Neighborhood walking: spring blooms in Menlo Park

Now that we’re being encouraged to exercise in our own neighborhoods to curb the spread of COVID-19, we thought it would be fun and informative to identify some points of interest that can be seen along the way as well as spotlight the flowers and trees that make spring so beautiful in our towns.

Tomorrow we’ll look at a historical landmark; these flower photos are from today’s amble around one west Menlo Park neighborhood.

Every spring there’s a poppy explosion on Brandon Way (top) in a front yard that’s been part of past Native Plant Tours. “Gone native” since 1992 when the owners planted California poppies, they added Coastal poppies (more yellow, less golden in color) 10 years later and the two varieties have since crossed to produce a hybrid.

The daffodils (above right) tell only a partial story, like about one-tenth. Dozens and dozens of daffodils stretch across two front yards on Oak Dell near Lemon.

And finally, the explosion of tulip color was spotted on Ambar.

Is your neighborhood  blooming with beauty? Please send flower photos with type of flower and what street to tips@inmenlo.com.