Natural History Wanderings

This wildflower report was a combination of drive by and a number of wildflower viewing stops along highway 120/ Tioga Pass Road in Yosemite.

Flowers along highway 120 in Yosemite included at least 3 species of Lupine, orange and yellow Wallflowers that were all the same species, Mariposa Tulips, Shield leaf, Washington Lily and at least 4 species of Buckwheat including Nude Buckwheat, Oval-Leaf Eriogonum and Sulphur Flower. Near a Large Jeffery Pine on right of road we pulled over and added Pussy Paws, Pretty Face, another yellow Tritelea and a yellow Violet. Continuing on with brief flower stops we saw Linanthus. A reddish-orange Paintbrush, Hackelia, lots of pink Mt. Pride Penstemon (the highlight of the drive), Single-stemmed Groundsel, Blue Penstemon, a small purple Gilia, a small yellow Monkeyflower, a tiny pink Monkeyflower, Scarlet Gilia, Spirea, Bistort, Shooting Star, Ceanothus, a Cinquefoil, Tobacco Bush,  and a Stonecrop.

At Tuolumne Meadows there were some good patches of Shooting Star and Pussytoes.  Also in bloom were some Meadow Penstemon,  Owl’s clover  Single-stemmed Groundsel.  In most of the meadow flowers were sparse but mosquitoes were not.