February Flowers . . . in April

Joy and I go for walks around South Pas on a regular basis, and sometimes I take my camera along, just for fun.

Here's what was blooming last month (I've, er, been meaning to post these for about six weeks now . . .)

Chinese magnolias, which bloom in winter before their leaves come in. They always seem to hold a promise of approaching spring.

Little camellias . . .

. . . and big camellias. Descanso Gardens in La Canada has the largest camellia collection in North America, and apparently they have a Camellia Festival every winter.

Last but not least, this is some funky orange flower whose name I don't know. Looks like it was drawn by Dr. Seuss, doesn't it? If you look closely, there's a green hummingbird sipping from one of the top flowers. Talk about a lucky shot--he came on the scene just as I was snapping the picture.