2018 - Robert's botantical adventures in Northern California

[Robert]

Arturo,

I grow a number of different California native Ribes species in our garden. I have had some cultural difficulties with Ribes roezlii, however I now have some nice plants growing that may bloom next year. The fruit of the species is attractive and good to eat. It also blooms very early in the growing season with very interesting flowers. This is a great bonus.

Anaphalis margaritacea is found throughout the northern hemisphere. I feel sure that, at least a few, forumist see this species growing wild in their region in Europe. I have yet to try this species in our Sacramento garden. In our area it is found in fairly xeric habitats. It seems worthy of a try in our garden.

I have been growing Symphyotrichum spathulatum for a number of years. Selection of the best forms is important. The flowers tend to fade in hot summer areas, such as Sacramento. I have one plant that I am very pleased with and have posted photographs of it from time-to-time on this forum. This plant is a start. I believe much more improvement is possible.

As stated, I am already working on improved forms of Epilobium canum. Horticultural forms have been around for a long time and I have a number of them growing in our Sacramento garden. With a creative mind, there are certainly many other possibilities. With plant breeding, growing native species certainly has its advantages. I have a huge gene pool that is easily accessed. 

[Robert]

Interesting to see quite a few plants that would not look out of place here, even if some are cousins to the local species... Would have area have been dry since July as well. or would the flowering plants be in areas that have had rain?

Cohan,

Thank you for the additional climatic information concerning your home garden.

Some of the plants pictured in part I are xeric species. Some of the meadow species are mesic, although the meadows can have many micro-habitats within themselves. I will have more on this in part II.

I gather detailed climatic data, as well as other data, at most of the sites I visit locally. The goal is to be able to provide detailed quantitative data about the species and their habitats. Information about soil pH, geology, snow cover, plant ecological history, invasive species, etc. can be helpful when attempting to grow species beyond their native range. I have other reasons for doing these things, but that is another story. It all fits together very well.  Mathematical modeling may seem very abstract and distant from growing plants in ones garden, however even this can be helpful in providing information that is helpful in our gardening efforts.

[cohan]

Robert, I'm as usual fascinated with the plants you show:
Ribes roezlii looks very much like a gooseberry (Grossularia uva spina)to me while Rubus parviflorus seems like a paler cultivar of a raspberry. Are you aware if these two have ever been brought into cultivation?
The Symphyotrichum spatulatum is quite similar to the New England asters, but obviously well adapted to summer drought. Did you try out garden accessions from it?.
Actually this same question can be applied to all other species. Most of the biota goes dormant as result of natural summer drought. However, those species that defy it, become extremely interesting! In your eyes, is Anaphalis margaritacea a garden worthy species to try? Of Epilobium canum I've no doubts. Arturo

There are certainly people who grow Rubus parviflorum, maybe not so much in 'garden centre' forms, but wild plant growers certainly do, I think I have some seedlings.. (Planted a couple of wild Rubus, so I forget which are growing). Anaphalis margaritacea is lovely in the garden *but* you have to give it a lot of space and not put it near anything delicate-- it spreads from the root quite vigorously.

[Robert]

cohan,

Thank you for the advice concerning Anaphalis margaritacea. 

I grow Rubus parviflorum in our Sacramento garden. Last year it bloomed but no fruit. This year it has been growing very well, but no flowers. Maybe fruit and flowers next year. Is the species native in your area?

[Gerdk]

Rubus parviflora is well known here in Germany and is sold by nurseries.

Gerd

[Robert]

Gerd,

Is the species sold as an ornamental, or have selections been made for superior fruiting qualities?

[cohan]

cohan,

Thank you for the advice concerning Anaphalis margaritacea. 

I grow Rubus parviflorum in our Sacramento garden. Last year it bloomed but no fruit. This year it has been growing very well, but no flowers. Maybe fruit and flowers next year. Is the species native in your area?

Robert-- no, not in my area, i often see friends in other places mention it, including B.C. -- I looked at the seedling Rubus I have, odoratus (big purple/pink flowers) and canadensis ( a blackberry) so, still no parviflorum...lol.. Locally I have idaeus, of course, pubescens and arcticus.

[Robert]

It was a warm and beautiful day in the Sierra Nevada today. The high temperature at the Placerville farm was 93 F (33.9 C). Persistent southerly winds continued in much of the high country. It appears that we are caught between high pressure to the south and a digging trough of low pressure to the northwest. If the forecast holds, a cooling trend will start tomorrow and temperature may dip below average later next week.



I had an opportunity to check conditions in the dry creek bed of Lyons Creek.



Most of the creek bed is dry, however some water is still seeping through the gravel and a few pools of water remain.



Some of the pools have small fingerling Brook Trout, Salvellnus fontinalis. Conditions are deteriorating quickly in the small pools. The water temperature measured 66 F (18.9 C) in the pool pictured. Brook Trout are tolerant of much higher water temperatures than our native trout species. They must also be tolerant of acidic water conditions as the water pH was in the 6.0 (my writing error, should read 5) to 5.5 range.

Brook Trout are a non-native species. They were planted as a game fish starting as early as the 1880’s. Sadly this species is highly competitive and is primarily responsible for the near elimination of the native Mountain Yellow-legged Frog, Rana muscosa, from the Sierra Nevada Mountains.



It was also very warm in the Lyons Creek Basin. The high temperature was 77 F (25 C), and the low was 37 F (2.8 C). The 2:30 p.m. relative humidity was 19%, with a dew point of 31 F (0.5 C). With a relative humidity of 19% it will likely be a cold night in the basin. Frost is likely and it will only get colder if the approaching dry trough arrives as forecast. If we are lucky and the low-pressure trough pulls in some moisture, the high country may get some much needed rain. At this time this does not appear to be likely.

