Natural History Wanderings

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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