Natural History Wanderings

Homestead Valley has a new wildflower update. See photos and maps at March 25, 2020 NEW – Fringe cups is blooming beside the creek by 435 Laverne. – Pacific bleeding heart is blooming with heart-shaped pink flowers below the redwood tree visible from Laverne to the left of the creek at 435. – Wild rose is blooming pink in the forest of the Ridgewood Rock. Forests – Bay trees’ yellow clusters of flowers are filling the air with their sweet vanilla scent. – Big leaf maple is blooming in forests, at Stolte Grove and along the Homestead Trail. – Canyon gooseberry with its little Chinese lantern red and white flowers is blooming in the forest near 16. – Fairy bells, low and branching with white bell flowers hanging under the leaves is blooming in forests. – False lily of the valley with its ladder of pointed leaves leading to white star flowers is blooming in forests. – Fetid adder’s tongue, a small lily with distinctive red mottled leaves, is blooming at several locations in the forest along the Homestead Trail. – Forget me nots*, this non-native invasive with pretty blue flowers is starting to bloom now in forests. – Giant trillium is blooming with cream or burgundy flowers along the Homestead Trail in forests. – Indian warrior’s burgundy plumes are spreading down the hill below 15 on the Homestead Trail. – Manroot, a vine in the gourd family with large leaves and white flowers is blooming in forests. – Meadow rue is blooming with white or pink fronds in the forest. – Milkmaids with their white flowers is starting to bloom in the forests. – Oso berry is blooming with arching white, fragrant flowers in forests. – Pacific pea, a vine with pink or purple pea flowers is blooming in forests. – Purple cestrum*, native of Mexico, is blooming with red flowers next to the bridge at Stolte Grove. – Red baneberry is blooming with white clusters in the redwoods above Laverne near Three Groves. – Trilium is blooming under bay trees in the forest near the water tank at 6d. Forest edge – Blackwood acacia*, native of Australia, is blooming below Pixie Trail at forest edges. – Greene’s saxifrage, with its small white flower is blooming on the Ridgewood Rock. This is over a month later than usual. – Miner’s lettuce, a favorite edible, is blooming in wet places with a small white flower in the middle of a fleshy disk. – Pacific hounds tongue with its bright blue flowers on tall stalks with large arrow leaves is blooming at forest edges. – Shooting star with its distinctive shooting star shaped flower is blooming in forest edges – White flowered onion*, an invasive with white bell flowers is blooming in wet spots. – White ramping fumitory*, an invasive native of Europe, is blooming below Cowboy Rock. – Wintercress’s yellow flowers are blooming at meadow’s edge. – Woodland strawberry, a common ground cover at forest edges is starting to bloom white. Meadows – Barberry’s leaves are pointy like a holly; its flowers are blooming bright yellow with fragrant flowers in meadows up on Homestead Hill. – Blue dicks is starting to bloom purple in the meadows of Homestead Hill. – Blue-eyed grass, a member of the iris family, is blooming with a bright blue flower on Homestead Hill. – Buttercup’s bright yellow flowers are blooming in meadows. – California blackberry’s white flowers are blooming. – California goldfields usually grows in dense patches of small gold ray flowers but only a few are blooming now on the rock on the trail above 10a. – California plantain is blooming with its very small translucent flowers on the Homestead Fire Road. – California poppy’s bright orange flowers are blooming in meadows. – Checker lily has started blooming with chocolate bells and yellow spots in the meadows below Amaranth. – Checkerbloom’s pink is blooming in the meadows of Homestead Hill. – Common vetch’s*, native of the Mediterranean area, pretty pink flowers are blooming on Homestead Hill. – Douglas iris is blooming cream in meadows on Homestead Hill. – English daisy*, native of Europe, is blooming in the meadow below Amaranth. – Footsteps of spring is blooming in the middle of the trail at 7j below the Homestead Hill. – Fremont’s deathcamas’s cluster of white star flowers is blooming in the meadow below Amaranth. – Ground iris is blooming deep purple in meadows on Homestead Hill. – Hairy wood sorrel is blooming yellow along the Homestead Fire Road. – Marin checker lily, a listed rare plant is blooming with chocolate bells in meadows. – Oakland star tulip, also a listed rare plant, is blooming in the meadow below 11. – Primrose jasmine*, native of China, is blooming below the bench on Kerouac Hill. – Red elderberry’s large shrub is blooming with white clusters below 4-Corners. – Red maids is blooming with its shiny rich pink flowers on Homestead Hill. – Rosy sandcrocus*, native of South Africa, is blooming pink with yellow centers in meadows. – Ruby sandspury*, native of Europe and Asia, is blooming with small purple flowers on the Homestead Fire Road. – Scotch broom*, one of the most aggressive invasive shrubs in Homestead is starting to bloom with bright yellow pea flowers in meadows. – Silver lupine with its clusters of purple pea flowers is blooming on Homestead Hill. – Sky lupin is blooming in the meadow on Pixie Trail. – Spring gold’s bright yellow flowers are blooming on the Ridgewood Rock. – Sun cups are blooming yellow in meadows on Homestead Hill. – Wooly lomatium, in the carrot family, with lacy foliage and white wooly umbels is blooming in meadows up on the Homestead Hill *Non-native