Natural History Wanderings

Mt. Diablo State Park is one of the Bay Area’s top wildflower hiking areas.  Popular wildflower trails are Mitchell Canyon, Falls Trail, Back Trail and Summit and Fire Trail. Recent reports stated that the early flowers are coming in nicely.  Back Trail is looking good.  Poppies are in bloom on the north side of the Park.

The park has a very active Interpretive Association with hikes and on-line plant lists.   Also included are links to the Mt. Diablo state park site,  local astronomy society, three book suggestions and an article about the rediscovery of a plant that was thought to have been extinct.

Mt. Diablo State Park Website:  http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=517

Mount Diablo Interpretive Association hike and plant lists: http://www.mdia.org/

• Hike and Event list: http://www.mdia.org/events.htm#Hikes
• List of Common Early Spring Wildflowers on Mt. Diablo:  http://www.mdia.org/plantspring.htm
• Mitchell Canyon Plant List: http://www.mdia.org/PDF%20Files/Mitchell%20Canyon%20Flower%20List%202009.pdf
• Plants of the Summit and Fire Interpretive Trail:   http://www.mdia.org/plantsof.htm
• Mount Diablo Astronomical Society:  http://www.mdas.net/index.html

Three  useful books:

• The Flowering Plants and Ferns of Mt. Diablo by Barbara Ertter and Mary L. Bowerman (flora for Mt. Diablo)
• East Bay Trails by David Weintraub (detailed trail guide for trails listed above and other trails of the East Bay region near San Francisco)
• Plants of the East Parks by Glen Keator (easy to use plant identification guide)

Feel free to add your own suggestions or any current flower reports as a comment.