2017 - Robert's botanical adventures in Northern California

[Robert]

SORRY FOR THE DELAY! 

I am making progress on the Bear Valley report. I should have something ready by Thursday... at least part one.

Now back to work. 

[Hoy]

I will certainly wait, Robert. No problem 

[Robert]

BEAR VALLEY

Wednesday, 29 Mach 2017

PART I

Sacramento Weather

Weather: Partly Cloudy
Temperature, High: 79 F, 26 C
                      Low: 50 F, 10 C

Placerville Weather

Weather: Partly Cloudy
Temperature, High: 75 F, 24 C
                      Low: 39 F, 4 C


For some time now I have read about the amazing wildflower displays at Bear Valley. During the 1980’s I would frequently visit Wilbur Hot Springs, only a few miles south of Bear Valley, but I never drove up the dirt road to see the wildflowers. Now I was quite eager to visit the valley and see for myself what sort of floral display this remote valley might contain.



Morning on Bear Creek

I checked the road reports before departing and found that Highway 16 was still closed due to rock and mud slides. I drove directly north on the Interstate Highway to Williams and then west on highway 20 to Bear Creek Road.

Bear Creek is cattle country. At the junction to Wilbur Hot Springs I encountered a cattle drive that slowed my progress up the dirt / gravel road to Bear Valley. When I lived in Gold Hill (cattle country) I became accustom to the slow pace of a cattle drive, when Uncle Elwin drove his cattle down the country roads. This cattle drive was not such a bad situation as gave me an opportunity to stop frequently and inspect the plants growing along the road.



The Redbud trees, Cercis occidentalis, were in full bloom, accented by the yellow flowers of Erysimum capitatum var. capitatum.



Along the road cuts the silvery rosettes of Cirsium occidentale var. candidissimum were starting to send up there flowering stems.



Eventually the cowboys drove the cattle into a corral and I could continue the short drive into Bear Valley. The road left the canyon and rose over the crest of a low pass. At the top of the grade I had my first view of Bear Valley. The vista of the valley was quite spectacular, however the first wildflowers to greet me were not impressive. The hills straddling the pass were carpeted with Butter and Eggs, Triphysaria eriantha ssp. eriantha, a very common sight in California this time of year.



I stopped the car to have a close look at the plants and photograph the vista. Quickly it became apparent that floristically there might be much more to see than it first appeared. I found a few nice patches of Layia fremontii (pictured) in bloom as well as the clover, Trifolium depauperatum var. depauperatum, a few Goldfields, Lasthenia californica ssp. californica, and Lupinus bicolor in bloom.

[Robert]

As stated before Bear Valley is cattle country and the land is privately owned. One can freely walk the fence line on each side of the road, however all the open land beyond the fence is private property and off limits. As I drove down the dusty gravel road to the north there was still not much to see floristically, but the panoramic views of the countryside were very beautiful.



Eventually I reached a bridge that crossed Bear Creek. Here the wildflower displays started to get very interesting.



Colonies of Goldfields, Lasthenia californica ssp. californica, started to expand into larger drifts and make a good show.



The Goldfields were joined with Cream Cups, Platystemon californicum and Gilia tricolor ssp. tricolor, as well as many other species of wildflowers.



In addition to the Goldfields, Lasthenia californica ssp. californica, Gilia tricolor ssp. tricolor started to fill the rangeland creating impressively large mixed drifts with the Goldfields.

[Robert]

Joining the other wildflowers were scattered isolated stands of the Apiaceae species Lomatium utriculatum.



The colorful annual paintbrush Castilleja exserta ssp. exserta accented the landscape with there purplish flower heads. The plants I examined exhibited characteristics of both Castilleja exserta and Catilleja densiflora, and indeed may have been hybrids between the two species. The two species are known to hybridize with each other and can be highly variable.



The drifts of Gilia tricolor ssp. tricolor were quite spectacular.



… especially as the sheets expanded into large fields of Gilia mixed with many other wildflowers.



At this point, the rangeland was covered with sheets of wildflowers stretching off to the distant edges of the valley and into the surrounding hills.

[Robert]

Each segment of the valley consisted of different combinations of wildflowers generally with one species dominating an area. Along this section of the valley Cream Cups, Platystemon californicum, was the dominant species.



Cream Cups, Platystemon californicum, are an annual member of the Papaveraceae family. I wish that this photograph had turned out much better as this small growing species is very attractive and well worth growing in the garden.



