I thought you might like to know info from our trip to El Portal/Yosemite. Obviously, a bit early for the valley, but the Merced Canyon area is coming along. Manzanita are about to bloom in many spots, vine maple are coming out near the cliffs and the river and, we didn’t stop to look at many, but the redbud look to be maybe 2 weeks away. The redbuds we looked at had well developed buds and the weather was in the 60’s when we were there.
There were also some fiddleneck flowers along the roadside (sorry I don’t know the scientific name).
Finally, on the way up I-5 just north of Patterson, there were great swaths of poppies visible on the hillsides. The access doesn’t look great, but it made me wonder what might be happening along the back road from Patterson over to Mines Rd. and on to Livermore. The hills were gorgeous in green with shadows from the clouds dancing over them-very nice.
Submitted by Alasdair McCondochie
Natural History Wanderings 
The Fiddleneck is probably Amsinckia menziesii, as that is the only species that Steve Botti lists in the Flora of Yosemite National Park. It is also the most common in Northern California to the best of my knowledge.
Sandy
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By: Sandy Steinman on February 21, 2010
at 10:45 AM