Brilliant Hillside Beauty

My brilliant orange, fan shaped, tiny petals, wildly blanket the hillsides throughout Novato. I might not have an impact by myself, so we tend to stick together in large groups for dramatic appearances.

We are shy, closing our beautiful flower, if the conditions are not right. We cower, when we sense clouds, wind or darkness, just waiting to unfold, when the sun beats down on our silky leaves.

We will hang around for a while, until the intense summer heat fades our blooms.

We will develop a pod containing hundreds of tiny black round seeds, ready to be scatteredd before fall and the winter rains, just patiently waiting to return next spring.

We have proudly been the California State Flower, since 1890. We are the California Golden Poppy.