Another beautiful day in the Santa Monica Mountains.
BB12
Tag: wildflowers
Sisyrinchium bellum
Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum) is a perennial herb in the iris family, native to Oregon, California and parts of Baja California. It’s usually found in open places where there is some moisture, particularly grassy areas. It can also be found in woodlands and at altitudes up to 2,400m. It produces its pretty blue/purple flowers in spring and summer, peaking in April.
The Ohlone used an infusion of the roots and leaves as a cure for indigestion and stomach pain, and similar uses are recorded from other Native American peoples. It’s nice to see it blooming out on the trails now.
Nicholas Flat
Vic’s sister and brother-in-law are visiting from Australia, so we took a leisurely hike to introduce them to the SM Mountains. It was lovely to meet them; I hope that we can meet up again next time I’m Downunder.
Solidago velutina
It was fun to nature journal this plant at Charmlee Wilderness Park; it was alone beside the trail, with no siblings in sight. I didn’t know what it was called till I saw Suzanne later and she identified it from my sketch.
California Goldenrod (Solidago velutina ssp. californica) has a basal rosette of leaves that are still present at flowering time. The leaves get progressively smaller higher up on the stem. Each leaf has three prominent veins running from the base to near the tip. One plant can produce as many as 500 small yellow flower heads in a large, branching array at the top of the plant. The flowers remind me of goldenbush, and in fact both plants are in the Asteraceae family.
Paeonia californica
Easy part of the Backbone Trail. Glad to see the native peonies emerging!
Paeonia californica, a perennial herbaceous plant reaching a height of 35–70 cm, undergoes subterranean retreat during the summer and reemerges with the onset of winter rains. Its flowering period primarily spans from January to March, followed by the development of two to five fruits per flower.
Indigenous to southwestern California and northern Baja California, California peonies thrive in dry hillsides within the coastal sage scrub and chaparral communities. Frequently found as understory plants, they grow up to an elevation of 1500 m.
Deinandra minthornii
I went on a Geology field trip with the California Native Plant Society. Besides learning a lot about our local rock formations, I was introduced to a federally endangered plant that I would have walked right past if I hadn’t been with native plant geeks. We have LOTS of tarweed growing in our mountains, but it’s the common annual type, Deinandra fasciculata. This one is a perennial woody shrub. Happy to have met it!
phantom trail
We hiked a new-to-us trail in Malibu Creek State Park, steep and almost overgrown in parts. It’s unclear why it’s called Phantom, except perhaps that hardly anyone goes there? We didn’t encounter any ghosts, but we did see some out-of-season wildflowers in the wetter areas to the north of the ridge.
Sostomo->Deer Valley
Annette and I have hiked to Tropical Terrace in Solstice Canyon many (many) times. But today was our first foray up the Sostomo Trail and around the Deer Valley Loop. We have declared it our new favourite hike. The creek crossings are delightful and the views from the top make the climb worthwhile.
We saw a hedge nettle (Stachys bullata) blooming out of season. What’s up with the common name? This member of the mint family neither grows in a hedge nor stings like a nettle. 🤷🏻♀️
Erigon foliosus
There are quite a few plants in the Asteraceae family with the common name ‘fleabane’. It was once thought that these daisies would rid your house of fleas; this belief apparently now lives in the realm of ‘superstition.’
There aren’t many wildflowers around here at this time of year, so it’s even more enjoyable to see these delicate beauties. Erigeron foliosus is native to western North America from Oregon, through California, into Baja California. It can be found in many habitats, including chaparral, oak woodlands, and rocky talus.
Trichostema lanceolatum
I’ve really enjoyed seeing, and smelling, the vinegarweed that‘s now running riot at the State Park. This annual herb, a member of the mint family, is native to California, though it occurs in other parts of the western U.S. Its preferred habitats are coastal sage scrub, oak woodland, foothill woodland, and chaparral.
The volatile oils in its foliage have a strong vinegar odour, which grazing animals find unpalatable but I quite enjoy sniffing.
Vinegarweed is an important late summer pollen source for native bees and other insects. When a pollinating insect lands on the lower lobes of the corolla, and inserts its mouth parts into the nectar-containing section, the narrow corolla portion above is straightened and snaps rapidly downward brushing pollen onto the insect’s back. Nature never ceases to amaze.
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