2015 - Robert's adventures in the Northern Sierra Nevada - California

[Maggi Young]

Penstemon seems to boast some spectacular vivid blues  and  that  Penstemon speciosus is a good bright shade.  Pity that the flower sellers supplying some shops who  want to have such a colour  cannot grow it and must resort to dying lilium and chrysanthemums instead!  They are quite awful while the natural plants with that colour are charming.

[Jupiter]

I'm loving these recent pictures Robert. Those Penstemons are gorgeous! I have lots of little American Penstemon babies in the nursery right now. The country is looking nice and lush over there. I hope the drought has broken for you... we are being told that there is a strong el nino brewing in the Indian ocean and we can expect a drier and hotter than average summer... I hope they're wrong about that.

[Robert]

Penstemon seems to boast some spectacular vivid blues  and  that  Penstemon speciosus is a good bright shade.  Pity that the flower sellers supplying some shops who  want to have such a colour  cannot grow it and must resort to dying lilium and chrysanthemums instead!  They are quite awful while the natural plants with that colour are charming.

Maggi,

I agree. There are flower vendors at our local Sacramento, California Farmers' Market. The large commercial venders sell bouquets with those unrealistic dyed colors. There are also small growers that have fantastic creative combinations with natural flowers.

The blue colour on the Penstemon pictured was a fairly good blue with not much red coming through. The throat was white, but it looks of red-violet in the photograph. A white throat is a fairly common feature of P. speciosus. It can be a delightful combination. There were hundreds blooming here and there along the road. That was a sight!

[Robert]

I'm loving these recent pictures Robert. Those Penstemons are gorgeous! I have lots of little American Penstemon babies in the nursery right now. The country is looking nice and lush over there. I hope the drought has broken for you... we are being told that there is a strong el nino brewing in the Indian ocean and we can expect a drier and hotter than average summer... I hope they're wrong about that.

Jamus,

The weather folks around here say an El Nino has already started. The question for them now is, how intense will it become? The drought here in California has not ended and we are just getting started with our dry season. The "water wars" have already started with some communities losing their water supply. Water is sold and delivered to them in "water" trucks. We have a good supply of water considering the circumstances. Everything will change if our irrigation district is forced to sell its water to other communities down stream. It is a mess and another good reason why I stay as far as possible from politics.

I agree there are some marvelous Penstemons here in the western U.S.A. Many are extremely xeric, heat tolerant, and good garden plants with a bit of know how. I look forward to seeing how they turn out for you. MP me if you have an interest in any of our local species. Most are from the higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada. If all goes well there will be photographs of the high elevation species as the season progresses.

I have a keen interests in your native flora, especially the smaller growing plants, perennials, etc. I know having a back ground of the native trees and shrubs in your region would be fascinating too. It is a huge task for me to learn about such things. Books are okay but they do have their limits.

110 F (43 C +) or more is predicted for the end of this week. Ugh! 

[Robert]

Oooppss! 

Big mistake on the identification from my last outing.

Navarretia prolifera ssp. lutea should read as Collomia grandiflora, a common species in our area.

I regret the mistake. Unfortunately, it is most likely not the last one either.

[Robert]

RED LAKE PEAK - PART I

Wednesday, 24 June 2015

Weather: Clear

Temperature, High: 97 F (36 C)  Low: 61 F (16 C)



Wednesday was my first full day outing in a number of weeks. This time of year the plants are growing quickly, and I had no idea how quickly the season was progressing at the highest elevations. Red Lake Peak is one of the highest peaks in our area, so I felt like it would be as good any place to start.



On the way to the Red Lake Peak trailhead I stopped at another site lower down the mountain to see how the plants were progressing at this location. My last visit was about one month ago. What would I find?

I parked the truck at 5,461 feet (1,665 meters) and worked my way through the forest to some meadows near the top of the ridge.



Despite the heat and dry weather there were still masses of Mimulus torreyi in bloom on the south facing slope.



It was a delight to find the annual, Monardella lanceolata beginning its bloom cycle. The flowers are bright and showy, even in hot weather. This is a species I have yet to try in the garden and I hope to give it a try soon.



As I worked my way up the slope, I found drifts of Dichelostemma multiflorum blooming.

[Robert]

After a somewhat short distance I arrived at the highest meadow, 5,604 feet (1,708 meters). Conditions were very dry, however there were many species still in bloom.



There were a few clumps of Asclepias cordifolia in bloom. This is the most common Asclepias species in this area.



Scattered here and there were clumps of Lupinus grayi, a very showy, low growing species.



It is amazing how large the flowing stems are in relation to the size of the plant.



Also, scattered here and there were mounds of Eriogonum umbellatum var. polyanthum with their bright yellow flowers.

[Robert]

Other species in their prime were Penstemon laetus, seen here with Eriophyllum lanatum.



Eriogonum nudum var. deductum was still another species in its prime of flowering.

