2015 - Robert's adventures in the Northern Sierra Nevada - California

[Robert]

The east side of the Sierra Nevada is very dry, thus the "forest" trees are generally widely spaced due to the lack of precipitation.



This day was a good introduction to the many species of Rabbitbrush that grow on the "east side". At my second stop, 6,088 feet (1,856 meters), I found Yellow Rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus.



Curl-leaf Mountain Mahogany, Cercocarpus ledifolius, is another dominant shrub in this region. Although looking quite different, this species reminds me of Manzanita, Arctostaphylos, one of the dominate species on the west side of the Sierra Nevada. Cerocarpus is a large shrub with a dramatic twisted trunk on the oldest shrubs.



Western Thistle, Cirsium occidentalis, grew here and there among the dry grasses and small shrubs such as the Penstemon relative, Keckiella breviflora.



This species is extremely variable. Some forms are thickly covered with silvery-white cobwebby hairs. One has to look closely to see the cobwebby hairs on these.

[Robert]

As I moved higher toward the pass, the burned area ended and there I could see the dominate Pinyon Pine Forest, Pinus monphylla.



As the name implies, Pinus monophylla, is a single-needled pine.



Many grow like giant shrubs with branches and foliage from the ground level upward. A few become single trunked small trees. They never grow large as most of our other pines species do.



Tobacco Brush, Ceanothus velutinus, was one of the species that stump sprouted well after the fire.



This species is easily distinguished by the three prominent veins on each leaf.

[Robert]

My 4th stop was at 7,448 feet (2,270 meters). Here fingers of the fire had advance into this higher terrain. In this open country there were many good views of the higher peaks to the west.



This open rolling valley was a good place to walk through the scrub to see what I might find. Although many of the herbaceous plants were dried and brown there are still many clues as to what grew here earlier in the season. I was hoping to find dried stems of Calochortus bruneanis, however I did not find any this day.



I did find drying stems and leaves of Eriogonum elatum. This species has white flowers somewhat similar to those of E. nudum. The rest of the plant is very different with very hairy somewhat elliptic leaves.



At this elevation Juniperus osteosperma started to appear.



This species is a stout, small growing shrubby tree.

[Robert]

My last stop before the pass was at 8,040 feet (2,451 meters). Here I found Prickly Poppy, Argemone munita, in full bloom. What a fantastic plant! Its huge white flowers are every bit as spectacular as those of Matilija Poppy, Romneya coulteri. Although annual, or a short lived perennial in the garden, it has very attractive silvery-gray thistle-like foliage and none of the invasive problems of Matilija Poppy.



I was very surprised to find so many of the common annuals of the western slope of the Sierra Nevada in this east side environment. Here I found the beautiful annual Sidalcea hartwegii. Some of the other west side annuals I saw this day were Grindelia (Gumweed, and blooming everywhere), and Madia glomerata.



A great find was the rare Sidalcea multifida. Its highly dissected foliage is very distinct. It was such a windy day. Photography was very difficult.



Another good find was this population of Monardella odoratissima. Generally var. pallida is found at the higher elevations, however all of the plants in this area had good purplish flowers. I thought that it might be some other species, however I did check the foliage with a hand lens to confirm its identity.



Now onward to Moniter Pass, 8,314 feet (2,534). There is a beautiful Aspen grove (Populus tremuliodes) at the summit. It is quite the sight in the autumn when the leaves turn brilliant golden yellow.

To be continued......

[Robert]

MONITOR PASS  PART II

From Monitor Pass I continued down the east side of the mountain toward Antelope Valley. At 7,923 feet (2,415 meters) I started the steep descent off the mountain.



High on the mountainside there were good views of Antelope Valley and the Walker River far below.



The road descends to the south towards Slinkard Valley and the Slinkard Creek drainage.



At 6,712 feet (2,046 meters) I stopped at an interesting looking canyon on one of the branches of Slinkard Creek. This area had a tremendous mix of vegetation. In the shady areas along the creek were stands of large trees; Quaking Aspen, Populus tremuloides, Black Cottonwood, Populus trichocarpa, and White Fir, Abies concolor.



