CalPhoto Digest

April - May
4/01/04 Kern River Valley wildflowers I am now certain that Baby Blue Eyes are fire followers. Just south of Sawmill Rd. on Hwy 155 in last year's Sawmill fire scarred area there is one northeast facing hill covered with Baby Blue Eyes. It is a veritable carpet, albeit a carpet that your cat has clawed here and there, so there are patches of open space between the blooms. Continuing along Hwy 155, Keyesville area continues to blaze with carpets of goldfields. Many fields also have good pockets of popcorn flower waving above the goldfields. Along Hwy 178, between Lake Isabella and South Lake more goldfields can be found but these are more like area rugs than carpets. Surprisingly many of the hillsides are showing yellow and orange high on the slopes. Sierra Way continues to have a few blooms but was mostly toasted by the recent heat wave. Alison Sheehey P.O. Box 153 Weldon, CA natureali@highstream.net 4/6/04 Tue, 6 Apr 2004 12:47:39 -0700 Spring is on an accelerated schedule here in Yosemite Valley. Unusually warm weather since March 1st has caused the dogwoods to start blooming at least two weeks earlier than in a "typical" year. Some are starting to bloom right now, and they should all be out within a week or so. Although they will continue to bloom for a few weeks after they first come out, that first flowering is the most photogenic. Shortly after they first bloom the dogwoods start to leaf out, and their own leaves tend to hide the blossoms. Plus the petals get ratty looking after awhile. So if you want to photograph dogwoods, my guess is that around mid-April will be the best time. As a bonus, the other deciduous trees like oaks, maples, and cottonwoods are beginning to sprout leaves, and there should be lots of nice fresh green color by mid-April as well. The waterfalls are beautiful now too, but I'd guess that they will peak early, as the below-average snowpack is melting quickly. The flow may start declining as soon as late April or early May. Michael michael@michaelfrye.com http://www.michaelfrye.com 4/12/04 RE: Joshua Tree NP wildflower reports I camped, hiked and photographed in Joshua Tree from March 26 through 29. My information thus is about 2 weeks old, so "caveat emptor". The park is having a spectacular year relative to its average. Annuals in the Cottonwood area (eg Cottonwood Canyon) were the thickest I've ever seen anywhere in Joshua Tree, and I've visited about half of the last 10 spring seasons. Where Cottonwood Wash spills out of the canyon mouth down the bajada along the southern entrance road, in particular, was densely carpeted with acres of desert dandelion and chia (interrupted by creosote bush, palo verde, smoke trees, ocotillo, etc, of course). I would bet the annuals in that area are well past-peak by now, however - I thought they were looking noticeably drier on March 28 than they did on March 26 (!) and the chia in particular were already on the go-down by the afternoon I got there (March 26). But I would also bet you'll still find good patches of blooming annuals in higher elevations. For example, I saw thick little patches of primrose and sand verbena - and I believe there were still buds among them - in and around the wash east and south of the Boy Scout Trailhead. Lost Horse Valley had very little in bloom but lots of green herbs and forbs on the ground - some of that may have bloomed by now. And I understand it has rained at least once since then, in-or-around April 2, so that could only have helped. (By the way, other good higher-elevation areas when I was there, that might still be around, were in Wilson Canyon and around the north entrance road.) As for perennials, I think you'll still find plenty of them, too. The ocotillo in the Cottonwood area weren't yet in bloom, and very few of the beavertail had even started, when I was there. Incredible chuparosa in Cottonwood Wash, near the desert dandelion/chia carpets - the best chuparosa I've ever seen; I wonder if they're still going? There also were lots of Mojava yucca in bloom - the most I've ever seen in this area at the park - around Cottonwood Pass and north of there as you begin to descend into Pinto Basin. Every creosote bush was blooming too. I'll bet this is still going on. At the higher elevations, the Joshua trees were in full bloom, wherever I went (Jumbo Rocks, Queen Valley, Lost Horse Valley, Wonderland of Rocks). This means about half the trees had at least one blossom and it was common to find trees which had half their arms or more tipped with flowers. These will have started to look pretty ratty by now, probably, but some were still budding, so I think you'll still find some at their peak. Scott Jorgenson scott_jorgenson@hp.com 4/18/04 Yosemite dogwoods at peak Despite cooler weather, the dogwoods have really burst forth in the last few days, and most in Yosemite Valley