Patagonia, a few months late!

Calceolaria crenatifolia

As I am about to venture forth into the Southern Hemisphere again, I can't help but take a longing look back to Patagonia, where I was lucky to spend a few weeks in late November and December of last year. I posted a very few blog posts at the time, but as I look back I realize what a rich trip it was. These pictures were all taken on our first day in San Carlos de Bariloche--one of my favorite places on planet earth...

A glimpse of the Andes as we begin to land over the austere Patagonian steppe

We shall be visiting that very steppe in the next Blog post...

Gorgeous lake country around Bariloche

Lupinus arboreus--adventive and ubiquitous (and very pretty)

Chloraea cylidrostachya 

Chloraea phillipii growing as a lawn weed

Marcela Ferreyra (our incomparable guide) next to the first flame bush we'd found (Embothrium coccineum) 

Scotch broom 

Black faced ibis: we're not in Kansas any more!

Nahuel Huapi at sunset...that's Steve Brack, whom I'll be joining in South Africa in four days.

Oxalis valdiviensis

Phacelia secunda 

Anemone multifida (magellanica)

Ruhmora adiantiformis 

Tall bearded iris season

Sonia Clayton and Glenn Guetenberg

Succulents galore

Happy travelers (left to right: Marcela Ferreyra, Rod Haenni, Steve Brack, Al Gerace, Marie Gearhart, Patrice Van Vleet, Glenn Guetenberg and me.

Cerro Catedral in the distance: our destination two days hence!