While exploring the creek bed I spotted a stand of American Manna Grass, Glyceria grandis. I encounter this species on the western slope of the Crystal Range, however this is the first time I logged this species in the Lyons Creek basin. Rough Bent Grass, Agrostis scabra, was also seen along the now dry banks of Lyons Creek.

If all goes well, I will be able to make a short visit to Loon Lake tomorrow. I hope to make a QSO with a friend so that we can share meteorological data at later date in September when they plan to hiking and stay over night in the high country.

[Hoy]

Anaphalis margaritacea is a common garden plant here - and a lokal weed! (It has spread a lot from a neighbour's garden.)
Rubus parviflorus is also known here in Norway (by the name nutkabær -(nutkaberry)).

I have one Epilobium canum(?) growing and flowering at my summer house.

[Gerdk]

Gerd,
Is the species sold as an ornamental, or have selections been made for superior fruiting qualities?

Robert, until now I was familiar with this species as an ornamental with flavorless fruits only - but an Internet search told me there is a hybrid  of this species called 'Dorman Red' which should have fine tasting fruits.

Gerd

[Robert]

Anaphalis margaritacea is a common garden plant here - and a lokal weed! (It has spread a lot from a neighbour's garden.)
Rubus parviflorus is also known here in Norway (by the name nutkabær -(nutkaberry)).

I have one Epilobium canum(?) growing and flowering at my summer house.

Trond,

Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium is blooming throughout the Sierra Nevada at this time. As you might expect, they stand out in the landscape, as they are generally found on open rocky ledges where they are easily seen. Your Epilobium certainly looks nice. 

Robert, until now I was familiar with this species as an ornamental with flavorless fruits only - but an Internet search told me there is a hybrid  of this species called 'Dorman Red' which should have fine tasting fruits.

Gerd

Gerd,

Thank you for the information. In the Sierra Nevada, some of the fruit on Rubus parviflorus has a satisfactory flavor. Generally they need to be 100% ripe to have the best flavor. Most of the time the wildlife does not allow this to happen.

[Robert]

I made it to Loon Lake yesterday, 8 September. This is a view from Chipmunk Bluff. Tells Peak can be seen in the background.



The upper portion of the South Fork of the Rubicon River is a very fascinating area to explore. It is very rugged terrain and there are no trails.



When I arrived at Loon Lake the wind was very strong, south to southwest at 20 gusting to 29 mph. We were under a strong zonal flow. The high clouds were traveling at a high velocity.



Brown Mountainan ancient volcanic formation, can be seen on the right portion of the screen. I did take some time to check the pH of the water in Loon Lake, 6.0 a typical and average measurement.



This is a view off to the west, northwest and Rocky Basin. The northern ridges of the basin consist of metamorphic rock. The southern ridges and much of the bottom of the basin are plutonic rocks, granodiorite.

[Robert]

I did not have time to explore the surrounding slopes. Arctostaphylos nevadensis, Quercus vacciniifolia, and Ceanothus arcuatus are some of the shrubby species seen on this slope. Pinus jeffreyi, Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana, and Juniperus grandis are the trees.



Ericameria cuneata var. cuneata blooms very late in the season. This is a typical habitat for this species, hot, dry, and growing directly out of a rock crevice.



Next to the Ericameria is a small specimen of Penstemon newberryi var. newberryi.



At one site some of the finest forms of Penstemon newberryi var. nenberryi can be seen. As you can see, the plants are quite dense, compact and bloom with many flowers. Plants found growing on granodiorite generally do not have consistently good characteristics (generally but not always).



Not the best photograph, but a nice specimen of Penstemon roezlii. If you look closely you can see that it is still blooming.

The weather is cooling. It was 79 F (26.1 C) at 2:00 p.m. I can monitor the temperatures remotely in this area with telemetry. This is only a slight cooling from yesterday’s high temperature, 83 F (28.3 C).

The 500 mb map indicates a fairly strong low pressure trough digging southward from the northwest. If the forecast pans out, and it now looks like it could, temperatures will cool considerably over the next 5 days or so. It is hard to believe that this trough will be lacking moisture when it arrives. Considering Chaos Theory many scenarios are possible, but some are not probable (think forecasting the path of a hurricane).

[Robert]

I just checked the current 500 mb chart. Cold arctic air is already digging southward far to the northwest of California. My crude forecast based partly on the vectors and angular motion is for much cooler temperatures and dry conditions. The cold air mass will be modified as it passes over the Pacific Ocean and at this time appears to be starved of moisture.

My forecast for days 3 to 5 (Tuesday – Thursday) west slope of the Crystal Range:

Low temperatures in the 20 to 25 F (-6.7 C to -3.9 C) in the mountain valleys above 6,500 ft. (1,981 meters)

Frosty conditions with low temperatures 30 to 32 F (-1.1 to 0 C) above 6,000 ft. (1,829 meters)

A chance of frost above 5,500 ft. (1,676 meters)

I have not worked out the high temperature range yet, maybe this evening.

If this forecast pans out, fall colors at the higher elevations should start to appear.

I can also grade myself on Friday and see how I did. Fun! 

[Hoy]

Interesting to hear whether your weather forecast turned out correctly!
Here we say the best forecast is the weather tomorrow will be like today. Then you are right more than 50%!

We will have rain the next few days.
May, June and July were very warm and dry, August was slightly warmer but very much wetter than normal! September looks the same as August so far.