Corallorhiza striata)	Woodland Star (Lithophragma)	Virgin's Bower (Clematis lasiantha)	Mission Bells (Fritillaria affinis)
Crimson Columbine (Aquilegia formosa)	California Buttercup (Ranunculus californicus)	Western Hounds Tongue (Cynoglossum grande)	Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)
California Aster (Aster chilensis)	Common Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)	Toyon berries (Heteromeles arbutifolia)	Dudleya sp.
Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis) in seed	Manzanita (Arctostaphylos ssp.), with buds just starting	Woolly Blue Curls, a.k.a Vinegar Weed (Trichosstema lanceolatum)	thistle
Yellow Bush Lupine and Bumblebee	Bush Lupine	Fiddleneck (Amsinckia)	Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii)
Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii)	Yellow Violet (Viola pedunculata)	Shooting Star (dodecatheon)	Shooting Star (dodecatheon)
Buckbrush	Prickly-Phlox (Leptodactylon californicum)	Henderson's Shooting Star (Dodecatheon hendersonii)	California Maidenhair (Adiantum jordanii)
Checkerspot and California Buckeye (Aesculus californica)	Checkerspot and California Buckeye (Aesculus californica)	Windmill Pink (Silene gallica)	Skullcap (possibly Scutellaria tuberosa)
Yerba Buena (Satureja douglasii)	Dead-mans fingers mushroom	Checkerbloom (Sidalcea malviflora) and Mariposa Lily (Calochortus luteus)	Mariposa Lily (Calochortus luteus)
Fairy Lanterns (Calochortus albus)	Epipactis helleborine (European native)	Pink rockrose (Cistus creticus)	Garden Burnet (Sanguisorba minor ssp. muricata)
Blow-wives (Achyrachaena mollis)	Yellow Monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus)	Checkerspot on Chia (Salvia)	California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)	Broomrape (Orobanche sp.)	Bristly Jewelflower (Streptanthus glandulosus)	Bristly Jewelflower (Streptanthus glandulosus)
Madrone (Arbutus menziesii)	Madrone (Arbutus menziesii)	Mediterranean Linseed (Bellardia trixago)	Rushes
Morning Glory (Convolvulus)	Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)	Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja)	Windmill Pink (Silene gallica)
Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon californicum)	Sticky Monkey Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus)	California Buckeye (Aesculus californica)	Owl's Clover (Orthocarpus?)
Pitcher Sage (Lepechinia calycina)	Bee-plant (Scrophularia californica)	Hedge-Nettle with Stilt Bug	California Maidenhair (Adiantum jordanii)
Vetch with Bumblebee	Lupine and Clover	Fairy Lanterns (Calochortus albus)	Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus)
Buttercup (Ranunculus californicus)	Fiddle Neck (Amsinckia intermedia?) and fly	Owl's Clover (Orthocarpus purpurascens) and lupine	California Golden Violet (Viola pedunculata)
Clover	Ithuriel's Spear (Triteleia laxa)	Wind Poppy (Stylomecon heterophylla)	Douglas's Iris (Iris Douglasiana)
Mule Ears (Wyethia)	Fairy Lantern (Calochortus albus)	California Hedge Nettle (Stachys bullata)	Blue Witch (Solanum umbelliferum)
Star Lily (Zigadenus fremontii)	Star Lily (Zigadenus fremontii)	Common Fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii)

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comment |

Tstoto		11-Jan-2024 12:36
Wonderful Article!

Chris P.		11-Mar-2020 04:20
I see that we both use a Canon 5D Mark III. I am also documenting wildflowers in Sonoma County Coast. Very nice gallery.

Gary		16-Jun-2019 15:56
Someone mentioned at one time a name of navatarina but I'm unable to search/Google that name.

Gary		16-Jun-2019 15:55
Hello. I have a low-lying tiny white flowering plant in much of my meadow. The unfortunate thing about this plant is the spike-balls it produces. Though the balls are soft while still green but they turn into dangerous nickle-size balls of spikes when dry. The enter the dogs feet, penetrate our garden tractor tires, and embed in the soles of our shoes. The plant is about 1-2 inches high and has individual stems with clusters of tiny white flowers which turn into the spike balls. I was forced to cover an 11 sq ft area with weed barrier and wood chips due to the noxious infestation. Spraying works but who wants that? Any ideas on what this thing is?

Sue Chaplin		04-Apr-2019 17:42
Thank you, thank you, for this fantastic gallery. I hunted for an hour trying to figure out Checker Mallow and couldn’t find a photo anywhere to match up with the one I took, until I stumbled onto your website!

Barry Langdon-Lassagne		26-Aug-2017 05:59
Yellow flowers with small white tips? Sounds kind of like Tidy Tips (Layia).

