2018 - Robert's botantical adventures in Northern California

[Robert]

Hi Trond,

I certainly hope you enjoy your time at your cabin.

Even I have to admit that the wildflowers are nice this year. Both the garden as well as in the wild, the plants are looking nice. I will be up on Peavine Ridge tomorrow morning. If I have a bit of time, I will take some photographs of the wildflowers. The spring season is starting at this elevation. Next week I will go higher and see what is going on. It is a bit early, but it is always enjoyable for me to be in the high Sierra Nevada.

[Robert]

Testing out the new iPad.

This photograph is from Peavine Ridge, 7:00 am this morning, 11 May.

It is a bit chilly this morning, 40 F, with a cold north wind.

Now I can poke around and see what might be blooming.

[Maggi Young]

Astonishing the quality of pictures  which can be had from these machines! 

 edit to add: the previous photo was loaded to the forum by Robert direct from his i-pad - no resizing needed - showing the ease of use for the  photo loading system to the forum!!

[Gerdk]

As I worked my way through the canyon, Bush Poppy, Dendromecon rigida, was blooming on the hot, dry, rocky exposures that this species enjoys.
(Attachment Link)
The large bright yellow flowers are very showy. This is another species that is rarely cultivated. The growth is often long and willowy and the foliage is a very attractive glaucous gray.

Robert,
Please have a look at this  Bush Poppy - Dendromecon harfordii - the species /subspecies from the Channel Islands (ex SRGC seeds!!! sown January 2017) - not as showy as your plants - but I hope there is a chance it will become better even in cultivation.
Gerd

[Robert]

Hi Gerd,

Your Bush Poppy looks excellent considering it is in a relatively small container and it is young. In the wild Bush Poppy will grow fairly tall, 1-2 meter high, often even taller. Is there a possibility of growing it in a large tub? I grow many California native species in large containers. I under plant tall leggy species like Dendromecon with other xeric species. It works well for me and there is always the possibility it might work in your gardening scheme.

Anyway, your Dendromecon looks great so far.

Yesterday, I was on Peavine Ridge. Viola purpurea ssp. integrifolia was still in bloom, but many had already gone over. There are other subspecies of Viola purpurea at other sites along the crest of Peavine Ridge. I missed the bloom of the high elevation forms of Viola sheltonii, but they have set seed. They grow very close to one of my remote, high elevation meteorological sites. I have very detailed data on climate, geology, etc. Maybe this information will help us succeed in growing many of these superb little gems. 



I was on Peavine Ridge yesterday and had an opportunity to check a number of sites along the crest of the ridge. Spring is arriving and many species are blooming. I will share the photographs as I can. In addition, now that I can see how the season is progressing Thursday's outing will be to much higher terrain in the Crystal Range. Thunderstorm activity is forecast. This could make this outing extremely interesting.

[Hoy]

Robert,

I am looking forward to the Peavine Ridge report!

[Robert]

Currently, I am on Peavine Rigde (5,146 ft) ready for a full day of field botany. Last week’s report from Peavine RIdge will get piggy backed with the report from today.

The weather is beautiful today. Currently: Partly Cloudy, 42 F, Relative Humidity 92%, Dew Point 40 F, Wind North 1, 24 hr precipitation total 0.08 inches. There was wide spread thunderstorm activity yesterday, excluding the Sacramento area. We will see what today brings.

Photograph: Calochortus minimus The camera on the iPad is much better than I originally thought! I still need much practice.

Now off to higher terrain. 

[Robert]

On 11 May, I had the opportunity to spend a few hours on Peavine Ridge observing the native flora. The timing was perfect, as many of the early blooming species had commenced blooming or were still blooming.



The flora on Peavine Ridge is extremely interesting and diverse. For 150 years human activity has impacted the flora on the ridge, sometimes in very pronounced ways. Eriogonum prattenianum var. prattenianum is one of a number of unusual species that continues to find a home on the ridge.



Allium obtusum var. conspicuum has a noticeable affinity to the Tertiary Mehrten formation andesite found throughout this part of California. I generally find the white flowering Allium obtusum var. obtusum growing on granodiorite at higher elevations.



At one stop Castilleja applegatei ssp. pinetorum was well into bloom.



The early blooming Lewisia triphylla is almost always found growing in seasonally moist sites. I often see them blooming in snowmelt or near running water. During the summer the same site will be bone dry, completely parched. At this time the plants are safely dormant resting as small bulbs under the ground.

[Robert]

Primula (Dodecatheon) hendersonii blooms extremely early in the season on Peavine Ridge. On this day, many had already gone over. Peavine Ridge is near the high elevation limit for this species.



The tiny white flowered Calochortus minimus is generally found growing in partly shaded locations on Peavine Ridge. Peavine Ridge is near the low elevation limit for this species.



Most of the Calochortus minimus in this area have nearly pure white flowers. At other sites at higher elevation, there can be considerable variation in the flower color. Plants with white flowers are seen with various markings and shadings of lavender (hard for me to exactly describe this color shade).



