Goat decor and poppies
Terri Webster Schrandt

The Flower Hour #25: POP Go the Poppies

For the Flower Hour, share your images of flowers, gardens, fields of flowers, seasonal leaves and plants, fungus, algae, cacti, blossoms, berries, and wildflowers. Bouquets and silk/faux flowers are welcome.

I almost didn’t respond to the L-A challenge this week for this Flower Hour post. But after reading a few great examples from other bloggers, I decided to use poppies as the subject to explore framing techniques across the foreground, middle ground, and background.

As many of you know, we spent 40 days on our extensive road trip through six Western states, visiting family and friends. Whenever we travel, I always look for local flowers, with The Flower Hour in mind. By the time we reached San Diego in mid-March, I knew the California poppies would be strutting their stuff.

March is poppy season in all of California, both Southern and Northern. Yes, I have countless poppy pics I’ve taken over the years still a’ bloom in my media files.

While in Sacramento, I walked a couple of miles with my friend down her rural road and was treated to lots of poppies!

These happy poppies grew close together to steal each other’s show.

orange poppies

“To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.” – Edward Weston

But sometimes a lone poppy can be quite compelling.

orange Poppy unfurling

Here, the poppies try to steal the show out from under the cute wooden goat…

Goat decor and poppies

…Or from the weathered half-barrel in the middle ground.

California Poppies


The fields of poppies provided a vivid backdrop as we drove along a California Freeway.

Southern California super bloom
Southern California super bloom

To cap off this formidable challenge by Patti, I managed to find this old image for the Lens-Artists challenge that includes all the “grounds.” Sorry, Patti, for sharing more than three pics 😉 Back in 2019, as another windsurf season bloomed in mid-April at the Sacramento River Delta, the California poppies were showing off as usual.

Poppies rocks and sea water

This image shows the poppies in the foreground against a mid-ground of rocks, with the promise of windy waves in the background.

Also sharing for Dawn’s Spring Festival and Pepper’s One Step Challenge.

New to The Flower Hour photo challenge? Please check out my page for more information! I encourage “double-dipping” with other blog challenges if you do not want to create a separate post.

Remember, there are no specific themes for the Flower Hour, but please use your own photography. And you have all week to link to this post.


We arrived home on Easter Sunday afternoon. Whew…more about our trip over the next several posts.

A huge thank you to Cathy and Susanne for hosting Sunday Stills throughout March! Sunday Stills resumes with me with the Monthly Color Challenge: Diamonds and Quartz on April 12th!

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them!” – Henri Matisse

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86 comments

  14. California Poppies are quite prolific in established local gardens but for the life of me, I haven’t found any at the garden centres to plant in my own garden. They are beautiful and just look at that hillside covered in them…what a sight to behold!

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    • Thank you, Egidio! I’m glad I could make the poppy post work for lens-artists! We always feel so happy whenever we see the California poppies in full bloom, since we don’t have them here. I’ll have to research what kind of poppies can grow in Eastern Washington!

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  21. Ohmnigosh, Terri, best “The Flower Hour” post ever!

    First, I’d no idea poppies bloomed so early – even in Northern California. Our town, Kingsville, Ontario, which is the southernmost town in Canada, is located on roughly the same latitude as Northern California – places like Eureka. Trust me – we’ve no poppies in bloom here, I doubt the new growth has even sprouted yet!

    Second, the “superbloom” on the hillsides (mountain sides?) are absolutely spectacular – I’ve never seen so many in one place before.

    Third, “still abloom in my media files” – very punny! 🙂 Clever words and pictures this week, hey!?!

    Fourth, all our wild Poppies are red and we’ve some cultivars in gardens that are pink but I’ve not seen orange before.

    The images are stunning, and pretty, and fun to see and I thoroughly enjoyed this post, thank you. Well-done you!!! xx

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    • Aww, thank you for your enthusiastic comment, Pam! You made me smile! March was always poppy season in most of California. We were sure blessed to see them while on our road trip. We spent almost three weeks in California, from bottom (San Diego) to top (Crescent City). Glad you liked my silliness with my media files. I do like to dust off some old pics for them to see the light of virtual day, when I can :D! I’m used to seeing the orange poppies, but rarely see the red northern ones or the Icelandic variety. I don’t recall seeing any poppies here in Eastern Washington. But our daffodils are blooming now.

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    • Me, too, Janis! I knew the poppies would be at their peak in March while we were in California. Hubby took pics three years ago of the poppy-covered hills in So Cal while I was driving, but his phone is not as sharp as mine. :/

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  30. Poppies are one of my favourite flowers. I am aiming for a seas of them this summer, in many different colours. When I collected poppy seeds last summer I mixed orange, red, burgundy and purple seeds in the same jar.

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  34. Wow! Wow! Wow!
    You have incredible images of the beloved poppies! We have them here in AZ as well. They are such a beautiful wildflower.
    Once again, you have blown me away!
    💛🥰💛

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  40. This is a beautifully vibrant and engaging post that celebrates both the art of photography and the joy of travel. Your love for poppies shines through every line, and the way you’ve woven your road trip memories into the narrative adds a personal and heartfelt touch.

    What truly stands out is your thoughtful exploration of composition—foreground, middle ground, and background—presented so naturally through your images and reflections. It never feels technical; instead, it feels like an invitation to see more deeply.

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