Barry Langdon-Lassagne		26-Aug-2017 05:58
Sue Palmer, I'm not sure but perhaps you are seeing Indian Warrior? I think I'd need to see a photograph and have a little more information on the altitude and location to be able to make a better guess

Sue Palmer		05-Jul-2017 16:25
I found a flower I've never seen before. It's red and grows in a very narrow range of altitude, in dry, shady wooded areas. At first I thought it was a weird mushroom. Clearly not. Even it's leaves are blood red. It rather resembles a hyacinth. Can you help me identify it? I've searched a ton of sites and no luck.

Guest		05-Jun-2017 04:28
I found a yellow flowers with small white tips along a stream in Trinity County. Any ideas?

Guest		06-May-2017 18:26
I was looking or a flower I see in my back yard. Still can't find it.

Guest		06-Aug-2016 00:57
Thank you!!!

Lyn Younger		18-Jun-2016 06:49
Thank you for your wonderful site. I am doing some jigsaw puzzles that do not identify the wild flowers. Your site did that for me. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity!

ecalande		10-Jun-2016 04:02
Thanks, your site has been very helpful!

Guest		12-May-2016 02:56
saw a fairy lantern in yellow. Never saw any before.

Guest		22-Apr-2016 16:39
I scattered seed to compensate for lost lawn. Two unknown flowers came up that I cannot find anywhere. Both are about an inch across, 5 petals. One has purple petals with tips of petals having a darker purple half moon. Other is about same size and petals are half bright yellow at center with white outer halves and yellow-black stamens.

Lisa Fritz		20-May-2014 23:25
Yes, I second Cindy Jeans raves about this site. Great collection. Question: what are the huge leaves growing in the deep canyon on the Pichetti Trail in Cupertino?

Cindy Jeans		09-Apr-2013 18:30
This has got to be the most wonderful wildflower site I've found. THANK YOU!!!! I would love to get a flannel bush for my yard. Any ideas where to find that?

Guest		05-Sep-2011 17:13
I recently spotted a Blue flower in Sunol RP that you ID as Wooly Bluecurls. I believe that it may also be named "Vinegar Weed", Trichosstema lanceolatum,Lamiaceae Fa. You can find more info in Pacific Sts WF, Niehaus, p374 or The Audubon WF guide plate 609. Dale Schauer

Joe		22-Aug-2010 17:59
I have a California wild flower in my yard. It looks like tiny, pink to red,porpoise when in bloom,with little lavender stems sticking out of the end of the bloom. The Hummingbirds love it. Does anyone know the name of this flower? Thank You for your help, Joe

Guest		13-Jun-2010 16:55
Can you tell me where you found the flannel bush? Was it in the wild? Thanks

Guest		06-May-2010 22:43
Thank you for helping me identify some of the wildflowers we captured on film this spring 2010 in the Sunol Wilderness, East Bay Regional Park District. What a show and what pictures you have. A delight! Again Thank you.

Judi		17-May-2009 22:06
thank you for the great collection. I have photographed wildflowers on my morning walks to send to my grandchildren in Connecticut and needed help in naming them. You have some great photos.

Katrina		07-Apr-2009 15:25
Thanks for the lovely photos. I was hiking in the Las Trampas Wilderness in Alamo on 4/5/09 and saw more wildflower varieties in a single day than I ever have before - most likely because of the multiple diverse micro-climates within the park. Your photos helped me identify a few of the unknown flowers I saw there. I wish I'd had my camera so I could have documented the amazing variety myself. I'll refer my fellow wildflower lovers to your site - it's a great reference.

Natalie		22-Jan-2009 05:44
What great photos! It's hard to get such clarity in the wild when the flowers are flapping around in the wind, but these look fantastic. I saw a funny wildflower at Edgewood Park this weekend, (mid-January) with small, about 1-inch pink tubular flowers clustered together at the top of a big spike, about one foot off the ground, with a rosette of big pointy swordlike leaves on the ground. (The top looked a little indian-paintbrush-like, and the bottom reminded me a little of a yucca) Any ideas what that was?

Dennis Ancinec		10-Apr-2008 04:57
Great job on the gallery. I am trying to do much the same thing in San Diego area.

Guest		21-Apr-2006 04:27
Beautiful wildflower photography in Norhtern California! I was just up hiking on the Pleasanotn Ridge today looking at the wildflowers 4-20-06. Some six petaled varieties I couldn't name & didn't find on your photo site & what is the scientific name for cowslips? However, thamks for all the info. your photos did offer.

Guy Bruyea		10-Nov-2005 19:19
Nice Gallery.

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