Foothills of the Diablo Range near San Jose, California, USA

© Jeff Lewis/Tandem Stills + Motio

Spring comes to the Diablo foothills

Spring rains carpet the foothills of California’s Diablo Range in green at this time of year. Here on the USA’s west coast, this mountainous landscape rises up away from the sprawling suburbs of the city of San Jose, becoming a woodland playground for those seeking an escape into nature. Grasslands and oak savannahs cover the low ridges that gradually climb into the higher peaks of the range, and from the top of the foothills, visitors get panoramic views of the ridgeline to the east.

Aside from the green grasses, springtime brings many wildflowers to the area, including poppies, daffodils and lupines. It's also nesting season for the many birds of the region, like the peregrine falcons that build nests high in the vertical rock formations known as Castle Rock.