Natural History Wanderings

The Plumas County Bloom Blog has a new wildflower report

Here are some wildflowers I saw yesterday for the first time this season. The Johnny Tuck caught my eye as a large patch of yellow on the side of Main Street in East Quincy near Abernathy Lane. This flower is known as Butter and Eggs in some areas, but that name has been used for several other species, so I favor Johnny Tuck. For some lore about names relating to this flower and some its relatives, see my recent blog posts at blackoaknaturalist.

The Pine Violet, Viola pinetorum, and Mahala Mat, as well as lots of Shooting Star, are blooming on the road by Plumas Rural Services that heads up toward the communication towers on Radio Hill. In your field guides you may discover several other species of Viola that go by the name Pine Violet. The Mahala Mat, a ground cover, is a Ceanothus. That genus includes the familiar Deer Brush and Buck Brush.

Last, a newly-arrived Lupine that a found among the patches of Johnny Tuck. You've already receive reports of Lupines blooming in the lower canyon. I want to say a word for Lupines that haven't yet bloomed. This one, whose species I can't identify until it gets bigger and blooms, I call Dewey Lupine in the morning and Hairy Lupine in the afternoon. This one can thrive in relatively dry soil by capturing dew in the mornings and utilizing the hairy leaves to prevent loss of moisture. The spines of cactus are an extreme version of this latter adaptation.

See photos and older posts at: Bloom Blog Wildflowers