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

[Robert]

That's very kind of you and will be extremely interesting indeed!

Gerd

Gerd,

I have a keen interest in our native viola species. I have been observing them for many years, and now, I am in a position to sort out the plants in a more definitive way. There can be considerable variation, both subtle and more obvious. They are a group of plants that I am interested in understanding in all their subtle aspects, in all seasons, and at all sages of their life cycle, as well as their less tangible attributes.

[Robert]

That is a spectacular blue flower Robert!
Glad you crossed the Rubicon  safely to show all these wild beauties,
cheers
fermi

Fermi,

Yes, I am back safely and am ready for the next outing. I completely enjoy such outings and the challenges that one can be confronted with. This time of year I will be alternating between the "Life Zones" as there is much to see still at the lower elevations and spring is now coming to the higher elevations. There is much that I do not want to miss. This is something I do with great passion, so it never feels onerous. I am glad that you and all the others enjoy. With the help of Spirit (for me a general intangible meaning) there will be much more.

[Robert]

I walked the fence line of the farm late today after work.



The shooting Stars (Dodecatheon hendersonii) are still looking good despite the warm, dry weather.



In areas they are mixed with Rananculus canus / californicus. Four years of drought has certainly had its impact on some of the native plants. During wet seasons there are generally oceans of Rananculus on the farm.



The drought has had a much greater impact on some of the annuals such as the Common Fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia. The plants and flower heads are so stunted and tiny they are hard to recognize as Fiddleneck.



Popcorn Flower (Plagiobothrys nothofulvus) always has a tiny plant and flower, however drought condition has reduced there numbers greatly.

[Hoy]

Didn't know that Dodecatheon hendersonii was a meadow plant? I thought it was a woodlander.

Interesting "weeds" you have also;-) 

Let us hope for a good crop of seeds!

[Robert]

Didn't know that Dodecatheon hendersonii was a meadow plant? I thought it was a woodlander.

Interesting "weeds" you have also;-) 

Let us hope for a good crop of seeds!

Trond,

It is difficult, or maybe more accurate impossible, to tell that the Dodecatheon hendersonii are growing in an oak woodland. I never see them out in the full sun. The oaks may be deciduous but the bare branches still create a fair amount of shade. Also, the soil becomes extremely dry during the summer when they are dormant.

Last year they produced  very little seed, however the timing of the rain was such that pollination could have been disrupted. This year seed production looks more promising.

Later in the season I will be visiting the habitat of Dodecatneon alpinum and D. jefferyii. They are both meadow plants and grow at a much higher elevation. There are a few other species that grow on the east side of the Sierra, unfortunately they grow too far away for me to visit their habitat at this time, although this is something good to look forward to.

[Robert]

Thursday, 12 March 2015

Weather: High Clouds
Temperature  High: 75 F (24 C)   Low: 41 F (5 C)

This outing was a return to Skunk Hollow, on the South Fork of the American River. The trailhead starts at 506 feet (154 meters), so back to a low elevation outing. This time I traveled west.



The goal was to reach the top of the ridge line, the dark hills in the distance. Last November I had reached the top of the ridge, but needed to turn back before exploring the whole ridge line. Today I was hoping to explore the rest of the ridge.



The trail starts out through the chaparral. Foothill Poppy (Eschscholzia caespitosa) were blooming in the small grassy areas between the areas of chaparral.



Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum) were at their peak bloom and were frequently seen.



The next wave of wildflowers were just getting started. Spider Lupine (Lupinus benthamii) is a very showy annual species.



I found plants of Chaparral Broomrape (Orobanche bulbosa) once again. I do not find it frequently and hope that I can see it bloom later in the season.

[Robert]

The striking Castilleja foliolosa was still blooming.



At this time of year they are blooming throughout the chaparral, often mixed with other wildflowers. It is a very beautiful show to see.



In rocky areas one sees Phacelia in bloom now. Right now I am using P. heterophylla for this species, however it is another plant that does not quite match the plant keys. I use several different keys as there seems to be problems with all the different keys that I use. This is okay, it is still a beautiful plant.



Bush Monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus) is another species that is just getting started into its bloom cycle now.



After a while, the trail moved into a mix of oak woodland, oak savannah, with patches of chaparral.

[Maggi Young]

The colour on those "spires" of Orobanche bulbosa  (shown in the last photo of post 155) are a really grand, dark slate blue, aren't they?  In some lights they must be invisible.

Contrasted with the colour of the  bright Castilleja and its soft grey foliage,  it's even better.

[Robert]

In shady areas the last of the shooting stars (Dodecatheon hendersonii) were finishing up.



