Saturday, August 28, 2010

Tomato Season

Cherry tomatoes
Vine Ripe tomatoes
at the farmer's market.
With the end of August comes tomato season across the United States. Here in California some of the most popular tomatoes are those cultivated without additional irrigation as the dry hot summer starts. Heirloom tomatoes are also very popular, along with the miniature Cherry or Grape style tomatoes.

Tomatoes are believed to originate in the highlands of Peru. They were under widespread cultivation as far north as Mexico by 500 BCE. The Spanish brought them to Europe and the Philippines in the late 15th or early 16th century. Due to their ease of culture they became a staple food in Asia and Europe.


Saturday, August 21, 2010

Castilleja and Triphysaria

A continual favorite photographic subject of mine are the Indian Paintbrushes and their allies. The names and families have been in a bit of flux over the last decade or so but now they are mostly known as Castilleja and Triphysaria in the Orobanchaceae.

The genus Castilleja has about 200 species with a center of distribution of western North America. We definitely have a lot here in the Bay Area. Almost every time I head out on a trail or down a back road there are anywhere from 1 to 4 species in bloom.

Here are some of my favorites:

Castilleja exserta, Panoche Road,
San Benito County, California
Castilleja kraliana, Bibb Glades,
Bibb County, Alabama
Triphysaria eriantha ssp. rosea,
Salt Point State Park, Sonoma County

Triphysaria eriantha ssp. rosea,
Salt Point State Park, Sonoma County
Castilleja tenuis, near Leland Meadow, 
off CA 108, Tuolomne County, California
Castilleja coccinea, near Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Castilleja foliolosa, off Brim Road, Colusa County

Castilleja affinis, Bean Hollow
State Beach, San Mateo County
Castilleja ambigua, Bean Hollow State Beach
San Mateo County
Castilleja attenuata, Bear Valley Road,
Colusa County



Friday, August 20, 2010

Hobbs State Park / Conservation Management Area, Northwest Arkansas

Camassia scilloides
Back in April of this year Brian and I spent a week in the Eureka Springs area of northwestern Arkansas. We're planning a relocation there the first half of next year some time. This is prime Ozarks territory and the countryside is verdant, lush and green.

I picked up a hiking book at the local megabookstore during our day trip to Fayetteville and thumbed through it for a day or so. There were a couple hikes that were close to Eureka Springs: Lake Leatherwood and Shaddox Hollow Loop in the Hobbs State Park / Conservation Management Area. I've already blogged about Lake Leatherwood.
Camassia scilloides

The drive from Eureka Springs over to Shaddox Hollow took me through rolling green hills dotted with houses, farms, and the occasional light industry. I see a flash of pale blue go by to my right, on the north side of the road. A few u-turns later on the sleepy road I find a safe place to pull over. I get out of the car and walk back a dozen yards or so to find a spectacular mass bloom of Camassia scilloides. This is only the second species of Camassia I've seen, but I really love them. The pale blue heads of flowers evoke blue fireworks going off over the grass. An added bonus - the hillside is in the shadow of the morning sun and dew droplets are everywhere.
Trillium viridescens
I was very pleasantly surprised to find a robust and healthy colony of Trillium viridescens in the ditch itself! They were a little wind and insect damaged but were otherwise in great shape, with almost all plants in bloom.

Once I enter Hobbs State Park, the farms and houses disappear and the forest comes almost up to the side of the road. Along the shoulder were miles of Viola pedata, one of the showiest Viola I've ever seen! Upon reaching Shaddox Hollow I check in on the clipboard at the trailhead and head out. I didn't stay long - the entire area had undergone a controlled burn 4 weeks earlier. Burns of this nature are an integral part of maintaining a healthy forest but you have to visit them the next season, not 4 weeks, to see what a positive effect they have. After about 20 minutes and realizing the burn covered the entire area I headed back to the car.

Viola pedata
Arisaema atrorubens
On the drive in, I'd noticed a few other trailheads so I stopped at one of them on the way back: Van Winkle Hollow. The main attraction here is a restored lumber mill and attendant examples of life in the area during the mid-19th century. More interesting to me was a short wildflower trail right off the parking area. The trail was a short loop around the creek in the hollow. I noticed a controlled burn had happened here, too, but stopped short about 15 yards from the water's edge. A full crop of wildflowers was in bloom!
 I was greeted by a bright yellow clump of Senecio aureus along the water's edge at the start of the trail. Drifts of Polemonium reptans and Collinsia verna were along both sides of the trail. Then I spot Arisaema atrorubens. It was stunning! A surprisingly large flower, almost 2 feet tall, it really lives up to the Jack-in-the-Pulpit common name. This was quickly followed by another spectacular find, the miniature crested iris, Iris cristata.

