Cardamine californica, or milkmaids, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to western North America from Washington to California and Baja California.

It is common in a variety of habitats including shady slopes, open woodlands, chaparral and grasslands in the winter and early spring.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, it is one of the first wildflowers to bloom, with blossoms from January to May.

[1] Cardamine californica is an herbaceous perennial plant growing to about 1 foot tall.

The flower closes its petals in late afternoon as the sun goes down and nods its pedicel before a rain, protecting the pollen.