Natural History Wanderings

Updated with many spelling corrections on the plant list

Yesterday we went on a Marin CNPS walk at Bull Point, Point Reyes National Seashore led by Doreen Smith. The weather was sunny, temperature 65 F and breezy. In true botanizing style we covered about one and half miles cross-country in about two and quarter hours.The habitat was mainly grasslands with some marshy areas. It is also an area where cows graze and they were present today.

The focus of trip was seeing plants including a number of rare ones. Not much bird activity. Many plants found and identified due to knowledge of leader. Not any significant wildflower displays; trip was truly for the plant lover. I didn’t take time to really do serious photography but here are some quick photos from the day.

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 Click read more to see detailed plant and bird list

Plant List (in order seen)

for Plant list I used the Marin CNPS list:

BULL POINT TRAIL AND ABANDONED “F” RANCH (aka. OLD PT. REYES POST OFFICE) PT. REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE,
This list compiled from field trips of 12 July 2006, 8 May 2007, 22 May 2008, 4 June 2009, July 2010, and June 2011, last updated August 2012. The area offers a variety of plant communities: coastal grassland, coastal scrub, freshwater marsh and saltmarsh.

KEY TO SYMBOLS; LIST IB.1 = rarest plants, LIST 4 = plants of limited distribution, A = species alien to California
. This is list is maintained by Doreen Smith

 

California Poppy/Eschscholzia californica

Carolina Cheeseweed/Modiola caroliniana                                                       A

Scarlet Pimpernel/ Anagallis arvensis                                                               A

Blue-eyed Grass/Sisyrinchium californicum

Douglas Iris/Iris douglasiana

California Blackberry/Rubus ursinus

Coastal Native Yellow Oxalis/Oxalis pilosa

Cottonball Clover/Trifolium tomentosum                                                          A

Pt. Reyes Horkelia/Horkelia marinensis (not in flower)                                    rare List 1B.2

Bearded Clover/Trifolium barbigerum var. barbigerum

California Buttercup/Ranunculus californicus

Dog Violet/Viola adunca

Dwarf Checkerbloom/Sidalcea malviflora ssp. malviflora

Rosy Sand Crocus or Pin Grass-leaved Crocus/Romulea rosea var. australis              A

Cow Clover/Trifolium wormskioldii

Red Maids/Calandrinia ciliata

Corn Spurrey/Spergula arvensis ssp. arvensis                                            A

Sand Spine Flower/Chorizanthe cuspidata var. villosa                                               rare List 1B.2

Sand Gilia/Gilia millefoliata  rare  List 1B.2

Popcorn/Plagiobothrys spp.

Coastal Evax/Hesperevax sparsiflora var. brevifolia                                                                                                       rare  List1B.2

Goldfields/Lasthenia californica ssp. californica

Little Blue Lupine/Lupinus bicolor

Wild Carrot or Rattlesnake Weed/Daucus pusillus (there are no rattlesnakes at Pt. Reyes)

Pacific Silverweed/Potentilla anserina ssp. pacifica

Yellow-eyed Grass/Sisyrinchium californicum

Creeping Marsh Buttercup/Ranunculus flammula var. ovalis

Candy-striped Claytonia/Claytonia sibirica

Coastal Large-leaf Plantain/Plantago subnuda

Salmonberry/Rubus spectabilis

Brass Buttons/Cotula coroponifolia                                                                     A

Camas Lily/Camassia quamash ssp. breviflora

Slender White Pearlwort/Sagina decumbens var. occidentalis

Small-flowered Linanthus/Leptosiphon parviflorus “var. rosaceus”                  rare

Tidytips/Layia platyglossa
 (all yellow ray flowers)

Sky Lupine/Lupinus nana

White Clover (European)/Trifolium repens

Harlequin Lotus/Hosackia gracilis                                                                     rare List 4.2

Franciscan Paintbrush/ Castilleja subinclusa ssp. franciscana

San Francisco Owl’s Clover/Triphysaria floribunda

Beach Strawberry/Fragaria chiloensis

Small-flowered Godetia/Clarkia davyi

Johnny Tuck/Triphysaria eriantha var. rosea

Grass Pink/ Petrorhagia dubia

 

Bird List

California Quail

Turkey Vulture

Killdeer

American Crow

Western Bluebird

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Red-winged Blackbird

Western Meadowlark

Brewer’s Blackbird