A Wild of Summer Color

Summer evokes brown—a brown like faded dirt or bleached dust. Occasionally, there is a warm brown like languorous honey. The searing sun bleaches the things it touches until objects are a mere shadow in a monotonous landscape. The return of color waits until the seasons turn and the rains return.

Near the coast, though, summer reveals a different expression. The fog is never away for long. The cool clouds refuse to be bullied by the sun, and their presence provides a welcome respite from summer’s heat. Browns take on the hues of wet clay and damp sand. Veins of red ochre, serpentine green, and cool slate run through the earth.

Wild jade and deep, rich emerald take over the landscape where coyotebrush and coast strawberry thrive. Sinewy tea trees make a riot of silvery green as they tumble down the slopes, reaching for the cliffs and the waves. Mounds of vibrant California poppy and sticky monkeyflower traverse the landscape like fiery patchwork. Unwilling to be outdone, the lavender of seaside daisy, wild radish, lupine, and California lilac exuberantly declare their presence. In the crevices, the finest of grasses form waves in the wind.