Poppies, part 1

The California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) is kind of California's flower mascot. It's an iconic image: wide golden California poppies nodding in the foreground on a grassy bluff over-looking the rocky coast and crashing waves.

Poppies are so obvious this time of year. They're not only stunningly beautiful, but they seem to be able to grow anywhere. In the gravel the side of the road, on the dirt built up on an old train trestle, through the cracks in the sidewalk. As long as there is sun, they thive. The petals come in shades of yellow to deep orange. I've even seen a plant with white flowers this year (in Sonoma co.).

As the state flower, they're protected, so you're not meant to pick them in the wild! (In fact picking native wildflowers is something I tend to avoid in general.) Cultivated varieties are available for the garden.

The first two photos taken on April 27, outside the historic Ukiah depot building. The last two on April 1 in front of the Mousse Cafe in Mendocino.

Indian Warrior

I see these flowers growing in patches by the side of the road, especially in the Pygmy forest. With sun-bronzed feathery leaves and deep red flowers, these patches are conspicuous mats of color amidst the gravel and grass.

Indan warrior (Pedicularis densiflora) are found all over the western states. They're root parasites (they can link up with other plants' roots to "borrow" nutrients and water) that specialize in shrubs in the heath family (Ericaceae - i.e. huckleberry, salal, manzanita), though they can also survive without using that technique.

As far as classification goes, it seems to be in transition. I'd always thought of these plants as being in the figwort family (Scrophulariaceae). But now the genus Pedicularis (AKA lousewort) has been moved, along with Castilleja (paintbrush), to the broomrape family (Orobanchaceae), a family of fellow root parasites.

The leaves of the plants growing in the shade remain green. The ones below are growing in the shade of huckleberry bushes.

And then there's this: Click here

These photos taken on April 23, on Rd. 409 near Caspar, Ca.

The Trillium Trilogy...epilogue

Might as well rename this blog to "Trillium and Friends." I can't seem to stop finding Trillium that I want to photograph and share. Each one changes its color in its own style.

These photos were taken on April 23 in Jackson Demonstration State Forest, on Rd. 409.

One of these things is not like the others...

Here it is, folks, evolution in action! This one violet showed off a mutation, or maybe just a rarely expressed trait, of white and yellow splotchy petals. That's how garden varieties are created - one little natural variation amplified by breeding. It's fun to see such a variation in nature, especially in a species that normally sports a multitude of remarkably identical flowers. Just goes to show, even the flowers you see every day can be interesting all over again.

These photos taken on April 16 in Little River, Ca.

Trillium Revisited, Again

Just another shot of trillium flowers doing their turning pink thing.

April 16

Delphinium

It doesn't get bluer than this. Delphinium (Larkspur) is a toxic and beautiful genus that comes in many colors, but this is my favorite. They're captivating, ay? I couldn't pass this up, though it was growing on a steep grassy slope by the highway (near Wages creek north of Westport) that had no shoulder. Had to perch on the slope to get the photo and stay clear of traffic. The way I was angled, I guess it looked like I was photographing passing motorists, because a lady slowed down and whined out the window, "what the hell are you taking pictures of?!" "The flower," I pointed. "Oh," she said, seeming relieved. And off she went.

Delphinium decorum? April 5.

Trillium Goes Pink

I already covered Trillium a few weeks ago, but I can't help taking more pics, now that they're changing color. They start out porcelain white and gradually become pink, then almost purple as they senesce. It's a beautiful way to age.

These photos taken in Jackson Demonstration State Forest in Fort Bragg on April 10.

And now for your moment of Zen...

Illegal trash dumping is rampant on public lands. Yuck! The discarded child's toys are the eeriest of the dejected items. However, simply place mauled teddy bear beside a blooming trillium, and voila! A lovely still life!

Calypso Orchids

Calypso orchids, or fairyslippers, (Calypso bulbosa) are the most commonly seen Orchid around here. I saw a patch of about 100 of them along Little River Airport road, in a shady, mossy spot - the most I've seen in one area.

Orchidaceae is the plant family second in line for highest number of species (next to Asteraceae), and its species are found all over the world. The orchid family is most diverse in the tropics, where around 1/3 the world's species live. Here in this county we've got a pretty good couple o' handfuls, with about 2 dozen species. Six of the of those are rare species. Be conscious that calypso orchids, though not uncommon, are not capable of handling much disturbance, so they should be treated as though they were. Although the tuber like corms underground are said to be edible, its not advised they be foraged upon since it doesn't do the plant populations any good to root around in their substrate. And I've read they don't transplant well either.

These orchids are bent over backward to orient their one large modified petal (labellum) downward, as a platform for pollinators. Having one modified petal is characteristic of the Orchid family. And the sepals are petal look-alikes, making the flowers even more conspicuous.

