The Flower Fields in Carlsbad (or, "The Flower Fields [Registered]", as the boys preferred to call them) have been on my list of things to see for a long time now, but you have to be there at the right time of year. And finally, we were! I love places like this. And the main flowers in the fields are ranunculus—one of my favorites. Sam and I used to call them "puffins" because they are just such a cute, frilly, puffy flower! I read that their name means "little frog," which seems odd. I would have said "little hedgehog," maybe, or "little puffer fish."
It's a really pretty drive down the coast to Carlsbad from Irvine. We stopped a couple times to look at the gorgeous views (with Teddy saying frantically the whole time from the back seat, "We don't get in the ocean! I love it! We don't go in the water!"). The wildflowers were still blooming at this time of year, and everything looked green.
They've made this place into "an attraction" of sorts (to justify their high prices...), with other garden areas, and a children's playground and so forth, besides the vast ranunculus fields. This was the Artist's Garden. So beautiful!
They had some pretty birds in this cage, including some baby doves that had JUST BARELY hatched (like within in the last hour). We could just barely see them emerging from their eggs and peeking out from underneath their mama. So tiny! And wet! And cute!
Daisies, of course
Marigolds, of course
They also had a large display of poinsettias. I didn't even know there WERE so many varieties! Or that they grew anytime except December. Ha ha.
But THIS is wanted I wanted to come for. Fields and fields of blooming ranunculus! I love the way they look together in big stripes of color, like the tulip fields you see pictures of in Holland.
You can walk right up along the edges of the fields. There are tractor rides to take you up the hill, too. All the kids liked that!
The stripes are really pretty from far away, but I liked these more mixed-color areas, too.
From the top of the hill you can see the ocean down below. I loved that view.
Flowers up close. See how fluffy and frilly they are? Some individual flowers are frillier than others—I wonder what makes the difference?
The REALLY dense, many-petaled ones are my favorites.
Especially the yellow ones! Aren't those swirls pretty?
The blooms were a little bit more sparse on one end of the fields, but still pretty. I think these had hit their peak blooming a time a few weeks earlier.
The palm trees add a nice California-ish touch.
It was a lovely place. I'm so glad we finally got to see it!
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