Living in the Willamette Valley, I see a lot of rain in the fall and winter; sunshine is but a rare vision. Most days, it is overcast with a shower every now and then. Personally, I love the rain and the cold, but I know a lot of folks find it dull and gloomy. Thus, to add a speck of brightness to your gloom, I have selected 20 photos of flowers to share with you.

1. Bachelor's button

One of my favorite flowers to grow; they are so delicate and pretty. Also known as cornflower.

2. Common poppy

This is a volunteer that has grown under one of our rhododendron bushes for the past several years.

3. Hieracium

The scientific name for hawkweed. I'm not sure what exact species this is, though.

4. Marigold

This is my absolute favorite flower because it is impossible to kill. Marigolds will grow no matter how neglectful you are or how small of a container you put them in.

5. Rose

The Huntington Library has a fantastic rose garden.

6. Iris

Wild irises grow at Grouse Mountain in BC, which, incidentally, is well worth a visit if you're ever up in Vancouver.

7. A whole field of sunflowers

Sauvie Island is a pretty neat place.

8. Zinnia

This was my sister's choice for the flower bed one year.

9. Bird's-eyes

Took me a while to figure out what these were. I had to resort to dropping the photo into Google's image search.

10. Grape hyacinth

They're so cute!

11. Ornamental cherry

Ours is most likely one of the Kwanzan breed.

12. Norway maple

Who knew that trees with fantastic fall foliage also have interesting blossoms?

13. Daffodil

One of the surest signs of spring.

14. Candy flowers

These little guys were found at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area.

15. Fennel

I don't really like eating fennel, so I don't mind that the plant in our garden bolted.

16. Camas

Don't eat it. Although it's pretty, it may be toxic.

17. Spurge

I think this is beetle spurge, but I'm not 100% sure.

18. Lilac

This is one of my mom's favorite flowers.

19. Western trillium

A rare, native beauty with a sweet scent, this quickly became one of my favorite wildflowers after I discovered a population that I have now frequently visited.

20. Cobweb thistle

I've only seen these once, at Point Reyes. Very striking, especially when one is used to seeing normal thistles with pinkish-purple flowers and darker leaves.

As a bonus, here's a quote about flowers... from none other than that famed master of deduction, Sherlock Holmes, in The Naval Treaty: "Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other things, our powers, our desires, our food, are all really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers."