Tempus Adest Floridum!

or, Flower-time's a-comin'!  

Photo bouquet of what's green and blooming this Eastertide in our little corner of the California Floristic Province.  

Castilleja affinis, that is, paintbrush.

But first, click to hear the springy old Easter carol:

Tempus adest floridum, surgunt namque flores

Vernales in omnibus imitantur mores,

Hoc, quod frigus laeserat, reparant calores,
Cernimus hoc fieri per multos labores.

Spring has now unwrapped the flowers,
Day is fast reviving.
Life in all her growing powers,
Towards the light is striving.
Gone the iron touch of cold,
Winter time and frost time,
Seedlings working through the mould,
Now make up for lost time.

Gorgeous Ceanothus crassifolia. See how its Easter flowers come in time, from the bud....

Sunt prata plena floribus iucundo aspectu,

Ubi iuvat cernere herbas cum delectu,
Gramina et plantulae hieme qaiescunt,
Vernali in tempore virent et adcrescunt.

Herb and plant that, winter long,

Slumbered at their leisure,

Now bestirring, green and strong,

Find in growth their pleasure.

All the world with beauty fills,

Gold the green enhancing;

Flowers make glee among the hills

And set the meadows dancing.

Dendromocon rigida, or tree poppy.

Hae vobis pulchre monstrant Deum creatorem,
Quem quoque nos credimus omnium factorem ;
Tempus ergo hilare, quo laetari libet,
Renovato iam mundo nos novari decet.

Earth puts on her dress of glee;

Flowers and grasses hide her;

We go forth in charity–

Brothers all beside her.

For as man this glory sees

In th' awakening season,

Reason learns the heart’s decrees,

Hearts are led by reason.

Summer holly, Comarostaphylis diversifolia.

Ceanothus "Ray Hartmann"

Iris douglasii, Douglas iris.

Canyon sunflowers - Venegasia carpesioides.

Aquilegia formosa, the crimson columbine.

Apache plume, Fallugia paradoxa

Catkins: the male flowers of the coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia.

Terra ornatur floribus et multo decore,
Nos honestis moribus et vero amore,
Gaudeamus igitur tempore iucundo,
Laudemusque Dominum pectoris e fundo.

Through each wonder of fair days

God herself expresses

Beauty follows all her ways

As the world she blesses!

So as she renews the earth,

Artist without rival,

In the grace of glad new birth

We must seek revival.

Flowers long to fruit,
Fruit only wants to flower.
All the rest is talk!

Consider the life-cycle of the fabulous California buckeye, Aesculus californica, from bare branches to buds to blooms to buckeyes to bare branches to...etc.

Happy Easter from Cloudcuckooland!