This photograph does not do these beautiful flowers justice. Five spots are a creamy white with a touch of purple on the petals. They are just beginning to bloom.

Here are a few wood violets enjoying all that moisture. One of the few plants in the violet family in our sierra foothills area. More information http://www.crcd.org/

The last few seconds before the sun slipped down below the mountains. I love having a walk after dinner as the evenings get longer.

Let's stipulate that my close up technique needs work. This is a shooting star, one of the early bloomers. They are past their prime now, but I still see a few. My mother grew up on a ranch in southwestern Montana -- there were shooting stars there.

The valley is clear and sunny through the clouds.

The tiny yellow flowers that carpet the meadow are goldfields. Here's one source for identification.
http://www.calacademy.org/research/botany/wildflow/

A lone Indian Pink (silene californica) looks a bit scraggly. They are just beginning to bloom, very late this year.

The high country peaks still have snow. This is as green as it ever gets, a lush soggy mess.

This lupine is in its full glory. I can see it from my upstairs bathroom. This shrub variety blooms earlier followed by the stalk version. The smaller plants are part of my success story -- spreading the lupine seeds created lots of new plants. The rain has resulted in luxuriant growth.
A few branches broke off in the freak snow, but all that is in the past.

The bush lupine are still blooming looking downright lush. Their petals are tipped with white which makes the color more vibrant.