2016 - Robert's adventures in the Northern Sierra Nevada - California

[fermi de Sousa]

Keep up the great work, Robert!
That Brodiaea really lives up to its name!
cheers
fermi

[Gabriela]

I went a bit back on your posting Robert - splendid mountain sceneries! I look fw to see what species you'll find on Mt. Price and the Pyramid Peak!

[Robert]

I went a bit back on your posting Robert - splendid mountain sceneries! I look fw to see what species you'll find on Mt. Price and the Pyramid Peak!

Gabriela,

I have a personal project involving the flora in the Mount Price - Pyramid Peak region, so I am highly motivated to get into this high country as soon as possible. The mid July might be my first opportunity, however this timing could be perfect. In the mean time I will have to piece my outings together the best I can.

In addition, getting back to Salt Springs Reservoir is high on my priority list. This is a great "back door" approach to Round Top Peak and the fantastic array of species that grow in this area. 99.999% use the over used approach from Carson Pass. It can be extremely crowded during the summer. Summit City Canyon is generally deserted and a wonderful area for wildflowers - alpines.

[Robert]

Keep up the great work, Robert!
That Brodiaea really lives up to its name!
cheers
fermi

Fermi,

At 1,525 meters, this is a personal elevation record for me. Brodiaea elegans generally grows at much lower elevations, however the botanical literature does mention that this is within its altitude range. It is odd for me to see Brodiaea elegans growing very near to Calochortus minimus. Dichelostemma multiflorum, Triteleia ixioides, Fritillaria micrantha, and Lilium washingtonianum all grew at this site. In addition, three species of Viola grow here too - one of those special spots. 

[Ed Alverson]

Here are a few more photographs from outings taken in 2003. The following are from Mount Price and Pyramid Peak, the two southern most peaks of the Crystal Range.

Robert - you might look for two species of parsley ferns at higher elevations in this area, both Cryptogramma acrostichoides and C. cascadensis. I found both species just below the outlet of Heather Lake when I was doing field work for my research, many years ago. I think you can see Heather Lake on the left edge of the photo of Lake Aloha, taken from the summit of Mt. Price.

Ed

[Robert]

Robert - you might look for two species of parsley ferns at higher elevations in this area, both Cryptogramma acrostichoides and C. cascadensis. I found both species just below the outlet of Heather Lake when I was doing field work for my research, many years ago. I think you can see Heather Lake on the left edge of the photo of Lake Aloha, taken from the summit of Mt. Price.

Ed

Hi Ed,

The area of interest to me is the Lyon's Creek Drainage. Cryptogramma acrostichoides is, of coarse, quite common in this area. I wish to be as thorough as possible, so I plan to give careful consideration to many possibilities. Since this project is only "a labor of love" I am willing to take my time. 5 years or so, maybe more? It is a good discipline for me to practice a number of different skills.

G. Ledyard Stebbins and Judy Hutchinson co-authored "A Flora of the Wright's Lake Area" and there is Gladys Smith's "A Flora of the Tahoe Basin and neighboring areas" both books are dated and only partially cover this area. There are, of coarse, other books, especially on the Tahoe Basin.  I am not interested in publishing anything, I just find the project incredibly interesting.

I do know that Mr. Stebbins found both Lewisia pygmaea and L. Longipetala high on the southwestern slope of Mount Price. I have scrambled around the slopes of all of the peaks and have been to Mr. Stebbins site on Mount Price. I see no reason why they could not be on some of the high slopes of Pyramid Peak, maybe even Ralston Peak.

I definitely appreciate your suggestion! I think that it would be "quite the find" to discover Cryptogramma cascadensis in the Lyon's Creek Basin. This world is always changing and is full of surprises. So who knows?

[Hoy]

Well, you did find some nice plants though!

Are lily beetles any problem for the wild lilies? Do you have it over there?

[Robert]

Well, you did find some nice plants though!

Are lily beetles any problem for the wild lilies? Do you have it over there?

Trond,

In many cases the noxious weeds grow where there has been considerable human activity, in this case logging. I only found interesting plants at one of my favorite sites. I stopped there briefly on my way back home.

All the noxious weeds that I mentioned are already in California and in El Dorado County. In some cases eradication efforts have already been made. It is necessary to do follow up to see how effective any eradication efforts might have been. Also, the rate at which the weeds spread needs to be monitored.

As far as I know, Lily Beetle is not in California......yet. How much Lily Beetle is a threat to wild populations is unknown to me. Entomology is not one of my strong points. I still have much to learn about many things.

Anyway, I will be back to my usual outings very soon. 

