A Bonus

Soil sample site

The other day, I met clients at a vineyard site they’re considering in Napa. It’s a beautiful piece of property. A creek forms the northern and western boundaries. We’ve had a good bit of rain, so the creek was high and moving swiftly.

California Fawn Lily (Erythronium californicum)

 We were there to meet the owner of a local vineyard management company for a soil test. He arrived, dug a two foot by two foot hole, and took his samples.

 The soil – five cups or so – went into a plastic zip top bag for sending to the test lab. It looked rich, dark and fertile. The smell coming from the hole could, on its own, have sprouted most anything; it was fecund and funky. Everyone is hopeful for good results based on what we saw and smelled.

Post soil sampling and hole being filled back in, I walked to the creek for a final look before driving back to Sonoma. Along the bank, I saw a flower new to me – a delicate, creamy white, six-petaled blossom. Back in the office, I checked my Northern California Wildflower guide and learned that I’d seen a California Fawn Lily. Erythronium californicum.