Collinsia verna
As I continued down the trail, there were Vitis vines here and there, surprisingly little Japanese honeysuckle, but it was present. The American Dogwood, Cornus florida, were almost finished blooming but every so often one would be in perfect condition. I started seeing large patches of Podophyllum peltatum along with Phlox divaricata.

Iris cristata
Taking a detour up to the edge of the floodplain and up the gently sloping hillside i find a huge colony of Adiantum pedatum. The newly emerging fronds were captivating. Other species I noticed were Ribes missouriense, Viola pubescens, Hydrophyllum virginianum, and lots of Delphinium. One of the last things on the trail was a large Platanus occidentalis with a hole in the base of the trunk. The tree was leaning a bit but otherwise seemed perfectly fine. Nature!

Here are some additional shots from the day:
Adiantum pedatum
Polemonium reptans

Podophyllum peltatum

Ribes missouriense

Cornus florida

Sunday, August 15, 2010

San Benito County Geophytes

Allium crispum
In mid-May I set off for a day of wildflowering south of San Francisco. My destination was Panoche Road, a few miles to the northeast of Pinnacles National Monument, in San Benito County. It was prime geophyte season and I was looking forward to seeing what species were in bloom.

Panoche Road is about 2.5 hours south of San Francisco, reached via Hollister, a sleepy agricultural town south of San Jose. The day started off with threatening clouds and scattered light rain. Funny thing that rain. We had rain almost every weekend in May, which is a little unusual compared to the recent 3-4 years. The road runs through large ranches with the greatest diversity of flowers found all along the roadsides in the hilly sections.

Bloomeria crocea
My first stop yielded Allium crispum, Delphinium spp., Collinsia heterophylla by the thousands, Lupinus microcarpus var. densiflorus in heavy patches right up against the road, Castilleja subinclausa, the stupendous Clarkia breweri, Triteleia laxa, Dichelostemma capitatum, and Lomatium spp.

The local land use was mainly ranching but the road was nestled in hills so the flora diversity remained high. I honestly didn't see many cattle. There were stupendous displays of Calochortus luteus and C. venustus going up rocky Quercus-studded hillsides, out of reach behind a fence and No Trespassing sign.

Clarkia breweri
As I continued south on Panoche Rd I continued seeing Calochortus luteus, heavy in some places, along with large populations of Eriogonum fasciculatum. There was a small area where scattered plants of Castilleja exserta grew, exhibiting a robustness and size of growth I'd never seen before in this species. Brodiaea were out and I even encountered the uncommon Bloomeria crocea, growing at the base of a single-lane roadcut. Around this point Clarkia unguiculata really started making a robust showing right alongside the road. For many miles there were scattered colonies of Calochortus venustus, some with many flowering individuals close togther. Other species encountered were Cirsium occidentale, Penstemon heterophyllus, Ephedra sp., Castilleja spp., Lupinus spp., Delphinium spp.

The rain ended my day a few hours earlier than I'd wanted. The drive back always seems to take less time than the drive down and before I realized it, 2.5 hours was past and I was back navigating city streets in San Francisco.


Brodiaea
Calochortus luteus
Collinsia heterophylla
Calochortus venustus
Lupinus microcarpus var. densiflorus
Clarkia unguiculata
Penstemon heterophyllus
Delphinium parryi ssp. parryi

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Bay Area Scenic Vistas

My botanical wanderings take me to some pretty spectacular open spaces and preserves. The floral diversity is delightfully large and the weather generally pleasant and enjoyable. What doesn't fully come through in my blog postings so far are the wonderful vistas and views these preserves provide. Most people I encounter in the park are there for the hike, to jog, or to enjoy the ever-changing scenic vistas while I'm heads-down at the plants growing trailside.

I've made an effort to get my head out of the flowers at my feet and into the amazing scenery all around. It's working.

Here is a brief visual journey where I skip from park to preserve to open space, all looking up and out, over the varied landscape of the Bay Area:

Bean Hollow State Beach, San Mateo County
Lake Sonoma, near Healdsburg, Sonoma County

Pt. Reyes National Seashore, Marin County


Pt. Reyes National Seashore, Marin County
San Bruno Mountain as seen from
Sweeney Ridge, San Mateo County
Golden Gate Bridge from Old St. Hilary's Botanical
Preserve, Marin County
Old St. Hilary's Church, Marin County
Golden Gate Bridge from The Presidio,
Golden Gate National Recreation Area,
San Francisco
Tiburon Peninsula as seen from Tank Hill Open
Space Preserve, San Francisco
Southern Marin County from Mt. Burdell Open
Space Preserve, Novato, Marin County
Tiburon, Belvedere, and San Francisco from
Ring Mountain Open Space Preserve, Marin County
Northwestern Contra Costa County and Suisun Bay,
Mt. Diablo State Park, Contra Costa County
Colma from San Bruno Mountain State Park