March 23, 2015 – Wildflowers gone wild

On my drive into Napa Valley this day, the one thing that stood out were the flaming California poppies and the purple patches of wild Lupine growing along Highway 12 through American Canyon.  There were many other wild flowers, but these two stood out.  Surrounded by the green natural grasses, these colors popped in the midday sun.  All along Highway 29 through Yountville, Oakville, and Rutherford I came upon these patches of vivid colors.  But the most incredible was not strictly the work of Nature.  At Provenance Vineyards, they have removed about 75% of the lawn that once occupied the front of their winery operations.  They replaced this with a handsome patio and seating area, but still had about 25% of the area left to landscape.  This year they planted perhaps the largest wildflower garden I have seen.

Wildflower garden at Provenance Vineyards

I also noticed another annual milestone in Napa Valley … bud break.  This is the time that the foliage pokes through the crusted-over branches of the grape vine and the leaves start to emerge.  It won’t be long before you see the canopy develop and the appearance of the tiny, infantile grape clusters emerging.

Bud break at Corison Winery