Also characteristic of Orchids is their specialized relationships with their pollinators. Calypso orchids are pollinated by queen bumblebees. The insect is lured into exploring the flower by the hairs at the opening to the flower that look like anthers, and the forked structures that resemble nectaries. But they're deceived, as no nectar is produced by this flower.

These photos are from April 2.

PS: on the same day, I saw what could be the first rhododendron blooms. In the pygmy forest along Little River airport Road, the whole forest goes pink by Mid-may, but at the moment they're still bare - except for this one little bush with one inflorescence hiding behind the fence at the County Airport.

Evergreen violet

Evergreen violets (Viola sempervirens) are numerous in the woods these days, in the redwoods as well as the bishop pines, and edges of the pygmy forest. They're small flowers - not much larger than a nickel.

Violets are edible and are high in vitamins C and A. Fresh blooms are nice to garnish a salad. Violets can also be candied and used as a cake decoration but I don't know if this is a particularly palatable species...I haven't tried it yet.

Compare the evergreen violets above to the stream violet (Viola glabella) to the right. The evergreen violet's leaves are much smaller (no larger than the flowers usually), and a bit leathery.

V. sempervirens photos taken April 2, near the Little River Airport.

Non-native spotlight: Rosy Sandcrocus

I'd never seen one of these little flowers before - a rosy sandcrocus (Romulea rosea). It was blooming by the road next to the Little River Airport. I was on my bike and almost missed it because it's very small and stealthy. It was worth a stop for a closer look. It reminded me a little of blue-eyed grass, or a brodiaea lily. Turns out the first is close-ish - at least they're in the same family - the Iris family.

Rosy sandcrocus isn't a California native. It evolved in South Africa, was cultivated as an ornamental, and has become naturalized in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and California. I think they're only just becoming recognized as naturalized here, or perhaps they're rare, as I don't find them in wildflower guides.

I'm mostly passing over including non-native plants in this blog, but that's just my prejudice against the invasive ones. There are some very pretty, more benign introduced plants, and introduced plants are big presence in our wild flora. California has a welcoming Mediterranean climate that many plants brought from similar places around the world (South Africa, Southwestern Australia, parts of Chile, and of course the Mediterranean itself) have made themselves at home here.

Photos taken April 2.

More White Flowers...

White is a popular hue for flowers. It's the thickest part of the Peterson's guides, which are arranged by color. I guess it does a good job of attracting a wide variety of pollinators - beetles, flies, moths. But it's getting tiresome, so I promise some color after these!

Here we have California wild cuccumbers (Marah fabaceous), one of about 5 species in the Pacific State. Coast wild cuccumber (M. oreganus) is almost identical, but the fruits look different. These plants are viney and sprawly, with tendril ringlets galore and pretty little star-shaped flowers. Don't get any ideas about putting the wild cuccumber fruits on your salad. The little round "melons" are golf-ball-sized and covered with spikes. Let the spikes be fair warning, they're disgustingly bitter. Mara, I've learned, is hebrew for bitter. But, on the plus side, the large seeds inside are smooth and pretty. Marah are also known as "manroot" because their tuberous roots reach enormous proportions (up to 100kg!) and have thick limb-like sections that can be imagined into the shape of a human. These plants have numerous medicinal and practical uses employed by native americans - too numerous to get into here. But like most medicinal plants, they can be toxic. Research well before preparing your owl natural remedies!

And this...? Those 4-petaled flowers and long skinny seed pods (siliques) say Brassicaeae (mustard family) to me, and it looks a lot like Cardamine californica, but it looks so different, too, outsdide of the shade of the redwoods. This was in a swampy section near some willows at Spring Ranch. I'm not sure on this one yet. I'll have to go back to have a closer look.

Photos from March 29.

Elderberry

Elderberry...reminds me of a couple movies; there's the scene in Arsenic and Old Lace where the two crazy aunts are trying to get the old man to drink the elderberry wine - "elderberry wine? Why, I haven't had elderberry wine since I was a boy!" And of course, there are the insult-hurling french guards from The Holy Grail ("...and your father smelt of elderberries!") But seriously, elderberries have a place in cultural heritage for their use in cordials, preserves, medicine, and wine.

Anyway, red elderberry - Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa (formerly S. Callicarpus) is the elderberry species native to our region. Last I heard, Elderberry were in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae), but rumor has it genetic information has put it into the Axodaceae family.

Here's a fairly large, sprawling elderberry bush in Rockport.

That guy cruising down Highway 1 was doing some serious trekking - with all his belongings in one of those fancy baby-strollers. He seemed intent on making it to Westport that evening - and it was already 4:30 in the evening. "La Naturaleza, " he commented, as he passed me taking a photo, and then proceeded to inquire if there was a restaurant in Westport and if there was any thing sooner...10 miles on foot to the next meal. That's earning one's dinner.

PS: The Trillium petals are just beginning to turn pink.