As the soil type changed and the grazing practices differed, the mix of wildflowers changed. The soil on this rangeland was quite heavy and waterlogged. Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis thrived in this situation.



On drier gravelly rangeland Goldfields, Lasthenia californica ssp. californica thrived.



Of coarse there were many other showy species in the valley. Layia platyglossa has large ray flowers and easily stood among the other wildflowers. This specimen had yellow-ray flowers, however some can have ray flowers that are tipped white.

[Robert]

A great find was the endangered species Astragalus rattenii var. jepsonianus. The inflorescence of this annual species is relatively large and very attractive.



There were common species to see too. Eschscholzia californica is the state flower of California. Wild forms of this species are very beautiful and wonderful to see in their native habitat.



Acmispon wrangeliannus is another common species that I encounter throughout much of California (low elevations). This annual member of the Fabaceae family has small yellow pea-like flowers and is generally found growing in dry, sunny sites.



This time of year Fiddleneck, Amsinckia intermedia, can be found blooming in almost any sunny, grassland habitat in the lower elevations of Northern California.



At the northern end of Bear Valley the road crossed Bear Creek once again.

[Robert]

In moist ditches along the road grew Valley Popcornflower, Playgiobothyrus canescens var. canescens. The various species of Cryptantha and Playgiobothyrus can be difficult to distinguish from one another. The round-ovate nutlets and the bracts throughout the inflorescence help identify this species.



At the north end of the valley I reach this prominent peak.

The valley was very interesting and certainly had impressive wildflower displays in some areas. I was encouraged that some of the cattle rangeland could be managed to support both cattle and a large percentage of the native flora. Other parts of the valley seemed to have very few wildflowers, however soil type, lack of fire, invasive species and other factors could have contributed to this condition.



Unfortunately there was no public land to explore in the valley. There was plenty of time left in the day so I decided to travel westward in the hills above the valley where there was plenty of public land to explore on foot.



The chaparral above Bear Valley turned out to be floristically rich and extremely interesting.



The chaparral shrubbery was varied and consisted of diverse array of species. Coastal Whiteleaf Manzanita, Arctostaphylos viscida ssp. pulchella was common, however Styrax redivivus, Ribes malvaceum var. malvaceaum, Garrya congdonii, and Ceanothus jepsonii were some of the other species seen in the chaparral.

In part two I will discuss the fascinating species I found in the hills above Bear Valley.

[Hoy]

Beautiful, Robert!

Some lovely annuals also 

[Robert]

Trond,

Bear Valley was very beautiful.

For me the best part of the outing was exploring the chaparral above the valley. The plants were certainly interesting, however getting out and hiking around must have been part of the pleasure for me. I know that I want to return to this area as I can. I have some projects I need (and want) to get done in the Sierra Nevada and I want to continue my exploration of Snow Mountain to the north. Exploring this area might have to wait. That' okay! 

[Robert]

BEAR VALLEY

PART II

The open vistas and floral displays of Bear Valley were inspiring, but I also felt frustrated, restless, and confined. The barbwire may have kept the cattle in, but it also confined my adventuresome spirit from a true experience of exploring this beautiful valley.



Lasthenia californica and Leptosiphon latisectus

As I drove into the hills it was a relief to find large drifts of wildflowers in the meadows and openings of the chaparral. I was free to get out and walk among the wildflowers and the chaparral species. Here I could examine everything closely. As an example, I like examining subtle species such as Plantago erecta, which can be easily overlooked when the flowers of Goldfields and Leptosiphon are creating such a vibrant display. Plantago erecta is quite interesting and beautiful when examined with a hand lens.



Of coarse, in the hills the mix of species was very different from those found in Bear Valley. In places there were large sheets of Leptosiphon latisectus blooming with other annual species. The calyx lobes on this species are densely hairy and glandular. This is very different from many of the species of Leptosiphon I find in the Sierra Nevada.



Blue Dicks, Dichelostemma capitatum, blooming among Leptosiphon latisectus

In general, bulbous species appeared to be missing from the valley, even along the road easement. This seemed odd. I would like to investigate this further if possible. In the hills the situation was very different. There were bulbous species of all types: Calochortus, Fritillaria, Allium, and Themidaceae of many sorts, to name a few.



Triteleia laxa is among the early blooming Themidaceae species. As I walked the meadows and openings I found them blooming throughout this hill country. Other Themidaceae species were in growth, ready to bloom later in the season.



