When exploring a new neighborhood on foot, one never knows what they may discover. Having grown accustomed to the flowers which would greet me in the Colorado gardens I’d frequent for spring photo ops, Santa Fe was a whole other animal. For flower photographers like myself, it was definitely a wander into the unknown.
I didn’t encounter any of the fuzzy Pasque flowers I love (bummer). But what I did see were all these little red and black poppies springing up all around the neighborhood. From cracks in the pavement to all over folks front yards, these little buggers were everywhere! Dancing in the spring wind they appeared mighty happy. I never saw them when I lived in Santa Fe before so it was a bit of a head-scratcher? After doing some Google research, I concluded they were known as Long-Headed poppies (papaver dubium).
For more technical flower information, I found the following:
“Papaver dubium is a species of poppy known by the common names long-headed poppy and blindeyes.
It is an annual species which prefers sandy soils without lime. It is native to Europe, North Africa and south-western Asia and widespread as an introduction in America and elsewhere.”
Long Headed Poppies at Home in the Elements
These precious little Long Headed poppies begin blooming around mid-April. Like Colorado, Santa Fe can have unpredictable spring weather which does include snow. So these little fellas are impressive considering the blooms are all of an inch or so wide.
As the mornings warm up, their little red and black petals open wide to face the morning sun. It can be quite windy around here (making them a bit challenging to photograph), but they bob around in the spring winds clearly right at home in the elements.
Every few days I’d wander around the neighborhood and see more and more of them. I believe it’s safe to say, they return to their favorite spots as well as expanding their reach each year. This info is by way of talking to one of the neighbors who noticed that this year they had shown up in her front yard.
This turned out to be a favorite photo of these little guys. Looking more like a painting, it captured the free form of these dainty but hardy spring flowers.
With their shiny red and black petals and green pollen covered centers, they were such a pleasant sight to see. Given their preference for sandy soils, it’s no wonder I saw them popping up everywhere around this neighborhood.
Early Season Bee Food
Spring is still slim pickings food wise for bees. But being the enterprising little guys that they are, they take full advantage of these Long Headed poppies. Between the small size of the flowers and wiry stems, throw in a busy bee and I’m lucky to have gotten a photo at all!
The few shots I was able to get of this combo lead to the discovery that they pollen the bees were collecting was green. That was a first to see! Now that I know where these little Long Stem poppies tend to bloom and when, I look forward to capturing more images of them next year.
From big, red Oriental poppies to golden California poppies and many others in-between, if I’ve learned anything, there are countless varieties of poppies! 🙂