Abbott's Lagoon

One of my favorite botanizing spots is Abbott's Lagoon at Point Reyes National Seashore. The terrain is haunting and windswept. The dunes and adjacent scrub covered hills are home to a spectacular array of coastal wildflowers.

San Francisco, particularly the western half of the City, consisted of this ecosystem before the arrival of Europeans. I enjoy looking out over the lagoon and imagining how San Francisco used to appear. Lake Merced, in the southwestern corner of San Francisco, used to be a coastal lagoon similar to Abbott's Lagoon.

Here are some of my favorite images from Abbott's Lagoon:

Grindelia hirsutula var. maritima

Cirsium quercetorum

Chorizanthe cuspidata

Dudleya farinosa

Camissonia cheiranthifolia

Anaphalis margaritacea

Symphyotrichum chilense

Silene scouleri var. scouleri

Monardella undulata var. undulata

Cirsium occidentale var. occidentale

Gentiana affinis var. ovata

Coastal Dunes, Abbott's Lagoon

Plagiobothrys reticulatus var. rossianorum