Natural History Wanderings

I spent this past weekend at Pt. Reyes doing a Photography workshop and  looking at flowers. Here are my findings.  I drove to Pt. Reyes on Lucas Valley road, which I find a more scenic route and with less traffic than Sir Francis Drake.  The route goes through the scenic town of Nicasio which has an old church and school and Nicasio Reservoir.   Flowers seen were California Poppies, Red Larkspur, Lupine, California Buttercups White iris and the dreaded broom.  Driving from Pt. Reyes Station out to the lighthouse I saw California Poppies, Cow Parsnip, Thimbleberry, Lupine, Yellow Monkeyflower, Checker Bloom, Douglas Iris, Yellow Bush Lupine, Fiddlenecks and the yellow version of Meadowfoam.

The area near Lighthouse Parking lot is a good location to see a lot of wildflowers with minimal walking. Take the trail to right of the rest rooms. Douglas Iris, Fiddlenecks, whitish Baby Blue-eyes, California Buttercup, Beach Lasthenia (?), Goldfields, Purple Lupine, Indian Paintbrush, North Coast Phacelia, a pink Pea/Vetch, Seaside Daisy, Field Chickweed, Cow Clover, Beach Strawberry, Armeria, Blue-eyed Grass, Cream Cups, Yellow Bush Lupine.  All within a few hundred feet of the parking lot. Don’t forget to look up, as there are also good views of the Ocean.

Chimney Rock wildflowers continue to come in strong.  After walking out to the point, consider walking down towards the boathouse, as there are more flowers to be seen.  Blooms I identified included California Buttercups, Sun Cups, Mules Ears, California Poppies, Weight’s Paintbrush (white-yellow), Indian Paintbrush (red), Yellow Bush Lupine, Checkerbloom, Cows Clover, Baby Blue-eyes (whitish), Pussy-ears, Cow Parsnip, Rock Cress, Coastal Wallflower, Manroot, San Francisco Owl’s-clover (Triphysaria floribunda), Johnny Tuck  (Triphysaria eriantha ssp. rosea), North Coast Phacelia, Sky Lupine, Blue Violet, Beach Strawberry, Hedge Nettle, Morning Glory, Yellow Monkeyflower, and Yarrow. You will also have the opportunity to see Elephant Seals, Sea lions, and Deer.

The photography class I did was called Creative Close-ups and was offered by Point Reyes Field Seminars.  It was led by Harold Davis, an energetic and creative photographer and digital artist.  http://www.harolddavisphotography.com/ The class included field and studio shooting and challenged me to think outside the box.   Most of the photos below are from the class.

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