Wildflower Report for Chimney Rock and Lighthouse Areas
After a quick breakfast at the Bovine Bakery in Point Reyes Station, the day was spent mainly looking at wildflowers. Arriving at the Chimney Rock parking lot on a Friday at 9AM there were no other cars to be seen. Chimney Rock has scenic cliffs going into the ocean that make nice landscape photos. I walked the main trail out to the point taking including most of the side trails as well as walking down to the boathouse and elephant seal overlook. Although there are no large displays many flowers are now in bloom. The trail out to the point at Chimney Rock revealed over thirty native wildflower species in bloom. Some of the most flowery areas are right near the parking lot and the left fork of the main trail just before the point. Some of the more abundant flowers were very nice specimens of Footsteps of Spring, Douglas Iris, Wallflower, the white form of Baby-blue-eyes, Checkerbloom, Field Chickweed or Spring Snow, and California Buttercup. There were Elephant Seals and Mule Deer in the Chimney Rock area
After leaving Chimney Rock if you make a left when you go to the main road on your right are some nice specimens of Seep Monkey flower. Continuing to the Lighthouse there is a good wildflower area on the hillside area behind the bathrooms at Lighthouse parking lot. I found fifteen native species in this small area. There was also a wiry bright orange lichen on the rocks called Teloschistes flavicans. I didn’t get a photo of the lichen but did find a picture at Wikimedia Commons that I have included in the slideshow.
Although I was focused on flowers, in the course of the day I did see a number of birds including Turkey Vulture, Raven, Red Tail and other Hawks, Crow, Brewers Blackbird, Red Winged Black-bird, California Quail, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Gulls, Surf Scoter, two species of Cormorants, Bufflehead.
To see today’s plant lists click on Read More
Chimney Rock Plant list for Flowers in Bloom 3/4/11
- Amsinckia spectabilis Seaside Fiddle-neck
- Arabis blepharophylla Pink Rock-cress
- Armeria maritima Thrift, Sea-pink
- Calandrinia ciliata var. menziesii Red-maids
- Camissonia ovata Sun-cups
- Cardamine californica var. integrifolia Milkmaids
- Castilleja wightii Wight’s Paintbrush (pale yellow)
- Castilleja subinclusa ssp. franciscana Franciscan Paintbrush (red)
- Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. repens Blue-blossom
- Cerastium arvense Spring-snow
- Claytonia perfoliata Miners’ Lettuce
- Erigeron glaucus Seaside Daisy
- Erysimum menziesii ssp. concinnum Wallflower
- Eschscholzia californica CaliforniaPoppy
- Fragaria chiloensis Beach Strawberry
- Fragaria vesca Wild Strawberry
- Grindelia stricta Prostrate Gumplant
- Heracleum lanatum Cow Parsnip
- Iris douglasiana Douglas’ Iris
- Lasthenia californica ssp,. californica Goldfields
- Lomatium dasycarpum Hog-fennel
- Lupinus nanus Sky Lupine
- Marah fabaceus Man- root, Wild Cucumber
- Mimulus guttatus Seep Monkey-flower
- Nemophila menziesii var. atomaria White Baby-blue-eyes
- Oxalis albicans var. pilosa Yellow Oxalis
- Ranunculus californicus California Buttercup
- Rubus ursinus Native Blackberry
- Sanicula arctopoides Footsteps-of-Spring
- Sidalcea malviflora Checkerbloom
- Triphysaria eriantha var. rosea Pelican Flower, Johnny Tuck
- Viola adunca Blue-purple Violet
- Wyethia angustifolia Mule’s Ears
A pink and a purple pea or vetch possibly the following two as they are on a Chimney Rock plant list :
- Vicia americana American Vetch
- Lathyrus vestitus Wild Sweet-pea
Lighthouse Area Plant list for Flowers in Bloom 3/4/11
(hillside area behind bathrooms at Lighthouse parking lot)
- Wall flower
- Coast Phacelia (Phacelia californica)
- Baby Blue-eyes (mostly white form, a few bluer)
- California Buttercup
- Douglas Iris
- Goldfields
- Red Maids
- Spring Snow
- Native Blackberry
- Footsteps-of-Spring
- Pink Rock-cress
- California Poppy
- Seaside Fiddle-neck
- Miners Lettice
- Manroot,Wild Cucumber
(for scientific names check Chimney Rock list above)
Natural History Wanderings 
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