[Robert]

Since I need to stay in town for a few days I thought that I would share a few photographs of some common weeds here in California. Many are said to be native to Europe. I am very curious how widespread they are and if they are weedy in Europe too.



I will start with an easy one, Daucus carota, or Queen Anne's Lace. It must be everywhere. In California it is blooming right now in bone dry fields and waste areas along roads.



Lathyrus latifolius, Perennial Pea. Colorful, but a bit of a pest around here.



Centaurea solstitialis, Yellow Star-Thistle. A long established pest and no fun to cut once it has flowered. It is slowly moving higher into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This movement is being monitored.



Chondrilla juncea, Skelton Weed.



In the past there was an attempt to control / eradicate this weed (at least in California). At one time it was causing considerable problems with machine harvesting of grain in the U.S.A.

[Robert]

Klamathweed, Hypericum perforatum ssp. perforatum.  When I was young I worked for a retired entomologist who had worked for the California State Department of Agriculture. He had been involved in introducing the Klamathweed Beetle to California. The hope was that the beetle would control Klamathweed. We still have Klamathweed and the Klamathweed Beetle, however the beetle does provide some control. In the field, I sometimes see the beetles feeding on the Klamathweed.



Cytisus scoparius, Broom. This species can be a major problem in our part of California. In disturbed sites, it can seed out as thick as field grain seeming to chock everything out.



Hirschfeldia incana. This weed is seen frequently along road sides and disturbed areas. They seem to bloom forever, even in bone dry soil.



Eremocarpos (Croton) setigerus, or Turkey-Mullein. This Euphorbiceae is common in bone dry, disturbed, waste areas, especially along roadsides.

[Robert]

Something we do not want to see! Wildfire.



The Trailhead Fire started yesterday and is burning in the canyon of the Middle Fork of the American River. This is one of my favorite locations to do field work and is very wild and beautiful. A number of rare endemic species grow in this area, including Calystegia vanzuukiae. Right now the sites that I know about (where Calystegia vanzuukiae grows) are safe. This is extremely difficult terrain for firefighters. I hope they get this one controlled very soon. The 40 C temperatures, + or - a bit, are not helping the situation, however cooler weather is forecast to arrive in the next 2 to 3 days.

[David Nicholson]

...... but isn't it Nature's way of renewal Robert?

[Hoy]

Interesting weeds, Robert!

Carrot is a rare native in Norway. The Perennial Pea is also a native but no pest!
Broom is possibly a foreign plant that has been at the south coast for a very long time. No pest - yet!
Klamathweed is a common native.

The others are unknown to me.

17 plants have been banned in Norway, among them are 3 Lupins, Lupinus perennis, nootkatensis and polyphyllus!

[Robert]

...... but isn't it Nature's way of renewal Robert?

Hi David,

The fires can be part of renewal. I read some information regarding the intense crown fires we often get here in California. It appears that there is some research to suggest even this type of fire may have its benefits. My observations seem to indicate that the most intense parts of the fire may stunt natural renewal. I have seen clearly that seeds that germinate with fire can also be destroyed if fire temperatures are too intense for too long. This applies to species that stump sprout too, but for slightly different reasons.

It appears that I will have some projects in the Butte Fire burn area shortly. I never intended to study this area much as most of the land is privately owned. I have been contacted by some of the land owners in the area to help deal with regeneration issues. I am not sure what sort of engineering project this might be, however the opportunity to get around on the private land at this elevation will be immensely interesting for me.

As for weeds... I think farmers are always complaining about weeds!   

[Robert]

Interesting weeds, Robert!

Carrot is a rare native in Norway. The Perennial Pea is also a native but no pest!
Broom is possibly a foreign plant that has been at the south coast for a very long time. No pest - yet!
Klamathweed is a common native.

The others are unknown to me.

17 plants have been banned in Norway, among them are 3 Lupins, Lupinus perennis, nootkatensis and polyphyllus!

Trond,

I have always wondered how widespread some of the weeds have become, especially with "globalization". Thank you for the information. I would never think of Lupinus as a weed! Around here a few native species are used in seed mixes by the transportation / road departments. In some cases we see native Lupinus species far beyond their natural range even in California. It does not appear that they become weedy at all, but then I have not investigated this or read anything about this either.

The joke in our household is that some weeds must have come with the Mogul Hoards with the fall of Rome or as hitch-hikers on the Silk Road. We think of Bromus diandrus (Rip-Gut Brome Grass) as one such curse!    ....but then I am sure that it does not thrive everywhere although it might seem that way to us.