A Burst of Color, Part 1

We have had a few beautiful warm days following the arctic blast at the beginning of the month. It seems appropriate to celebrate these warm days with a little burst of color:

The Mealy Blue Sage (Salvia farinacae) begins to bloom around mid-spring and continues until the first hard freeze. Even with the arctic blast, we still haven't had a hard freeze in the city. I haven't been back to the river since it has warmed up a bit, but I suspect the Mealy Blue Sage are still in full bloom.

This set of photographs was taken along the San Antonio River Mission Reach on Wednesday, December 4, 2013.

Publication note: For those who may have been expecting me to continue today with the series "A Brief Introduction to a Very Thorny Subject," I ask for your patience. The subject of spines is even a bit more complex than that of true thorns. I need to get out and take a few more photos in order to complete the series.