submitted by Celia Zavatsky
Cache Canyon, Bear Valley, Walker Ridge Wildflowers
Cache Canyon is great now (March 19 and 20) along Hwy 16. Highlights: thousands of Eschscholzia caespitosa (foothill poppy) cascading down the steep, south and west facing canyon walls like yellow-orange waterfalls; Clematis lasiantha (virgin’s bower) beginning to frost the top of practically every shrub on each side of the road and the shrubs and trees up the canyon walls; Fraxinus dipetala (California ash) flowering in abundance with lush pendulous inflorescences. All 3 were excellent on the 19th, and the next day were even better — the Clematis and Fraxinus were still on the way to peaking — the poppy cascades may be burning off very soon. Also just before getting to Cowboy Camp from the south on Hwy 16, on the east side of the road in the distance 3 or 4 large patches of blue close to the ground as if they were goldfield patches — only they were brilliant, glowing blue! Probably Lupinus, but I never saw L bicolor (miniature lupine) look like that.
Bear Valley Rd: April flowers don’t realize it’s still March. The Layia (tidy tips) in and around the corrals are rapidly reaching their peak — notably more color today than yesterday. More color than usual along the road — even the Dudleya were about ready to flower. A couple of fresh dense cascades of Astragalus rattanii var jepsoniana (Jepson’s milk-vetch) looking big, fresh and happy. Intensely blue-purple Delphinium (probably royal larkspur) blooming at the beginning of the Valley (it was also blooming in abundance along parts of Hwy 16 in Cache Canyon). Fritillaria pluriflora (pink adobe lily) mostly gone over. Only a few fresh flowers here and there. My feeling is that they peaked last weekend. Not much happening quite yet on the part of the road going east-west; it may be drying out — only one plant of Platystemon californicus (cream cups) in bloom near the bridge at the edge of the creek. Did not go much beyond the bridge. By the way, a lot of Lupinus succulentus (arroyo lupine) was already beginning its bloom along the approach to the valley (it comprised the “giant wedding cake of lupines” I raved over last spring) — they may even peak in a few days to a week. Last spring it was at its best April 26-28.
Walker Ridge Rd: Much more in bloom than usual driving from south end to mid-way — again because some April blooms were beginning, or even ending, now. However, didn’t see any manzanitas blooming like I usually do in March. Again, I was seeing blooms I’d usually expect in last half of April. Too much to name them all.
Wayne’s Knoll: It was wonderful. All the usual March plants, but in abundance. Frit pluriflora flowered early, however, as capsules were at least 1/3 full grown. Frit affinis (checker bloom — the miniature-flowered one that flowers here) looked like they might have dried out or been eaten before being able to set seed. Lots of Calochortus amabilis beginning to bloom with lots more still in bud — they may make as good a display as last year, only much earlier. Packera eurycephala var e. (widehead groundsel — formerly Senecio) is already beginning to bloom — it NEVER blooms this early! Lomatium hooveri (Hoover’s lomatium) in abundant bloom, but already some going to seed. Splendid early spring garden near parking area with large patches of purple owlsclover, blue larkspur, butter and eggs, goldfields, native clovers, etc, etc. Lovely to each lunch with. Probably will burn off soon unless there’s some rain.
This report is so incomplete, but in case you did want to see this mix of early and mid-season blooms, now is the time to go. Of course, that may be the case no matter where we go this year.
P.S. If you were planning to visit Jepson Prairie, the sooner the better — but if we do have rain that extends into the Central Valley tonight, it may extend the bloom some.
Natural History Wanderings 
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