Is it possible to grow tired of poppies? In 1903 the golden poppy became the state flower of California. It was a weed before 1903 and is a weed today, growing where you least expect it. But perhaps the most beautiful of all weeds in California. They are capable of turning entire mountains golden for a period of weeks. This is one poppy, but imagine a billion, or a hundred billion all happily blooming at the same time. As a child I remember driving north with the family through vast fields of poppies. Mile after mile. I can only call it magical. Something that existed in a far off land. Something that came every year, though it came mostly without us. If you drove at the wrong time of year, there was nothing, or there were other sights, but not quite so beautiful. But if you chose the right day or week, your memory was destined to be golden.