Wildflower sniffer? Yosemite calls!

When Ferdinand the bull forsook the ring and matador, he turned his attention to smelling the flowers. Had he known of the wealth of fragrant (and perhaps, not so fragrant) blossoms in Yosemite National Park, he might well have left Madrid and headed to California.

Wildflower enthusiasts find 11,000 foot range in elevation to be a haven for a huge number of spectacular species. Did you know, for instance, that over a quarter of California's native flowers can be found right here in the middle of the Sierra Madre? Nearly 1,500 different species of flora call Yosemite home, and park officials make the most of it.

To help flower fanatics, park staff publish a web page called "Now in Bloom," tattling on where in the park flowering fauna can be found. For those new to the game, an on-line guide to the park's common wildflowers will help you identify your finds, and learn a bit more about their background.

Since there are 'so many flowers, so little time,' plan on bringing your rig and staying on in one of the park's 10 campgrounds set up to accommodate RVs. Check out their website for details. As for Ferdinand, once the bloom is over, perhaps there are other things for him to consider. After all, California stakes claim to being the home to 'happy cows.'