Plants in Bloom Update

Out at the Willow Staging Area this morning, California Wild Rose was in full bloom. Right as you're heading towards Willow Trail from the sign-in table, behind the left large Mexican Elderberry, there is a giant bush of California Wild Rose. Check the roses out before it's too late! (Click here for a short little video clip taken today)



On Little Sycamore Trail this afternoon, the bees were joyfully collecting pollen in every flower they could find - they especially were loving the black sage flowers and the Prickly Pear Cactus flowers.




One of the most delightful surprises was the heart-leaved penstamon in bloom on Little Sycamore Trail today:



Of course, for someone who hasn't seen Lance-Leaved Dudleya in bloom before, this is a special treat! Also found on Little Sycamore trail this afternoon:



The harvester ants were hard at work on Little Sycamore trail today. Here's one carrying a dried-up common fiddleneck flower:


Special Thanks go to Len Gardner for identifying these flowers for me, also found on Little Sycamore Trail:

First, Sapphire Woolly Star (Eriastrum sapphirinum):



And then, Southern Rosinweed (aka "three spot") - Osmadenia tenella:


To wrap it up, here is Len's report of what he found today at Laurel Canyon:

I walked the LC Trail up to SP (signpost) 10 and then returned the same way.

Lance-leaf Dudleya is prime right now. Don't miss it! I looked at the plant that grows on the uphill side of the trail about 15 feet before you get to interpretive signpost "C." This is very early in the hike, while still close to the road and parking lot and before walking over the little spur ridge with the earthquake fault on its north side. The basal leaves have already dried up. After flowering and setting seed, which it will do in the next couple of weeks, the whole plant will dry up and go dormant until next winter.

At the very upper end of the trail, about 80 feet before you reach SP 10, Hedge Nettle is growing among the non-native grasses. It is obviously a member of the mint family and, at first, I thought it was a Salvia that I didn't know. After consulting Fred Roberts checklist and several other books and plant lists, I'm convinced it's a Hedge Nettle (Stachys sp.). Which one is a little hard to say.

The most likely is Stachys rigida. It could be either of two subspecies, S. rigida ssp. quercetorum (Hillside Hedge Nettle) or S. rigida ssp rigida (Rigid Hedge Nettle). Adding to the confusion, Jepson puts these two under Stachys ajugoides ssp rigida. The modest flowers are white with little purple dots and squiggles on the prominent lower lip. The upper petals have purple-pink on their backsides.

At the lower end of the trail, near the grandmother oak, the non-native Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is in full blossom. It's copious flowers are hanging down luxuriantly right now.

At the first creek crossing, the California False Indigo is in full bloom with its decidedly underwhelming flowers in lax spikes. More noticeable than the blossoms is the plant's skunky smell, which is strangely pleasant (if you like skunk). Another False Indigo is found growing by the trail a short ways beyond the waterfall.

Other plants in full bloom today include: Common Horehound, Black Sage, Sticky Monkey Flower, Chinese Houses, California Wild Rose, Mexican Elderberry, California Blackberry, Vervain, Golden Yarrow, Blue-eyed Grass, Fringed Indian Pink, Golden Stars and the obnoxious Italian Thistle.

Sticky Cinquefoil is mostly past flowering, but some are still are showing good blossoms. So too for the Narrow-leaved Bedstraw. It's mostly in seed, but some late ones are still in flower.

The Heart-leaved Bush Penstemon is not in flower yet. A few plants were in bud, though. I'd give that one another couple of weeks. The non-native English Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) has its stalks up. Buds only, no flowers yet.

If you have observations that you'd like to share with us here on the blog, please email me at info@natureinorangecounty.com . Thank you!