2017 - Robert's botanical adventures in Northern California

[Robert]

Our prime minister, thatcher, said she wanted the UK to be like america. American political policy is dictated by big business. Did she get her way? OUR environment is not an optional extra, it is the reason we are here.

Ian,

Economic considerations are not always a good motivating force to get something done. Most likely other things too. What ever happened on Easter Island clearly did not work. Hopefully we can come up with something so that the Earth does not become the next Easter Island. I do not like American hegemony, however the idea of National Parks was a good idea. 

[Robert]

The spring blooming season is progressing at all elevations here in Northern California. The road to Poho Ridge is still closed, however many of the same wildflowers can be seen on the southern ridge of the American River canyon.



Iris hartwegii can be seen blooming everywhere on the southern ridge.



There numbers are almost overwhelming in some locations. It is quite the sight.



The range of Calochortus monophyllus extends up into the mid-elevations of the Sierra Nevada. They too are blooming in great numbers. They are a bit difficult to photograph when to sun is bright.



The silvery gray foliage of Hosackia incana contrasts with the many greens on the forest floor.

[Robert]

Many shrubs are putting on a beautiful show of flowers this season. Dendromecon rigida is out doing itself this year. Some of the plants are stunning.



Dendromecon ridiga is a member of the Papaveraceae family, so yes, the flowers look a bit like golden poppies.



Everywhere, Deer Brush, Ceanothus integerrimus var. macrothyrsus can be seen with its white flower trusses. The flowers have a distinctive pollen-like fragrance that fills the forest during the heat of the day.



The foliage of Bear Clover, Chamaebatia foliolosa, is also very fragrant. Some folks find the fragrance over powering thus its other common name Mountain Misery. When I was young the odor would make me car sick, but then maybe it was the car exhaust. This was back in the late 1950's - early 1960's before engine improvements.



Sidalcea asprella ssp.asprella with its pink Malvia-like flowers.

[Robert]

Delphinium gracilentum is generally seen on semi-shady slopes, however this batch was growing in full sun in a open meadow.



Delphinium gracilentum is very similar to Delphinium patens. The two species can generally be quickly distinguished from one another by how the pedicels are held on the main axis of the stem.



Triteleia ixioides ssp. scabra was found blooming in the same meadow. The range of this species extends from the lower foothills to the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada. They will be blooming in July in the meadows along Lyons Creek (high elevation).



Drymocallis glandulosa ssp. glandulosa is a common species throughout the mountains of Northern California. This species is also blooming in our Sacramento garden. It likes some moisture, however it can survive some xeric conditions. With a little irrigation it will bloom on and off all summer and looks good in a mixed plant community.



Phlox speciosa can also been seen throughout the mid-elevations of the Sierra Nevada.

We have such a wide diversity of native plants in California. My wife and I have decided to remove most of the Rhododendrons from our Sacramento garden and remodel with our wonderful native species.... with some other xeric species from around the world. We are keenly aware of the need for habitat in our urban setting. We hope to attract and provide habitat for more birds, insects, reptiles, and maybe even fish with a little pond. We also want flowers and beauty at all seasons.

[ian mcdonald]

Robert, I agree. What is conveniently overlooked is that the half life (the time taken for some radio-active materials to degrade to half their strength) can be up to 10,000 years. I wonder if some of the cancers are a result of nuclear explosions? Perhaps the decendants of todays habitat and wildlife destroyers will realise that their own ancestors were so ignorant?

[Robert]

Ian,

The saying around our household is something like this:

God: "Welcome to heaven!"

New arrival: "Heaven? This doesn't seem like heaven! Look what I did while on earth! How do I get away from this."

God: "You don't! I didn't make you do any of that stuff. I gave you complete free will. I am not responsible that you turned heaven into hell! I do have a hospital for you. If you choose you can get better."

[Robert]

Today I did a quick tour of some of our unique geologic formations in El Dorado County, California. A large band of highly weathered gabbro runs through parts of western El Dorado County. Many unique plant and endemic species grow on the soils derived from this rock. Gabbro generally contains magnetite, so much so that one can feel the pull when one puts a magnet to the surface. The soils are bright red due to the large amounts of iron oxide.



Wyethia reticulata is one of our local endemic species. It is found only on the gabbro soils of El Dorado County. Remarkably, this species has been easy to cultivate in our Sacramento garden. In the wild this xeric species seems to prefer part shade, however it can also be found in full sun. The plant pictured is budded and will be blooming soon with large yellow 'daisies'.



This Ceanothus lemmonii is blooming a bit late in the season, most have already finished. Ceanothus lemmonii grows well on the gabbro based soils, but it can also be found growing on serpentine. Ceanothus roderickii is another El Dorado County endemic that is found only on the gabbro soils. I did not visit any of their populations on this day.



Packera layneae is a California endemic. It is found on the gabbro soils in El Dorado County, as well as on the serpentine of the Red Hills in Tuolumne County. I was hope to see this species when I stop at the Red Hills on my way to Hetch Hetchy. Maybe next year.



Dichelostemma multiflorum is blooming throughout the lower elevations of El Dorado County. It is very similar to Dichelostemma congestum which can also be found in bloom here in El Dorado County. At times I have been suspicious that the two species hybridize with each other. This is something I will have to investigate further.

[Robert]

Chamise, Adenostoma fasciculatum, is a common chaparral species and is blooming throughout the lower elevations.



On somewhat shady slopes sheets of the annual Clarkia biloba are in bloom.



Allium peninsulare var. peninsulare is a fairly common species in the Sierra Nevada foothills. I found this batch blooming on the top of a gabbro rock outcropping. This was a bit of a surprise. They were quite pretty even though they were past their prime.



