A photograph from mid-May that I should have perhaps waited to share during some dreary winter day, but perhaps it is dreary and wintry for BPotD readers from the southern hemisphere today.
I hope I’ve identified this correctly as Eschscholzia caespitosa, or tufted poppy. One of the main differences between Eschscholzia caespitosa and Eschscholzia californica is that the latter has a rimmed receptable, which is absent in the plant in today’s photograph.
Eschscholzia caespitosa is native to chaparral plant communities from Oregon to Baja California.

Wow, this is gorgeous. It doesn’t even look real!
Let me guess… it’s also call California poppy, right? They look the same when whizzing by them on the interstate. Gorgeous.
Absolutely beautiful photograph.
The California poppy is Eschscholzia californica. This one is known (at least in my part of norCal) as the Mexican poppy.
This is my personal favorite roadside attraction,

Just lovely and so simple, too!
You’re right, it IS dreary and wintery here in the southern hemisphere. So your choice of photo was perfect. Thanks.
Marvelous photograph! Thank you.
Used to be able to get seed for this, at T&M I think. If I remember correctly, it was a lovely soft yellow with gray-green leaves–much more delicate looking in a garden than E. californica. I haven’t seen seed available lately.
This picture is like sunshine that has been missing the last two days. This brightened a dreary second day of much needed rain on the East Coast. Thank you.
my poppys do still bring enjoyment to our worlds we live in
ruskin wrote ; the poppy is painted glass;it never glows so brightly
as when the sun shines through it. when ever it is seen-aginst the light or with the light always it is a flame. and warms the the wind like a blown ruby -ours today is a yellow diamond.
its so hot here in florida a slice of lemon poppy seed cake and ice tea
would be nice wish i could send aussie land some of our heat 97
Really stupendous photo, Daniel!

This species can put on just as good a show as the more familiar California Poppy:
When I first saw the photo I thought it was an Eschscholzia cambrica. It must get complicated distinguishing all these species. I guess it helps to know from which hemispere they’re coming. It doesn’t help to be in the northern hemisphere as far as weather goes. Here we too have dull gray skies and I was delighted that BPOTD could so brighten my morning. Thank-you!
Thanks! Such a lovely photo. Will use this as a wallpaper on my computer to cheer me up in the coming dark moths here in Sweden. In Sweden this and its more showy cousins go under the name of “sleepy head” due to the fact that the flower closes during nighttime.
Irma, my first thought was that this photo looked rather Swedish.
Daniel, I never would have guessed that was your photo. It’s as if we’ve caught you dancing a jig.
Pretty dreary in north-eastern Scotland this summer, so we could happily take more of these! Very cheering … we have just one (domesticated) Californian poppy, brilliant orange, doing its best in the garden …
Thanks for the mini botanty class – now I know what a rimmed receptacle is! So looks like a flower overflowing with sunshine. Beautiful, thank you.