Peak Experience

Field trip with the OC California Native Plant Society: plant nerd heaven!  On Sunday I went to Elsinore Peak with 22 other plant nuts and one agreeable toddler.  We were shepherded by the intrepid Ron Vanderhoff on a gentle ramble, slowed considerably by the need for all to inspect each rare sprout.  

Mountain Chapparal on Elsinore Peak.
Black Sage (Salvia mellifera) in front, Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) behind, and mountains to the south.

The clay-soiled meadow at Elsinore is home to exotic bulbs such as Chocolate Lily (Frittilaria biflora).  It is also threatened by illegal off-road vehicles and the very invasive Yellow Star Thistle.  Profuse thanks to Back to Natives volunteers who have been hand-pulling thistles.  They will either be eradicated or take over; those plants do not share.

Chocolate Lily

As each new plant was sighted, a spirited consultation might ensue until the detailed identity of the subject was assured.  "This is Ranunculus occidentalis, not californicus, which we usually see by the coast.  Californicus has 10 or 12 leaves, while occidentalis has five."  How about that?  I planted occidentalis labeled californicus; the botanical garden which shall remain nameless can't count.

These mystery Buttercups can't count either.
Plants with extra-petaled flowers were in a stand of 5 and 6 petaled Ranunculus occidentals.  Doubled?  Hybrid?

While the hard core botanists were getting excited over unusual plants that were not yet in full bloom or not very showy, I was getting reacquainted with old friends. Mariposa Lilies, for instance.

Splendid Mariposa Lily (Calochortus splendens).  I think all Mariposa Lilies are splendid.

And Manzanitas.  The two native to our area are Bigberry (Arctostaphylos glauca) and Eastwood (Arctostaphylos glandulosa).  The leaves  of the two look similar, but Eastwood can grow back from its roots after a fire, while Bigberry's strategy for survival is... to produce lots of berries.

Bigberry Manzanita: characteristic deep red bark and some berries left.  It flowered in January or so. This specimen was about thirty feet tall!.

I did meet some new friends too.  Look at the odd seed pods on this one.

Wing-fruit (Lomatium dasycarpum)

In my as-yet unfruitful quest for a grape soda lupine, I met this near relative.

Southern Mountain Lupine (Lupins excubitus var. austromontanus)
looks just like Grape Soda Lupine, but doesn't smell. Darn.

And I tasted a most delicious Red-Skinned Onion:  milder than your store-bought yellow onion, and the greens were tasty too.  If you find seeds, let me know!

Allium haematochiton.  Yum!

From Elsinore, we went on to a couple other sites; I will show you what we found there later.

As I sat sorting through my photos the evening of the hike, my heart soared.  I felt like the richest person in the world, to have seen such treasures with new friends who know them so well.  These words came to mind.

What does it mean that the earth is so beautiful, and what shall I do about it? What is the gift that I should bring to the world? What is the life that I should live? (Mary Oliver)

Yucca stand out against the sky like an exclamation point.

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