Natural History Wanderings

Homestead Valley has a new wildflower update. See photos Homestead Valley June 28 NEW – American speedwell, a pretty purple flower grows in moist seeps. – Common snowberry is a shrub with white pink flowers and oval leaves. – Coyote mint with a purple tuft flower is blooming on the knoll below Homestead Hill. – Skunkweed has small purple flowers in a spiky flower head. Forests – Alum root, with frothy white bell flowers and geranium-looking foliage, blooms in cool seeps. – American trailplant blooms with a small white flower at the top of a tall stalk above a bed of arrow shaped leaves. – California coffeeberry shrub is blooming in forests with clusters of white flowers. – California honeysuckle is blooming with pink flowers on vines climbing bushes and trees. – California spikenard is blooming along creeks in forests with spherical balls tipped with white flowers. – Forget-me-not*, native of Europe, is one of the most invasive plants of the Homestead forest. Its seeds form small burrs that animals spread deep into wild areas. Please, pull forget-me-nots wherever you see them; if they have seeds, carry out and dispose. – Hedgenettle, a mint, blooms in purple rounds up a stalk in forests. – Hellebore*, an orchid, is native to Eurasia and is blooming now in forests with stalks of greenish purple flowers. – Ocean spray blooms white with frothy pendulous clusters in forests. – White hawkweed blooms at the end of long stalks with white flowers. – Wood sweet-cicely, found throughout the forests of Homestead blooms with small white flowers. – Woodland madia’s bright yellow flowers bloom in forests. Forest edges – Buckeye trees are starting to bloom with large clusters of white flowers. Lining our roads, they make a beautiful display when fully blooming. – Creeping snowberry’s little pink flowers are blooming on this small bush at forest edges. – Featherweed blooms with brown tufts at forest edges. – Figwort blooms with a distinctive shaped rust red flower on a nettles-looking plant. Another roadside wildflower, look for it along wooded road cuts down at the start of Reed and throughout the forests. An important plant for bees and butterflies. – Latin American fleabane*, native of Central America, has colonized a small area below Amaranth. – Milkwort blooms with purple irregular shaped flowers. – Wavyleaf soap plant blooms with open white stars on long stalks. Pollinated by moths, the flowers open late in the day. Meadows – American wild carrot blooms with a broad tight cluster of white. – Blue eyed grass is blooming with glossy purple flowers in meadows. – Bluff lettuce, a succulent, is blooming with yellow flowers on red stalks. – California everlasting has clusters of tight white flowers and blooms in meadows. – California poppy, orange and bright, it’s starting to bloom now and will continue late into the summer. – Common yarrow with its tight white umbel is blooming in full sun on the ridge. – English plantain*, native of Eurasia, tall stalk is blooming with a white corolla. – Harvest brodiaea blooms with rich purple open flowers in meadows. – Ithuriel spear, open clusters of purple flowers on a tall stalk, are starting to bloom in meadows. – Lance leaf selfheal is blooming in bright sun with rich velvety purple whirled clusters. – Naked buckwheat blooms in pink clusters on rock outcrops in meadows. – Narrow-leaf bird’s foot trefoil*, native of Europe, is blooming bright yellow on the ridge of Homestead Hill. – Narrowleaf cottonrose*, a naturalized native of the Mediterranean region is blooming on the ridge of Homestead Hill. – Pineapple weed grows on Homestead Fire Road, releasing its chamomile scent as you crush it underfoot. – Purple western morning glory, a vine with pink to cream trumpet flowers is blooming on the ridge of Homestead Hill. – Poison hemlock*, native of Europe has a delicate white umbel and mottled red stems. Poisonous, use gloves when weeding. – Purple clarkia is blooming with small purple cups in meadows. – Redstem filaree*, native of Eurasia, is blooming with its pretty pink flowers in full sun. – Sticky monkeyflower with its orange flower blooms in sunny spots and will bloom all summer. – Tocalote*, native of the Mediterranean region is an invasive weed found in meadows another unfortunate byproduct of ranching.