Natural History Wanderings

Lakes Basin is a little over an hour Northwest of Lake Tahoe in Plumas county.  It is a series of glaciated lakes and home to the craggy Sierra Buttes.  It is an excellent area for wildflower walking.  The typical bloom season is late in May to the middle of August with the peak time usually between the middle of June and middle of July.  A good local source of what is in bloom is the Bloom Blog athttp://www.plumascounty.org/Things%20to%20See%20and%20Do/wildflower%20viewing.htm

Plumas County Wildflower and Waterfall Drives:
http://www.plumascounty.org/Misc_Pages/Wildflower%20Waterfall%20Viewing.htm

The best book for wildflowers is Wildflower Walking in the Lakes Basin of the Northern Sierra by Toni Fauver.  It lists walks, has good flower illustrations and identifies locations and bloom season for many of the plants found in the Lakes Basin area.

Also in Plumas county is Butterfly Valley.  It is located about nine miles from Quincy and is a good place to see Lady Slipper orchids and California Pitcher Plant (Darlingtonia), a carnivorous planthttp://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/regions/pacificsouthwest/ButterflyValley/index.shtml

If you are heading to Lakes Basin via Highway 89 a good wildflower stop on the way is Sagenhen Creek.Flowers that can be found there include Marsh Marigold, Sierra Rein Orchid and Great Polemonium, Lupine and Elephant’s Heads.  Sagehen Creek crosses 89 about seven and half miles north of Interstate 80.  For detailed descriptions of this area check Judy Carville’s book Lingering in Tahoe’s Wild Gardens.  Sagehen Creek is hikes 8 and 9.

Plumas County is also one of California’s best fall foliage locations. Darmera peltata (Indian Rhubarb) and Dogwood provide nice reds that contrast with the yellows of quaking aspen, cottonwood, maples and willows. For more fall foliage information including a free brochure and leaf-peeper map go to:http://www.plumascounty.org/Things%20to%20See%20And%20do/FallColors.htm

For fall foliage reports:http://www.plumascounty.org/Awesome_Autumn/Awesome%20Autumn%202009/Leaf%20Peeper%20Reports2009.htm