2017 - Robert's botanical adventures in Northern California

[Robert]

Angelica breweri past their prime. There are quite showy when in full bloom.

[Hoy]

A very grand and beautiful landscape, Robert!

The complicated geological structure of the mountains is also amazing.


I like the Erigonum! Nice colour and form.

[Robert]

A very grand and beautiful landscape, Robert!

The complicated geological structure of the mountains is also amazing.


I like the Erigonum! Nice colour and form.

Hi Trond,

Yes, the scenery in this area is quite spectacular. It is a tremendous draw and there are many tourist. I like to hike in this area very late in the season when there are very few visitors. Carson Pass is famous for its wildflowers. For me it is better to go to other places to see the same wildflowers. I admit that I do not like crowds or standing in line to hike on a trail. How things have changed in my lifetime! The huge number of people is worrisome. In California the crowds are everywhere. There are signs everywhere that the natural systems are stressed and breaking down. In the Sierra Nevada, the ecosystem would most likely recover if given in a chance. They have in the past. In the Sacramento Valley the situation is much more dire. Most natural ecosystems are long gone and the remaining systems are very fragmented. Species diversity and numbers on all levels (plants, animals, etc.) are very low. In the case of the Valley the future is very uncertain.

There are many varieties of Eriogonum umbellatum in California. I grow a number of them in our Sacramento garden. They are fairly easy to please and look great both in and out of bloom. They like xeric conditions, however they seem tolerant of some moisture during the summer.

[ruweiss]

Robert, at first many thanks again for your good work. I am always fascinated by the beautiful landscapes and
the plants which decorate these blessed regions.
Erigeron umbellatum v. polyanthum is one of my favourite plants, it grows since 1986 when we collected it
near Denver in our garden and flowers always reliably for many weeks. It is also very useful for dry flower
arrangements and the propagation is quite easy by cuttings.

[Robert]

Robert, at first many thanks again for your good work. I am always fascinated by the beautiful landscapes and
the plants which decorate these blessed regions.
Erigeron umbellatum v. polyanthum is one of my favourite plants, it grows since 1986 when we collected it
near Denver in our garden and flowers always reliably for many weeks. It is also very useful for dry flower
arrangements and the propagation is quite easy by cuttings.

Rudi,

Very pleased to hear from you.

Thank you for sharing your gardening/cultural experiences with Eriogonum umbellatum var. polyanthum. It has been suggested more discussion of the culture and gardening requirements of the California taxa that I share in my botanical diary could be helpful and enlightening. This is certainly a worthwhile concept. Thank you again for bringing your gardening experience to our attention. 

Some of the other varieties of E. umbellatum are quite interesting and worthwhile to cultivate too.

Right now I am preparing for my next outing to Smith Lake in the central part of the Crystal Range. This will be in about 6 or 7 days. The following week perhaps - Pyramid Peak / Mount Price.

[hamparstum]

Robert, I'm fascinated with your different Eriogonums. However today I was called by the Holodiscus. It would seem that discolor is quite mesic. However dumosum would be more xeric. They look very much garden worthy and some seem to offer shrubs in their nurseries. It could replace Spiraea as a shrub for understory planting, and notes say that it is pleasantly fragrant. Are you growing any of these in your gardens?
Arturo

[Robert]

Arturo,

Holodiscus dumosus has been subsumed into the highly variable species Holodiscus discolor. The plants I see in their natural habitat generally fit into varieties glabrescens or microphyllus. The varieties intergrade, so I generally do not key them to the variety level. I generally see them growing in xeric, sunny locations.

I have yet to grow Holodiscus discolor, however it is high on my list of species to trial. I think it would be a first rate garden plant. They generally grow dense and compact. The flowers are very showy. Most likely they would be very easy-to-grow. In a garden setting, my guess is that they would be tolerant of, at least, somewhat mesic conditions.