Mats of Ceanothus prostratus were in full bloom. This species is almost always found growing in areas with high open shade.



Ceanothus prostratus ranges in color from very pale lavender through shade of lavender-blue, to very deep rich shades of lavender-blue. Deep lavender-blue forms of Ceanothus prostratus are not common, but can be found. They are extremely attractive.

[Robert]

White Leaf Manzanita, Arctostaphylos viscida ssp. viscida is the last Manzanita species to bloom on this portion of the ridge. The extended blooming period provides our native hummingbirds with a source of nectar until other species they enjoy come into bloom.



I always have a devil-of-a-time photographing Fritillaria micrantha. The tiny little bells are quite charming and need to be appreciated as long as they last. The native Mule Deer like them too, and the flowering tops are frequently eaten off. Only a few had started to bloom at this time.



Lilium washingtonianum ssp. washingtonianum blooms much later in the season. The white, clove scented flowers are divine. It is an extremely difficult species to cultivate, but worth the effort if cultivation can be mastered.



Viola purpurea ssp. integrifolia was still blooming. They, too, start blooming very early in the season. Viola sheltonii, which also grows on Peavine Ridge, blooms even earlier in the season. I am familiar with a number of colonies along the ridge. All of them had finished blooming and were well on their way to producing ripe seed. Several other Viola species also grow on Peavine Ridge.



The annual Harlequin Lupine, Lupinus stiversii, was just starting into bloom.

[Hoy]

Many interesting plants as usual!

I have tried a few Ceanothus species but none has survived more than a year or two. Had been interesting to see them in the wild!

[hamparstum]

Robert,
    at present I'm growing a little batch of C.pumilus seedlings ( which I understand also grows in your general area). I'm particularly interested in the prostrate Ceanothus, since they provide good ground cover in very dry summer conditions like mine. Have you cultivated any?
    Your perennial Violas ( sheltonii and purpurea) are also of great interest . Have you tried to cultivate them? I've read about V. beckwithii which is stunning. Does it grow there?
    Thank you,
    Arturo

[Robert]

Many interesting plants as usual!

I have tried a few Ceanothus species but none has survived more than a year or two. Had been interesting to see them in the wild!

Trond,

In general, Ceanothus species are very sensitive to excessive summer moisture. Some species can even be challenging to cultivate here in California. With some species, cold hardiness can also be an issue.

[Robert]

Robert,
    at present I'm growing a little batch of C.pumilus seedlings ( which I understand also grows in your general area). I'm particularly interested in the prostrate Ceanothus, since they provide good ground cover in very dry summer conditions like mine. Have you cultivated any?
    Your perennial Violas ( sheltonii and purpurea) are also of great interest . Have you tried to cultivate them? I've read about V. beckwithii which is stunning. Does it grow there?
    Thank you,
    Arturo

Arturo,

Web sites such as Calflora list Ceanothus pumilus as growing in our area. I have investigated this. At all the sites I have visited the plants have turned out to be Ceanothus roderickii. I doubt that Ceanothus pumilus grows in our area. It is native to the northwestern part of California.

I grow a number of Ceanothus species in our Sacramento garden. There are a number of Ceanothus hybrids available in the nursery trade in California. I do not grow any of them. I grow the difficult to grow species and species that are not cultivated. Ceanothus prostratus is very difficult to cultivate. I have made several selections and grow them in our Sacramento garden. I also grow Ceanothus tomentosus as well as a few other species.

Our Californnia native Viola species are extremely beautiful. Most are difficult to cultivate. Currently I am putting considerable energy into cultivating them. It is a long term project. I am having some preliminary success, however there is still much work to do. Currently, I do not cultivate Viola beckwithii. It can be found in parts of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in our area. Right now I am concentrating my efforts on the other species in our immediate area. There are many species and they are extremely fascinating to study.

[Robert]

I was up on Peavine Ridge yesterday. Many Viola species can be found growing along the length of the ridge in various habitats. In addition, I spent all day at Gerle Creek and the Van Vleck area on Thursday. I will be reporting on this outing shortly. Currently, I am working on a flora/natural history for the Gerle Creek Summer Home Tract Association. Biologist are also working on the restoration of the meadows in the vicinity Francis Cow Camp (part of the Gerle Creek region). All of this and more is keeping me very busy and in close contact with the local Viola species. I have a number of nice photographs of the Viola species growing and blooming in the Gerle Creek area. The photographs will be incorporated in my up coming report on the Gerle Creek area.



Storm clouds building over the Crystal Range, yesterday 21 May. I am getting involved in the mPING weather reporting system. Important data needs to be gathered in little reported regions such as the high elevation portions of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I,m in the perfect position to help out in this regard.



Another view from Peavine Ridge.



Lupinus grayi is now blooming along the lower portions of Peavine Ridge.



Mimulus bicolor growing on ancient andesite lahars.



Triteleia ixioides ssp. unifolia also on andesite. This is one of three subspecies of Triteleia ixioides that grow in our area. Not only does it have only one leaf, but the plant has a very compact growth habit that is very different from the other subspecies.