California Poppy

Bloom time: Mid-spring to mid-autumn.

The California poppy is the state flower of California, but it grows naturally all the way up the coast to British Columbia. Its genus name, Eschscholzia, usually makes people look twice because of the peculiar spelling. But it was named after 19th century German botanist Johann Friedrich von Eschscholz. Its flowers are velvety and so intensely colourful that it's hard to capture their true nature on film. The flowers are delicate, and close up at night or in cold, windy weather to protect the pollen within. This pollen was used as a cosmetic by some Native American groups, and the whole plant was used medicinally, as well. California poppies are perennial in warmer climates, but have no trouble thriving as annuals where winters are cool because of the hard seeds that eject from the ripe seed pod.