Spiraea splendens (i.e. densiflora) is a first rate compact garden shrub. The flowers of this species generally fade in hot weather. Selection is important. Good forms have bright flowers, even during hot weather. In addition, good forms will also have excellent autumn foliage (generally scarlet). The species is easy-to-grow with mesic conditions. I have one selection that grows at our Placerville farm that has deep colored flowers, even in hot weather. It also has beautiful red autumn foliage.

Today, I went to the Smith Lake trailhead. The wildflower display is still excellent. I look forward to my outing next week.



Wrights Lake near the Smith Lake trailhead.



Symphyotrichum spathulatum. The species does well in our Sacramento garden and is also in bloom.



Eurybia integrifolia



Castilleja miniata ssp. miniata



Eriogonum umbellatum var. polyanthum is looking especially good right now.

There were plenty of other species in bloom. A strong thunderstorm cut the photography short. Lots of lightning!

[Hoy]

Robert,

Still some nice plants in flower! All the rain here lately have made everything soaked

[Robert]

SACRAMENTO

This past weekend I rode my bicycle down to the Sacramento River. Our Sacramento home is located less than a mile from the Sacramento River and only a mile or two from downtown Sacramento.

This bicycle path follows the Sacramento River along the top of the level and next to the railroad tracks. I was not sure what I would find in this environment, but I thought that I would give it a try.



The Tower Bridge crosses the Sacramento River between West Sacramento and the midtown of Sacramento. The route is the old Highway 40 dating from the 1960’s and earlier times. Sometime in the late 1960’s the route was replaced by the Interstate highway system and I-80, which now bypasses this area. When crossing the bridge today, from west to east, there is a grand boulevard with the state capitol building at the east end of the boulevard.

I was interesting in cataloging the remnants of the original native habitat. In addition to native plants, invasive plant species, lichens, bryophytes, invertebrates, and bird populations are being noted. During the autumn, winter, and spring this area is part of a large migratory flyway as many waterfowl species travel to and from their breeding grounds to the north.



There are still a few remnants of the Valley Oak, Quercus lobata, forests that grew along riparian habitats in California’s Central Valley. In some locations semi-intact remnants of dense Valley Oak forest can still be seen. They can be jungle-like with masses of vines and other dense vegetation.



Box Elder, Acer negundo, is one of the common species seen growing in riparian habitats in this part of the Sacramento Valley.

The city of Sacramento is located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers. The American River Parkway is a stretch of degraded habitat bordering the sides of the American River from Sacramento, more or less, to Folsom Dam upstream. Box Elder is a frequently seen species along the lower stretches of the Parkway. The upper portions of the Parkway were dredged for gold with mile after mile of gravel tailings. Despite this, native species have reclaimed much of this area.



This close up photograph shows the typical trifoliate foliage of Box Elder, Acer negundo.

[Robert]

Oregon Ash, Fraxinus latifolia, is another species frequently seen in riparian habitats in the Sacramento Valley. To the right of the Oregon Ash is Box Elder, Acer negundo and to the left in the background is Salix gooddingii.



Fraxinus latifolia is dioecious, with both male and female trees. This female tree is loaded with fruit.



Fremont Cottonwood, Populus fremontii, is found in riparian habitats throughout the lower elevations of Northern California. They are seen frequently along rivers and streams in the Central Valley, and also in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Mountains.



I rarely encounter Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis, on my outings. In our area this species seems confined to riparian habitats in the Central Valley. The globe-shaped flowering heads are quite interesting.



This was my last look at the Sacramento skyline before returning home. Through the haze, the tops of thunderstorms building over the crest of the Sierra Nevada can be seen in the distance.

It is interesting documenting the “Silent Spring” phenomena in our Sacramento area. There has been a noticeable decline in the resident bird population over the past 10 years. Migratory birds have been in noticeable decline for a much longer period of time. Very few lichen species can be found. Candellaria and Xanthomendoza, both nitrogen tolerant species, are the most common. My preliminary findings seem to indicate that the number of lichen species increase as one travels eastward on the American Rive Parkway.

