Plants in Bloom: January 29, 2009

Dick Newell, Tracker and Naturalist Extraordinaire, was kind enough to share the following information with me today:

Two more for your list of locals Jennifer. During our wildlife camera tour of Laguna yesterday we found Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum) in bloom in the grasslands and some California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) growing along the roadside.Blooms are starting to appear...

You can check out Dick Newell's site on tracking at http://www.octrackers.com/.

Fiddleneck in bloom at Willow

Going up Willow to Bommer, I came across some Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia (A. intermedia, Common Fiddleneck) in bloom. We can now add that to the list of flowers in bloom in Laguna Canyon.


The California Manroot is doing quite well, growing and forming its gourds (slowly but surely!). Compare below the two photos to see the progression of the manroot on Willow trail (first photo taken 29 December 2008, second photo taken today, 26 January 2009 - about a month has elapsed)...


There are also many milkmaids on Willow, on the shady slopes facing north...


Lastly, the Lemonade Berry trees are flowering more and more on Willow, although it's taking some time, especially on those shady slopes.


Hope to see you on the trails! ~ Jennifer W.

Milkmaids (Cardamine californica) are in bloom at Aliso and Wood Canyon

Walking along Wood Creek Trail yesterday, 18 January 2009, we came across some beautiful Milkmaids in bloom... however, as we had forgotten our cameras, we decided to return today, 19 January 2009 to give them their 15 minutes of fame online.

CLICK HERE to view the Milkmaids in NIOC's Photo Albums.

Also of particular interest were the various mushrooms scattered about here and there. Below we're including a few of them, along with a quick shot of a milkmaid for those so eager to see them, at last, in bloom.

CLICK HERE to view the entire mushroom photo album in NIOC's Photo Albums.

Gooseberry Beauty & Lemonade Berry Delight

Out on Little Sycamore Trail this morning (in the 83 degree weather - at 10 AM!) we came across a beautiful Lemonade Berry in bloom, as well as some beautiful Gooseberry flowers. Both can be seen below.
The California Manroot plants continue to grow, the flowers and leaves are becoming bigger.
We also came across some non-native shortpod mustard in bloom.
There were still many Twiggy Wreath Plant flowers to be seen scattered in the hills, along the trail.
Conclusion: Keep your eyes open for any new flowers in the canyon! :)

Fuschia-Flowered Gooseberry is in bloom

Today I was able to spot a flowering Gooseberry on Willow - here's a few photos, enjoy! (Note the dried up California Manroot / Cucumber plant stems).

It was an exceptionally beautiful day out in the canyon today... :)

More soon!

Plants in Bloom at Laurel

This morning, a bunch of us plant lovers hiked Lower Laurel in search of beauty and wonder... and were not disappointed!

Here is a short list of plants in bloom that we saw today:

- Shortpod mustard
- California Buckwheat
- Coyote bush (nearing the end)
- CA fuchsia colored Gooseberry (the very beginnings!)
- Cudweed aster
- Twiggy wreath plant (nearing its end)
- Deerweed (somewhat early for this plant)

Another great highlight of the day was finding out that two extremely rude mountain bikers who pushed their way illegally through us on Lower Laurel were both ticketed at Post 10 by our fantastic ranger. Here's three cheers for justice!

More soon! Happy New Year!