Natural History Wanderings

It rained last night in Bishop and was cloudy this morning so we scratched the hike and decided to drive up to Rock Creek.  There were many flowers last time we did the drive and it didn’t disappoint today. As it rained on and off and there was occasional thunder and lightning all the botanizing and photography were either roadside (between 395 and Rock Creek) or just following flowers in a few hundred feet from the road.   We ended early when the thunderstorm complete with hail started.

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Rock Creek Road Plant list for 7/16/10.  Those that were most plentiful are in bold.  Yellow Buckwheats, Paintbrush, Red Penstemon, Arrowleaf Groundsel, White-flowered Bog Orchids,  Yellow Monkeyflowers, Red Columbines, Scarlet Gilia,  Richardson’s Geranium, Angelica, Yarrow, Sierra Kelly’s Lily, Great Polemonium, Sticky Cinquefoil, a small pink Willow Herb, Meadow Rue, Swamp Onion, Sierra Onion, Rose, a purple Larkspur, Monkshood, False Solomon’s Seal, Snowberry, Lupines, Blue Flag Iris, Prickly Phlox, a large White Ceanothus shrub, Dogbane,  a few Mariposa Tulips, Coyote Mint, Mountain Mahogany, Mules Ear, Shrubby Groundsel, Whorled Penstemon, Strawberry, Pussytoes, a purple Aster, Corn Lily, Twin Flower, a Buttercup, Primrose Monkey Flower, Shooting Stars, Sparse-flowered Bug Orchid (green), Slender Cinquefoil, Chaenactis, Tinker’s Penny, Labrador Tea, Blue-eyed Grass, Yellow Wallflower, Nude Buckwheat, Mt. Pride Penstemon, and Single Stemmed Groundsel.