Natural History Wanderings

Updated

Here are photos links for the post below:

The Calphoto Yahoo group had a report for the Central California Coast. Here are the highlights:

west side of Pinnacles was much better than I had feared: not nearly as spectacular as it is in a good year, but lots in bloom, and some nice localized showy displays (goldfields, violets, poppies, e.g.).

Montana de Oro and hiked the Valencia Peak trail up to the hogback (maybe 1/2 mile short of the peak itself). Right at the coast it doesn’t look promising–nothing but some scraggly bush monkey flowers–but as the trail heads inland and then starts climbing it gets much better. Lots more bush monkey flower, plus paintbrush, morning glory, blue dicks, goldfields, some lupines, cryptantha, and isolated nightshade and fuchsia-flowered gooseberry. Not a spectacular display overall, but some localized profusion, and some nice colorful mixed-bouquets of monkey flower, blue dicks, and paintbrush.

Coon Creek and walked around the immediate vicinity for a bit; if you like morning glory, that’s the place to be right now. Tons of it.

Oso Flaco  area of Guadelupe-Nipomo Dunes. Very little blooming there, although the silver lupines look like they could be spectacular in a week or two. Lots of birds on and around Oso Flaco Lake. T

Pinnacles:  Juniper Trail up to the High Peaks, returning the way I came West Pinnacles is a great place for wildflower diversity: I counted upwards of 30 different native wildflower species. Carpets of violets and goldfields and monkey flowers (in the streambed) and cream cups (which had been all closed up on the cold rainy Friday) and, of course, poppies. Along the trail, tons of blue fiesta flower, bush poppy (not to be confused with Poppy Bush), white fiesta flower; a smattering of paintbrush, milk maids, delphinium sp.; more isolated stands of clarkia sp., crinkled onion, death camas, linanthus. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.

See full report and  older reports at; Where to photograph in California – Yahoo Groups. ( must register to use site)