In these areas I also started to see the first of the Ground Iris (Iris macrosiphon). Most were shades of lavender / blue, however there are yellow forms too. I did not see any yellow flowered forms on this day.



In some areas the Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum) were growing very densely.



A great find were the Silver Mule Ears (Wythia beleniodes). The flowers are large and showy. The large leaves are covered with dense silvery wooly hairs. Later in the season much of this falls of the leaves, but at this time it is very attractive. There are 4 species of Wythia in our foothill region. I also saw W. angustifolia on this outing. They were not in bloom yet.



At this time of year one sees all sorts of butterflies. It is good that they have a safe place to life.

[Hoy]

Trond,

It is difficult, or maybe more accurate impossible, to tell that the Dodecatheon hendersonii are growing in an oak woodland. I never see them out in the full sun. The oaks may be deciduous but the bare branches still create a fair amount of shade. Also, the soil becomes extremely dry during the summer when they are dormant.

Last year they produced  very little seed, however the timing of the rain was such that pollination could have been disrupted. This year seed production looks more promising.

Later in the season I will be visiting the habitat of Dodecatneon alpinum and D. jefferyii. They are both meadow plants and grow at a much higher elevation. There are a few other species that grow on the east side of the Sierra, unfortunately they grow too far away for me to visit their habitat at this time, although this is something good to look forward to.

Robert,

Interesting to know that the Dodecatheons in a way are meadow plants. I have always thought that they were typical woodland plants.Tempting to try some in my "lawn" among other spring flowers (I don't cut the grass before mid June).

[Hoy]

You still have some gems to show Robert!

Wyethia is new to me and an exciting acquaintance.

[Robert]

It is also peak bloom season for the Sanicula. This is S. bipinnatifida. Also seen on this outing were S. bipinnata and S. crassicaulis, all blooming and seen frequently.



Here and there seasonal creeks flow down the gullies and ravines.



One occasionally sees Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) the infamous plant known to Socrates.



This introduced and now weedy species can often be identified by the purple spotting on the stems. In our area, those gathering medicinal herbs need to use caution as some confuse this species with Gray's Lovage (Ligusticum grayi). Gray's Lovage is more likely to be confused with Western Water Hemlock (Cicuta douglasii) as they both grow at the same higher elevations. Poison Hemlock is rarely seen at the higher elevations.



My progress was being slowed as there was much to see. Triteleia ixioides, another bulb species, were starting to bloom. This turned out to be the best photograph I could get at this time. There were a few exceptional plants and I wish that those photographs had turned out. This species grows into the 7,000 foot ( 2,134 meters) altitude range, so I should be seeing it again many times in the coming season.

[Robert]

In open areas, Triphysaria eriantha were blooming. With good rainfall they can carpet the ground in large sheets. Not this year.



Another species I enjoy is Scutellaria tuberosa. It is a compact little plant, suitable for the dry rock garden. It is found predominantly in chaparral areas. During the dry summer the foliage dies back to the under ground tubers.



Finally after 4 miles (6.5 km) of hiking I finally reached the base of the ridge. At this point, I did not have a lot of time remaining before I needed to turn back. I started to see Iris macrosiphon again.



Also, were the first of the Lupinus albifrons. I saw 4 species of Lupine on this outing: L. albifrons, L. benthamii, L. bicolor, and L. latifolius.



In time, I made it about 3/4 of the way up the ridge before I ran out of time and had to turn back.

[Robert]

Parts of California still look nice. This view is from the highest point I reached before turning back.



Clematis lasinatha climbs all over the chaparral shrubbery. The masses of white flowers are very showy.



Some of the clumps of Iris macrosiphon were quite large and can put on a good show.



I also saw the first blossoms on  Sisyrinchium bellum. There will be more later as their season is just getting started.



Now it was time to race back to the truck and get back to the farm. On the way back I saw the butterflies drinking from the few moist areas remaining along the trail.

[Robert]

If one looks carefully, one can still find huge colonies of Erythronium multiscapoideum in the chaparral. This was the only plant with flowers stems among thousands of plants. A few years of good rainfall and there will be thousands of flowers.



Most folks never think of looking for Erythroniums in hot, dry habitats like this.



On the way back to the farm I had to stop to photograph this Grandmother plant of Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis). This plant is very old. It looked this way back in 1972 when I first started visiting this area near Sweetwater Creek.



Our Redbuds generally put on a good show every season.

Even though I did not have the time to explore the ridge line, this outing was still extremely productive for me. Next week I will be back up the mountain as the season is now getting started there too.