From the gabbro and chaparral slopes, I traveled to the Deer Creek Hills. This is open county; the transition zone between the Sierra Nevada foothills and the Central Valley of California.



I was hope to see our local Calochortus luteus. It was the tail end of their season, however there were a few lingering flowers.

[Robert]

I was hoping to make a good comparison between our local population and the Calochortus luteus I observed in the coastal mountains of Colusa and Lake Counties. Our local population seems isolated from any known population of Calochortus superbus, at least any that I know about. Another interesting project....



At the lowest elevations Brodiaea elegans ssp. elegans has come into bloom. This is one of our late blooming Brodiaea species.



Sometimes Brodiaea elegans is confused with Brodiaea coronaria. Superficially they look similar, however there are obvious differences in the arrangements of the stamens and the staminodes, as well as other differences if one looks closely at the flowers. I found Brodiaea coronaria in bloom in the hills above Bear Valley in Colusa County. This was a surprise as the species is generally found in the Central Valley or the low foothills that ring the Central Valley. This was a fascinating find that I will continue to pursue as I return to the Bear Valley area.



I finished my short tour by traveling through the lower foothills to some of our local serpentine formations. This is a view off to the south and Amador County in the distance.



The main flower display on the serpentine rock outcroppings is over. The serpentine formations dry very quickly as summer approaches. Eschscholzia californica is one of the few species that was still in bloom.

[Robert]

I was thrilled to find Streptanthus polygaloides in bloom. This serpentine endemic is quite unusual for the Genus Streptanthus. The upper calyx lobe is relatively large and rounded. It looks very much like the banner on a Fabaceae. So far I have logged 3 serpentine endemic Streptanthus species this year, 2 of which I have never seen before.

As usual, I ran out of time. There is much more for me to see, but this will have to wait.

Until next time......

[Robert]

I had a window of opportunity to visit Peavine Ridge yesterday. Generally when there is a holiday in the U.S.A. it is best for me to stay at home and avoid the crowds. There were plenty of cars on the major roads, however there were very few people on Peavine Ridge.



There are some good vistas of the high peaks from Peavine Ridge. There is still plenty of snow, however it is melting quickly now.



Maybe no one hangs around Peavine Ridge because there does not seem to be much there. Wonderful! If one knows where to look there is plenty to see in bloom. Not far from the road I spotted Clarkia arcuata in bloom.



Nearby there were sheets of the annual Navarretia prolifera ssp. lutea in bloom.



I was thrilled to find this, more or less, El Dorado County endemic. Evidently, this taxon has been found near the El Dorado County border in Amador county to the south. It has taken me 4 years to track-down this taxon. Persistence has paid off. This taxon is very beautiful and blooms profusely.

[Robert]

Also in the vicinity, were sheets of Calochortus minimus in bloom.



I have observed this species at this site for many years. It is amazing what a few years of adequate precipitation will do. 2 years ago I found maybe 50 plants in bloom at this site, yesterday there were thousands. The plants at this location are very uniform in petal color and markings. This is much different from the considerable variation seen at Lyon's Creek.



Some of the Viola species at this site were still in bloom. Viola sheltonii blooms very early in the season and had finished, however the foliage was still up. Pictured is one of the few Viola purpurea ssp. purpurea with a few open flowers remaining. Viola lobata ssp. lobata was in bloom a short distance down the road. The Viola lobata had been sprayed with weed killer by the lumber company and did not look very happy. 



Peavine Ridge is close to the high altitude limit of Mimulus bicolor. At lower elevations Mimulus bicolor can be seen blooming with Mimulus kelloggii, a wonderful color combination. I am getting M. bicolor established in our Sacramento garden. In cultivation the plants get 3 x the size, but still bloom profusely. At this time, I still gather seed from our plants in our Sacramento garden, however as I build up seed stock, I am hoping they will re-seed themselves without my help.



Triteleia ixioides ssp. scabra has a large altitude range in our area. Back in March they were in bloom in the lower foothills at about 150 meters. Later in the season they will be blooming at Lyon's Creek at 6,800 feet, 2,073 meters. This California species is easy to cultivate in our Sacramento garden. It blooms for a month or more, and it is tolerant of some moisture while dormant.

[Robert]

A few more photographs from the top of Peavine Ridge, El Dorado County, California.



Another view of the annual Clarkia arcuata.



A fine form of Viola purpurea ssp. purpurea growing in a shadier location.



Phlox speciosa. This is close to its high elevation limit in this area.



Iris hartwegii. The top of Peavine Ridge is about 5,000 feet, 1,524 meters, in elevation.



The ridge top is a thermal belt and temperatures can be mild compared to the bottom of the canyon. I also find Iris hartwegii farther up in the canyon of the South Fork of the American River at the same elevation. Some sites are at the bottom of the canyon, an extreme cold pocket. Both areas can receive a considerable amount of snow during the winter, however occasionally there can be no snow cover during parts of the winter with bitter cold temperatures.

[Robert]

In moist areas Lupinus polyphylus var. burkei is blooming.



In rocky, dry, sunny sites Lupinus grayi is seen.



Lupinus grayi forms mats of beautiful silvery-gray foliage, topped by large colorful flower trusses. This perennial species is very difficult to cultivate in the garden - at least for me.



The annual Gilia capitata ssp. mediomontana is often found in the same locations as Lupinus grayi. Gilia capitata is fairly easy to cultivate in our garden.



Ceanothus integerrimus var. macrothyrsus, Deer Brush, is in full bloom and a sweet pollen-like fragrance fills the air.

[Gail]

That caenothus looks amazing. I've only seen the blue ones here and not come across a fragrant one. Has anyone been hybridising? I'd like pure blue but that form and fragrance!