It has been very hot and dry and yet there was still a riot of flower color. All great species to try in a dry garden.



In some parts of the meadow there was not much in growth or bloom. Earlier in the season this meadow was full of blooming bulbs and other early bloomers. Now they were in seed or already dormant.



There was much to do this day so it was time to depart. Taking a different route back to the truck through some other meadows lower down, I found Calochortus coeruleus still in bloom. Some plants had flowers and almost ripe seed pods on the same flowering stem.

Well, it was time to move on. There was much more to see this day.

[Robert]

RED LAKE PEAK PART II

From my first stop, I continued up the mountain to a site near the base of Round Top Peak parking at 8,557 feet (2,608 meters). Now I would continue my trek to Red Lake Peak on foot.



I was greeted here by many species of wildflowers all in bloom. Penstemon hetrodoxus was growing only a few feet from where I parked the truck, as were many other wildflowers.



The flowers of Penstemon hetrodoxus are rather small, however a plant full of many flowers puts on quite the show.



The first part of the trek to Red Lake Peak is shaded in places with small groves of conifers and Populus tremuloides. In the shaded areas grew Aconogonon (Polygonum) davisiae, a quiet plant during the growing season. The new growth in the spring has reddish tints, in the fall the foliage can turn brilliant scarlet.



In the sunny areas were many brilliant wildflowers such as Castilleja applegatei and various species of Eriogonum such as E. umbellatum var. polyanthum, both in the photograph.

[Robert]

In this area there were huge boulders with wildflowers growing in the crevices such as this daisy, Erigeron barbellulatus.



It was nice seeing all the wildflowers perched high and low with many different views. Erigeron barbellulatus once again.



Many species of Asteraceae were in bloom at this time. I could not identify this one, maybe another Erigeron. Who ever it was, it was very pretty, a species I would not mind at all in the garden.



Another species found in the shaded areas was Lomatium dissectum. The early bloomers such as this one had finished blooming for the most part. This species also grows in sunny locations. In the sun, the plants had already set seed that was nearing ripeness.



Lupinus arbustus was seen frequently along this stretch of the journey. This Lupine species, more often, has white flowers. I did not see any white flowered plants in this area.

[Robert]

A close-up of Lupinus arbustus. The bulge at the rear of the corolla is a characteristic of this species, as well as the tuft of hair at the rear the the wing petals.



Penstemon speciosus was seen often too. What a show! I saw them frequently even blooming above the 9,000 foot (2,743 meters) elevation.



Another brilliant species along the path was Ipomopis aggregata.



I never saw Ipomopis aggregata growing near Penstemon speciosus. The two together would be electric, maybe too hot for many to handle in their garden. Not mine. 

Oh well, if one did not like that combination, Ipomopis generally is monocarpic, so this would bring an end to the color combination.



Still another sweet little daisy was Erigeron eatonii var. nevadincola.

[Robert]

I caught this Symphoricarpos rotundifolius at peak bloom. Nice with their berries in the autumn too. I did not see much of this species. This one was a prime example.



Osmorhiza occidentalis in bloom.



For me a favorite among Apiaceae. I enjoy the foliage and sweet scent when crushed.



There are near a dozen Delphinium species in our area. Some can be tough to identify from each other. This is Delphinium polycladon, a species I hope to establish in the garden. This species grows where there is some moisture - not at all xeric.



Finally I worked my way above the tree line into a vast alpine garden.

[Robert]

Wyethia mollis was a dominant species in much of this area, sometimes in huge almost pure stands.



Swertia radiata grew like sentinels, the tall flowering stems sometimes growing to near 2 meters tall, in a ocean of dwarf low growing plants.



One of the low growers in this area was the Apiaceae, Cymopterus terebinthinus var. californica. It has beautiful lacy green foliage, much like parsley.



Calochortus leichtlinii. 3,000 feet (914 meters) down the mountain this species already has ripe seed. Nice to see them blooming once again this season.



Crepis occidentalis, or something close to this species. One of those Dandelions that I do not mind growing in the garden. I like both the flowers and foliage.

[Robert]

In this high location there were many Lupinus lepidus var. lobbii. A very dwarf, compact species with wonderful wooly, gray foliage and nice little flowering stems. I have a few growing in the garden back at the farm. They seem to be doing well despite the heat.



Here is a close-up of a flowering stem and some of the cob-web gray foliage.



Geum triflorum. An interesting species. I like the foliage and the flowering stems. Who's shadow is that? Bigfoot?



Ivesia gordonii. A very interesting Rosaceae. It looks somewhat like a yellow flowering Achillea.



Eremogone (Arenaria) aculeata. A plant I want to try in the garden. The stamens of this species are dull red. Eremogone kingii is similar, however the stamens of E. kingii are bright red. A great contrast to the white petals. Fantastic little plants.


To be continued later........

[fermi de Sousa]

All marvelous, Robert, but those little cuties like the Eremogone and the Calochortus are the ones that I love to see!
cheers
fermi