Category Archives: Flora
Drosera anglica (English sundew)
Sundews are dimunitive, but deadly (at least if you are a small insect). Here is English sundew (Drosera anglica) as seen at Willow Lake. This species is considered rare in California and is easy to miss, standing just an inch … Continue reading
Filed under Botany Primer, Flora
Calochortus monophyllus (yellow star-tulip)
Blooming in the oak woodlands near Finley Lake, this showy yellow lily is hard to miss. There are many species of Calochortus in California, and they have a variety of descriptive common names. The broad, smooth tepals of some species … Continue reading
Letharia columbiana (American wolf lichen)
This bright lichen is a welcome sight across our monochrome winter woodscapes, and forms a chartreuse pelt on coniferous tree trunks. This is Letharia columbiana, or Western wolf lichen. On the subject of lichens, I have much to learn. I … Continue reading
Filed under Botany Primer, Flora
Torreya californica (California nutmeg)
On our brief walk to Deer Creek Falls from Highway 32, Torreya californica (California nutmeg) was abundant along the path. This short-statured conifer can attain heights of 60 feet, but most of my encounters in the Lassen foothills have been … Continue reading
Filed under Botany Primer, Flora
Chrysolepis sempervirens (bush chinquapin)
This species is a common shrub species in our area, and readily identified any time of year by taking a peek at the underside of its thick, leathery, evergreen leaves. The underside is golden with a dense, powdery mat of … Continue reading
Filed under Botany Primer, Flora
Vaccinium uliginosum (bog blueberry)
When we attained Hidden Lake #5 in the Caribou Wilderness, it was rimmed with two types of wild blueberry. This species, Vaccinium uliginosum, is like cultivated blueberries in that it prefers acidic soils. Most forest soils are slightly acidic, and … Continue reading
Filed under Flora
Ericameria nauseosa (rubber rabbitbrush)
Who says the wildflowers are finished? Rabbitbrush in full bloom right now, and is perhaps the cause of my minor allergic sniffles. Many species in this plant family (Asteraceae) are relatively late bloomers, and rabbitbrush is no exception. Its composite … Continue reading
Filed under Botany Primer, Flora
Festuca idahoensis (Idaho fescue)
On Wednesday I was out at Gray’s Valley, along Highway 44, to collect grass seed. Specifically, I was after a huge stand of Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis) that I had been checking vigilantly every week. Normally we harvest high-elevation grass … Continue reading
Filed under Flora
Sidalcea oregana (spiked checkerbloom)
Here is a common species along streams and in our mountain meadows. Sidalcea oregana certainly prefers wet habitats, but is not otherwise overly particular. Look for light to bright pink flowers that bloom first at the base of the inflorescence … Continue reading
Filed under Botany Primer, Flora
Lilium pardalinum (leopard lily)
Here’s one of my favorites — an audaciously showy lily that is always visual treat along seeps and streams. This photo is, I confess, not wholly recent. I snapped this nearly a month ago, on the same day that I … Continue reading
Filed under Botany Primer, Flora
