California Poppy Quartet

California Poppy 2, photo by Harold Davis. View this photograph larger.

California poppies are native flowers that begin to dot the hills near us at this time of year.

The genus of this flower is Eschscholzia–named after Johann Friedrich Eschscholtz, the doctor on the Russian exploration vessel Rurik.

A part of California’s semi-forgotten early history, the Rurik explored California in the early 1800s. The expedition’s naturalist was one Adelbert von Chamisso. Von Chamisso was Eschscholtz’s good friend, which is why he named the genus after Eschscholtz. What a strange name for such a delicate and beautiful flower!

Perhaps the relationship between Eschscholtz and von Chamisso was like that of the wonderful Aubrey and Maturin duet, except stronger because they were both von Chamosso and Eschscholtz were men of science interested in botany.

I photographed these poppies on a hillside in Tilden Park a few days ago, on a hike with my nephew Peter and my son Julian.