Natural History Wanderings

Homestead Valley has a new wildflower update. See photos and maps at February 28 2020 NEW – Blue-eyed grass, a member of the iris family, is blooming with a bright blue flower on Homestead Hill. – Greene’s saxifrage, with its small white flower is blooming on the Ridgewood Rock. This is over a month later than usual. Forests – Bay trees’ yellow clusters of flowers are filling the air with their sweet vanilla scent. – 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. – Hazel, a common deciduous shrub in the forest is waking up and the female flowers are very small tassels of bright red. – 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. – Milkmaids with their white flowers is starting to bloom in the forests. – Oso berry is blooming with arching white, fragrant flowers on the Ridgewood Rock. Also called Indian plum, this shrub was an important source of food and medicine for native Americans. – Trilium is blooming under bay trees in the forest near the water tank at 6d. Forest edge – Arroyo willow is blooming in the gully at Laverne and Reed. – Coast live oak is blooming with pale yellow tassels. – Pacific hounds tongue with its bright blue flowers on tall stalks with large arrow leaves is blooming at forest edges. – 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. – 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. – 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. – 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. – Scotch broom*, one of the most aggressive invasive shrubs in Homestead is starting to bloom with bright yellow pea flowers in meadows. – Wooly lomatium, in the carrot family, with lacy foliage and white wooly umbels is blooming in meadows up on the Homestead Hill