On the dry sunny slopes grew thick stands of Pinyon Pine, Pinus monophylla.

[Robert]

This turned out to be an excellent place to stop and explore on foot.

On the south facing slopes of the Pinyon forest grew an eclectic variety of species. There were silvery mats of Eriogonum wrightii var. subscaposum.



This late blooming Buckwheat is commonly found at the higher elevations on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada. I was a bit surprised to find them growing in this habitat.



Among the Pinyon Pines there were rosettes of an unknown Cirsium species. I did find blooming plants of Cirsium occidentalis in this area, however this plant may have been a different species as it looked very different from C. occidentalis in the rosette stage of growth.



Another surprise was finding rosettes of Chaenactis. They looked very much like C. douglasii, however without flowers I was reluctant to put this species name with it.



The best find of the day was this mat forming Penstemon species. Without flowers my best guess was Penstemon grinnellii. When I see flowers its identity will be easy.

[Robert]

Woolly Sunflower, Eriophyllum lanatum, was another common species in the sunny areas of the Pinyon forest. This species, in its many forms, is found in many different dry habitats throughout California and beyond.



After spending a considerable amount of time exploring the slopes of the Pinyon forest I moved back down into the shaded groves near the creek.

Here were Chokecherries, Prunus virginiana, in fruit. Yet again, here was another west slope species growing here on these dry eastern mountains.



In the part shade of the towering trees were thickets of the shrubby Mountain Maple, Acer glabrum var. torreyi.



Near the creek I found a few stands of Lilium kelleyanum. It would have been a delight to arrive when they were in bloom as this species has a sweet fragrance.



This area was rich in a diverse and varied flora. At some later time I will want to return and explore the higher slopes. I feel certain that there are many more treasures to find in this area. Later when I arrived back at the farm I learned that this area is part of the Slinkard Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The main concern is for the breeding sites of the native deer population, however it is clearly a haven for native plants too.

[Robert]

Sooner than I desired, it was time to move on down the mountain to Antelope Valley. As I traveled lower down the mountain the terrain became extremely dry.



I finally arrived at the Antelope Valley and the Walker River, elevation 5,134 feet (1,565 meters) plus and minus. This area is an oasis surrounded by extremely dry, high desert and mountains. The area is a sparsely populated ranching community. Cattle and hay crops are king here, however you can see that some keep horses too.



This view is to the north where the Walker River flows out into the Nevada desert and eventually to Walker Lake.



The Sirens call drew me to drive south toward the upper Walker River and Bridgeport. What a folly! There was no time for this. With the prospect of many exciting plant communities to explore, the desire was difficult to resist. I have traveled this area many times in the distant past and know that each canyon reaching into the mountains contain countless floral treasures.



I did take some time to explore some of the well watered areas of Antelope Valley near the Walker River.

Salix exigua was the most dominant willow species.

[Robert]

The Antelope Valley is known for its huge and ancient Black Cottonwood, Populus trichocarpus, trees.



This one is a baby. Many of the giants are near the main highway. For me this was too dangerous to photograph.



After a long drive I arrived back in my own territory on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada. The towering ridge above Silver Lake is a familiar sight and a good place to stop and rest from driving (for me not much fun    ).



Out among the granite boulders I found the last flowers on Penstemon newberryi.



I will end this with one last photograph of Penstemon newberryi.

This outing was a good reminder for me as to the floral treasures waiting to be seen on the east side of the Sierra Nevada. I could only scratch the surface on this outing, never-the-less it was a very productive outing for me. I can not wait to return. 

[Hoy]

Very exciting, Robert!

Did you taste the chokecherry berries?

Why do Jeffrey Pine dominate the western banks and Pinyon Pine the eastern? Is it due to soil or water condition?

It looks rather dry. Is it possible to find drinking water any places?

Eriogonum microthecum var. laxiflorum reminds me somewhat of sea lavender, Limonium humile, except for the flower colour




The prickly poppy looks great! And Penstemon newberry looks beautiful! here flowers tend to be yellow and red is a rare colour of wild flowers.