The geology of the hill country seemed a bit complex. There were serpentine extrusions as well as other rock formations. In California, serpentine formations are excellent places to look for interesting species. Minuartia douglasii is one of many species that are often found growing on serpentine. With small flowers and thin wiry stems and leaves it can be easily overlooked.

[Robert]

Indian Warrior, Pedicularis densiflora, is a hemiparasitic species that I found growing in various sites among the chaparral shrubbery.



Pedicularis densiflora is an early blooming species. Many plants I found had already finished blooming, however a few were still in full bloom. The flowering heads are quite dramatic due to their bright red color.



The Paintbrushes can also be very dramatic with their brilliant colors. On the lower portions of the hills I found Castilleja affinis ssp. affinis, another hemiparasitic species, in bloom. At one site, a large group blooming on a road cut created a beautiful display.



I slowly worked my way up into the hills. Sometimes I walked the dirt road, at other times I hiked through the chaparral. Bush Lupine, Lupinus albifrons, was a species that I encountered frequently on this outing. The silvery foliage and large flowering trusses are striking.



Eventually, I came across a naturally occurring flat bench cut into the hillside. Most of the open space consisted of a seasonally moist meadow. The lower end as quite swampy, the upper parts were much drier. Here I found a considerable variety of interesting species. From a rock outcropping at the edge of the bench there was a nice view of Bear Valley.

[Robert]

Angelica tomentosa grew throughout the drier portions of the meadow, as well as in other open sites in the surrounding chaparral.



Angelia has a special significance to California Native Americans. The plant is still used as a food/medicine, in ceremony, and in medicine baskets. There are several Angelica species native to California. As told by my California Native American friends, other species are preferred for their practices.



Growing in the dry chaparral surrounding the meadow was California Ash, Fraxinus dipetala.  This Ash is generally shrubby and unlike the riparian species F. latifolia, Oregon Ash, our other native Northern California Ash species, Fraxinus dipetala can withstand extremely dry conditions.



Scrabbling through the chaparral shrubbery Lathyrus vestitus could be found in bloom. This Lathyrus species is known to hybridize with other native species, however the plants I observed seemed pretty much true to form.



In sunny areas along the margin of the meadow this Lupinus species was blooming. I must have been very distracted as I photographed the plant without identifying it to species. Oooppss!

[Robert]

The drifts of Viola douglasii in full bloom would certainly distract me. They were found growing in the upper and drier portions of the meadow. Here the soil was moist, however it most certainly became bone dry during the summer.



I found various color forms of Collinsia sparsiflora ssp. sparsiflora growing in and near the meadow.



Pink, white, and bicolored forms of Collinsia sparsiflora grew in the meadow and the surrounding chaparral. Each colony was different exhibiting its own unique gradation of color.



As I left the meadow and continued up the hill I found a few Primula (Dodecatheon) hendersonii in bloom on a shady bank. All the plants that I have observed in the Northern Coastal Mountains have been completely fertile, the seed pods plump and full of seed. In contrast the plants in the Sierra Nevada foothills are more or less sterile, and set very few viable seeds.



Also sharing the shady slopes with the Shooting Stars were healthy clumps of Cynoglossum grande, some of which were still in bloom.

[Robert]

Intermingled with the Cynoglossum and Shooting Stars were colonies of the annual Valerianaceae, Plectritis macrocera. The head-like inflorescence consists of many tiny white to pale pink flowers.



The glowing chartreuse flower bracts of Euphorbia spathulata contrasted sharply among the neighboring plants. It certainly stood out! I rarely encountered this native annual species, however it seems like it would be an interesting species to cultivate in a garden.



I found Coffee Fern, Pellaea andromedifolia growing in both sunny and shady sites. On one rocky outcropping I found both Pellaea andromedifolia and P. mucronata growing side-by-side among the rocks. This is the first time I have seen the two species growing together. In the Sierra Nevada, I rarely find them growing in the same area.



Back in the dry chaparral the first flowers of Clematis lasiantha were opening. This Clematis species can be very showy in bloom as it vines through and over the chaparral shrubbery. Their mature seed heads are also very interesting in the autumn.



I encountered a number of Castilleja species in bloom on this outing. As I climbed higher into the hills Castilleja foliolosa became the dominant Castilleja species. On this specimen, the gray stems and foliage contrasted beautifully with the bright red flower bracts.