are blooming. They're at that perfect stage for photography -- fresh new blossoms and no leaves yet. Most of the deciduous trees have new green leaves. Come soon if you're coming! Michael Frye michael@michaelfrye.com http://www.michaelfrye.com 5/1/04 Salt Point We went to Salt Point on the coast and many flowers were very good. Douglas Iris, Checkerbloom, Gold Fields, Johnny-tuck, Red Maids, Sea Thrift, Blue-eyed-grass, Ground Brodiaea, Self-heal, California Buttercup, Footsteps of spring, Tidy-tips, were all nice. Many things grew on small roads inland, but were in deep shade or no place to park. Pt Reyes has a small book of flowers there which also seems to cover Salt Point flowers. The Mendocino Coast Botannical Garden was very good with many Rhododendrons and Azaelias blooming. There is an old bridge on Annapolis Rd. Go past the first one to the 1910 one. It has nice detail. Jan Clark jan_c@sacramentoaudubon.org 5/3/04 Roosting Santa Rosa egrets Take 101 north (or south) to Hwy 12 west.... Take the Stony Point Road Exit. Turn right on Stony Point, follow it to W. Ninth Street. Turn right on W. Ninth. Follow the road about 1/4 mile to "the birds". Alan Hi and thanks Alan. Actually we went there today. We were there around noon to 2pm . I'd say there were at least 60 nesting egrets, lots of babies although they are pretty hidden by branches, some night herons and a few cattle egrets. Chaya 5/7/04 Wild Irises in Eastern Sierras The wild irises are at their peak bloom right now in the Bishop area. The best location I'm aware of is on Brockman Lane east of US 395 on the north side of Bishop. However, the wind has been pretty relentless lately and one could lose their mind waiting for a calm moment! scurlock2002 reece5x7@hotmail.com 5/9/04 Northern Owens Valley Eastern Sierra spring conditions Just returned from an eastern Sierra Owns Valley road tour as far south as Rock Creek. Given the record March and April temperatures with little precipitation, conditions now in early May are a few weeks advanced of the usual mid spring conditions. Note Ebbetts and Sonora Passes are now open and Tioga Pass will open May 14. Areas below 8k over SR4 and SR1098 had little snow except in shady areas. Above 9k much snow still but patchy on southern exposures. Example is all of Mammoth Lakes basin lakes except Lower Twin are still frozen. Most of the aspen groves in east facing canyons have already sprouted their new bright yellow green spring leaves. In the Owens sagebrush areas, the light creamy yellow flowers of bitterbrush, purshia tridentata, and showy pink flowers of desert peach, prunus andersonii, are blooming in most areas. Would recommend early morning, the South Landing Inyo NF campground dirt road in the Hilton Creek area with the impressive snowy Nevahbe Ridge behind. Also indian paintbrush sprouting up in many sunnier areas. Sagebrush ridge beside US395 just north of north end of Lake Crowley Blvd and McGee Mtn usually has first show of arrowhead balsomroot, balsomorhiza saghittata, in early June but this year they are blooming en mass now. Down on the Sherwin Grade between Toms Place and Bishop, areas at top near 6k tend to be green with some wildflowers but lower down it is drier with fewer than normal wildflowers having appeared given the lower then normal winter precipitation. David davesenesac@sbcglobal.net 5/9/04 Kern & Tulare Counties wildflower update I visited several places this week as part of the Bioregions Festival and getting back to work with the Forest Service. Perennials continue to be the big news, but I did observe a really nice patch of annuals along Granite Road near Glennville. Photographable landscape shots of poppies and mixed annuals. Golden stars, wild hyacinth, Douglas violet, buttercup, fiddleneck, and popcorn flower are blooming along Hwy 155 just west of the Alder Creek Campground turnoff. More annuals can be found on the road to Twin Oaks in Walker Basin. Beautiful golden poppies interspersed within the sagebrush. A sensual experience of grape soda lupine is almost overwhelming along Cherry Hill Road on the Kern Plateau in the Sequoia National Forest. There are several sections where the lupine is in full bloom on both sides of the road. The blooms are beautiful and the scent is heavenly. Alison Sheehey natureali@natureali.org 5/17/04 Hetch Hetchy road wildflowers Was up on the Hetch Hetchy road at around 5k elevation yesterday morning 5-17-04. Despite the mediocre dry warm weather conditions the last two months, surprising numbers of wildflowers along road on first mile from entrance about the granite Poopenaut dome. Not anything like El Nino years though. Grass already dry except where water still seeping and farewell-to-spring clarkias blooming signaling the end is near. David Senesac davesenesac@sbcglobal.net Go To Top
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