[Robert]

Trond,

My outing to the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada was very exciting for me. This was my first opportunity to do any sort of organized and serious horticultural-botany on the east side. There was not much information to go on to prepare myself for this outing and for the most part I had very little difficulty identifying to the species level. There were at least two varieties of Eriogonum umbellatum in the area that I did not have the time to identify to the variety level. I have a considerable amount of enthusiasm planning future visits to this area and beyond. My brother works as an honorary professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, and I hope that I can use his connection with the University to make use of their botany department when planning outings into the mountains of Nevada. I have access to their library and have already made considerable use of it.

The Chokecherries are very bitter. My understanding is that cooking them breaks down the cyanide compounds so that they can be fairly tasty. I have never tried this so I do not know for sure.

Moisture levels in any given ecosystem is a major factor as to which pine species dominates any given habitat. Conditions become extremely dry as one travels east away from the Sierra crest. Altitude is another factor.

The east side of the Sierra Nevada is extremely dry. Carrying plenty of drinking water is a must! When I was in my 20's I would travel out into the deserts of eastern Oregon and Nevada. My 1952 Chevy truck was reliable, but it did brake down at times. Having a 5 gallon jug full of drinking water was a must! Having a water purifier is important too. When one does find water sometimes it is of questionable quality. One time my truck broke down 37 miles from French Glen, Oregon, way back on some dirt road on Steen Mountain. Back then, and maybe still now, French Glen was only a handful of buildings out in the high desert. I was glad that I had plenty of water.

[astragalus]

Robert, the Eriogonum wrightii v subscaposum has always been one of my favorites.  The sprays of flowers are so different from typical eriogonums - and the silver foliage is marvelous.  Thanks for the great picture.

[Robert]

Astragalus,

I like Eriogonum wrightii too. Within the parameters of var. subscaposum I am finding considerable seedling variation among plants planted out in the garden. I am still sifting through them to find plants that remain tight, compact, and bloom well. I have a batch of seedlings now that I hope fills this bill. Getting them out into the garden will be the real test.

I also like the E. marifolium / incanum complex. Many of them will re-bloom late in the season, in addition to their earlier bloom cycle. For me, a critical eye is needed to select plants that have good quality flowering stems that are held nicely over the plant. I believe that this is somewhat easy to obtain. I posted a few seedlings along these lines a few days ago. One step in the right direction, with more needed.

On my outing today I found blooming plants of the E. marifolium x incanum persuasion. I see them all the time in this area. I have not sorted through the photographs from this outing yet. Hopefully the photographs turned out okay. I will be reporting on all of this soon enough.

[astragalus]

Also, your photo of Argemone munita is wonderful.  I'm cheered when you say it's an annual or a short-lived perennial.  I grew Argemone hispida for a few years - the same fabulous flowers.  It disappeared after the 3rd year leaving me to try and figure out what I did wrong!

[Robert]

Also, your photo of Argemone munita is wonderful.  I'm cheered when you say it's an annual or a short-lived perennial.  I grew Argemone hispida for a few years - the same fabulous flowers.  It disappeared after the 3rd year leaving me to try and figure out what I did wrong!

You did not save seeds!    More accurate is we did not save seeds. Argemone corymbosa was in the garden at one time - gone now. When I was farming there was not time for a lot, other than farming, so far too many plants sort of disappeared. 

I know that A. corymbosa is available commercially, however these days I enjoy gathering my own seed when possible. The other day I gathered seed of Monardella lanceolata, Mustang Mint. Nothing rare about it, however it is an annual that I have been wanting in the garden for some time now. The flowers are showy and last a long time, the foliage has a wonderful fragrance, and it is tough as nails - xeric, heat tolerant. That combination wins over my heart. I hope to mimic the natural progression of Mimulus bicolor & M. torreyi, followed by Monardella lancelata, mixed with bulbs such as Dichelostemma multiflora, etc. with a support cast of things like trailing Ceanothus pumula and Salvia sonomensis. I am hoping that the grays and purple-blues will make a pleasing combination.

I agree 100% that the Prickly Poppies are nice plants to have around the garden, especially around here where it is very hot and dry. For me, they are definitely worth having and saving seed.