Wildflowers Around California 5/23/18

Posted by: Sandy Steinman | May 23, 2018

The Marin CNPS has new a reports with photos

Roys Redwoods Open Space Preserve and adjacent area in Marin County yesterday.
hiked over 20 miles of trail this weekend and saw a great variety of wildflowers around White Hill, San Geronimo ridge, pine mountain and Kent lake area. Chinese houses, gentian, star flower, red delphinium, larkspur, yellow and orange monkeyflower, more columbine than I’ve ever seen, clarkia everywhere, lupine, and spotted coralroot, different manzanitas, ceanothus, mariposa lily, violet, roses, chaparral pea is in peak bloom, something that looks like a Western azalea (do those grow out here?), Deathcamas, mules ears, Berries, goldfields, poppies, graceful clarkia, several other purple clarkia with varying purple edges etc. I also saw two gopher snakes, a garter snake, a few large alligator lizards, at least 6 or 7 types of butterflies and heard a few hermit thrushes, saw spotted towhees and chestnut backed chickadees.

California Poppies are in full bloom at Topaz Lake right now! 5/18
Saturday 5/19/18. San Jacinto Mountains. Ca State Hwy 74, Morris Ranch Rd and a little bit from the Cedar Springs Trail. Near Lake Hemet.
From last week at the San Elijo Lagoon

As we went searching for orchids on Sunday, especially the Mountain Lady’s Slipper, we were treated to others such as the Spotted Coralroot (above and below). Later, at another location near Quincy, we saw that a good crop of Stream Orchids is on the way. Their young leaves were nearly totally hidden among the sedges, ruches, and grasses by a very small stream that eventually flows into Greenhorn Creek. In another couple of weeks, they should be blooming, too.

Natural History Wanderings