Today we hiked Hite Cove and made it out about two miles at our slow photographer/botanizing pace. As it was cloudy the poppies and gilia didn’t start to open until on the way out. It doesn’t look like there will be dense carpets of Poppies this year. The best displays were mainly Goldfields which began after entering the National Forest (the first 3/4 mile is through a right of way across private land). Most abundant are Blue Dicks, Bird’s Eye Gilia, and Goldfields. Many species are in bloom. See plant list.
Our plant of the day was White Fairy Lantern/Calochortus albus (our third Calochortus of the year in our quest to see how many Calochortus species we can photograph).
Lots of grasses are coming up. Beware poison oak is along and sometimes across the trail including bare stems.
Click Read More to see plant list
Plant List for Hite Cove on 3/26/17
(roughly in the order seen going out the trail)
Redbud
Popcorn
Whisker Brush
Buck Brush
Blue Dicks – plentiful
Woodland Star
Mariposa Phacelia
Caespitose Poppy
Bird’s Eye Gilia
Miner’s Lettice
Goldfields
Fringepod
Fiddleneck
Caterpillar Phacelia
Dudleya
a tiny lupine
Owl’s Clover
Chinese Houses
Shooting Star
Long-spurred Plectritis
Indian Paintbrush
Common Lomatium
Bush Lupine
a large pink Thistle
a purple Phacelia
Baby Blue-eyes
Virgin’s Bower
Foothill Saxifrage
California Pink
White Fairy Lantern/Calochortus albus
We were there on the same day! Alas my laptop with all my photos died ( including a Harlequin lupine) and so I am enjoying yours!
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By: cindamackinnon on April 17, 2017
at 10:39 PM
[…] Hite Cove Wildflowers 3/26/17 […]
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By: Sierra Foothills 4/16/17 | Natural History Wanderings on April 17, 2017
at 8:26 AM