In our semi-desert grasslands and above in the montane zone, a succession of wildflowers comes each spring.   First to come out were the sage buttercups in March.   After another two weeks, yellow bells emerged.   They are reddish at first, then turn orange, and when they open, they are a beautiful yellow color.   In the next two weeks, a grassland perennial with yellow bracts dots the hills (but we have not been able to identify it).  

Finally in the third week of April, shooting stars (dodecatheon) have emerged:

Shooting stars are a herbaceous perennial in the primrose family.  They bloom while the soil is still wet in the spring.   

Lichens also start to develop color about this time.   Here is a low-growing variety called cladonia that produces cup-like growths with red caps, found in the grasslands: in March and April:

Cladonia are sometimes called pixie cups.   A close-up shows the the shapes in profile

There is a more rapid succession of wildflowers over the next month.