Natural History Wanderings

Homestead Valley has a new wildflower update. See photos Homestead Valley August 15 NEW – Pennyroyal*, a mint, native to Europe, is blooming purple near the creek below Cowboy Rock. – Pincushion flower*, native to Europe, is blooming in a variety of colors from lavender to burgundy in the meadow at Cowboy Rock. – Spicebush, a shrub with frilly burgundy flowers is blooming below the upper bridge in Three Groves. Forests – American trailplant blooms with a small white flower at the top of a tall stalk above a bed of arrow shaped leaves. – 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. – Hellebore*, an orchid, is native to Eurasia and is blooming now in forests with stalks of greenish purple flowers. – Roughleaf aster is blooming in forests. – Toyon, this tree or large shrub is blooming with white clusters throughout the valley. – White hawkweed blooms at the end of long stalks with white flowers. Forest edges – American speedwell, a pretty purple flower grows in moist seeps. – Common California aster blooms with purple ray flowers on tall stalks. – Latin American fleabane*, native of Central America, has colonized a small area below Amaranth. Meadows – 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. – Coast tarweed, with its tall stalks of tightly clustered yellow flowers blooms in meadows and has a distinctive ‘tar’ smell when rubbed. – Common yarrow with its tight white umbel is blooming in full sun on the ridge. – Hayfield tarweed is blooming bright yellow on Kerouac Hill. – Kellogg’s yampah has white flower umbels on tall naked stems and is blooming in meadows. – Lance leaf selfheal is blooming in bright sun with rich velvety purple whirled clusters. – Pink cudweed, a tall straw flower is blooming pink with a yellow center on Homestead Hill. – Purple western morning glory, a vine with pink to cream trumpet flowers is blooming on the ridge of Homestead Hill. – Queen Anne’s lace*, native of Europe, is blooming with tall white flowers. – Sticky monkeyflower with its orange flower blooms in sunny spots and will bloom all summer.