Due to lack of pollinators, last year there was no pollination of fruit or vegetable crops in our neighborhood. The native Mining Bees, Genus Anthophora, have disappeared from our neighborhood (we last saw them about 10 years ago). We call them “Sleeper Bees” as the males sleep in groups on flowers all night. It is fun watching them awake in the morning and fly off. This summer our native Squash Bees, Peponapis pruinosa, have returned, as well as native bees of the Genus Dianthidium.

[Robert]

I had an outstanding outing to Smith Lake yesterday.

I will be reporting soon.

[ian mcdonald]

Robert, I expect you have more wildlife in your areas than you record. Perhaps you are concentrating too hard on plants? Sometime a sit down with a drink reveals other wildlife you don,t usually see while walking about? It would be interesting to here what else there is in your area.

[Robert]

Robert, I expect you have more wildlife in your areas than you record. Perhaps you are concentrating too hard on plants? Sometime a sit down with a drink reveals other wildlife you don,t usually see while walking about? It would be interesting to here what else there is in your area.

Ian,

I do record the wildlife I see. It is often difficult to get good photographs of birds, butterflies, and other insects (a lot of sitting around and waiting). I will try listing the wildlife I see, however there will be few photographs. The critters just do not sit still for the camera. 



I just processed the photographs from my last outing. There are many to choose from.

Smith Lake



An unnamed peak above Smith Lake.

I am now working on writing things up. 

[Robert]

SMITH LAKE

Thursday, 24 August 2017

Part I

Sacramento Weather

Weather: High Clouds
Temperature, High: 89 F, 31.5 C
                       Low: 62 F, 16.5 C


Finally, my opportunity arrived to return to the Smith Lake region of the Desolation Valley Wilderness Area. Last year I had photographed some Cryptogramma ferns in this area and had casually identified them as C. acrostichoides, a very frequently seen species in the region. An alert forumist informed me that the ferns appeared to be Cryptogramma cascadensis. My prime goal this day was to confirm the identity of this fern. Not only was the true identity of the fern revealed, but also as the day unfolded, many other exciting species were located.



I arrived at the Twin Lakes Trailhead at 6:30 a.m. It was a typical early summer morning, 44 F (6.5 C), in the high Sierra Nevada, cool and still. The meadowland surrounding Wrights Lake is rich in flora and many species were still in bloom and looking prime. Anaphalis margaritacea is a late blooming species that grows abundantly throughout this region.



As I prepared my gear for the day, I could see large drifts of Dogbane, Apocynum andromaemifoilum, in bloom near my staging area.



I was quite intent on reaching higher terrain early in the day, so I noted the easily identifiable species and skipped the numerous Poaceae and Cyperaceae that flourish in the moist meadows around the lake as I set out on the trail. Aconitum columbianum was still looking nice in the moist forested margins surrounding the meadows.



I was not long until I started up into the desolate, rocky terrain above Wrights Lake. A few Jeffrey Pine, Pinus jeffreyi, grew among the erratics and glacially polished granite rock.



The storms can be very violent in the Sierra Nevada. The Jeffrey Pine on the right lost its crown; most likely in a violent blizzard or perhaps it was struck by lightning.

[Robert]

Many beautiful alpine species grow in this open, rocky, dry terrain. Cryptogramma acrostichoides is frequently seen in rock crevices in this type of habitat.



Pellaea bridgesii with its striking blue-green fronds is another commonly seen fern along this stretch of the trail. Here is shares this site with Sedum obtusatum.



Pinemat Manzanita, Arctostaphylos nevadensis, enjoys creeping over granite boulders. The polished chestnut bark of this Manzanita contrast perfectly against the light colored “salt and pepper” granite.



As the trail moves upward into higher terrain, it alternates between xeric and mesic habitats. Here next to this stream Senecio triangularis was still at the peak of its blooming cycle.



Most of the Alpine Lilies, Lilium parvum, had finished blooming, however this specimen was at its prime and look marvelous with the blooming Senecio.