August in the Chaparral

In August the hillsides are dried out, the grass is brown, most shrubby plants have drying seeds on them, the baby quail are almost full grown, and the rattlesnakes don't seem to be out on the trails as much.  There are still a few new plants blooming and a couple sights unique to this month.

Beware allergy sufferers - the ragweed is about to bloom.

 In the early morning when the marine layer made everything all misty, I could see spiderweb "funnels" all over the open grassy areas.

 Sweet Fennel is about 6 feet tall this time of year.

 The marine layer cools everything off and makes for a nice run.

 A field of sweet fennel.

Chaparral in June

It's June in the Chaparral.  There are still many blooms on the Elderberry bushes (and some berries starting to ripen too) and lots of monkey flower, black mustard, and white sage in bloom all over the hills.  But, these are some pictures of new plants coming into flower in June.

Gum Plant (we used to call it tattoo flower because the buds have a sticky resin that will make a flower shaped spot on your hand after sprinkling it with trail dust.  It resists soap and water too.)

Pearly Everlasting

Wild roses (probably not natives.)

Bush Mallow

Diamond Clarkia

Chamise

Red Stemmed Filaree?

Some sort of salvia - I don't think it's Crimson Monkeyflower.

Prickly Pear Cactus

This month the creatures I've met along the trail have been of a more friendly variety.

Road Runner

Long Nosed Snake (unfortunately his nose is already down the hole.)

Rabbits are all over.

Look in the mud nest to see the little swallow waiting for its dinner.

Doomed Blooms

A week or so ago my little peach tree stick started to bloom... and then the nectarine, the meyer lemon, the oroblanco grapefruit and I bought a washington navel orange and hass avacado trees.  I told my mother in law that they were starting to bloom.  I was so excited.  She asked, "Are you going to pick off the blossoms or wait and pick off the little fruit?"  What???

Meyer Lemon with ant

Nectarine

Oroblanco

Washington Navel

Hass

Apparently you aren't supposed to let them fruit the first couple years so they can build stronger roots. :(
Watch out little ant.

March in the Chaparral

I went on a long run/march in the hills this week.  Some parts of the trail are so steep that I can't even pretend to jog up them.  The day was so pretty and the plants are started to bloom.  I decided I was going slow enough that it wouldn't make much difference if I stopped and took some pictures.

Wispy little clouds in a blue sky.

Single track trail through non-native grass.

I wanted to start keeping track of which plants in the chaparral bloom in each month.  I'm also trying to identify the native plants before I have to take my biology class on a field trip to identify native plants.


<>

California Lilac - sweet perfume floats around the hillside when these are in bloom.



Foothill penstemon



Sugar Bush



Maybe Lemonadeberry Bush?

 I've been trying to figure out which bush is the lemonadeberry.  It produces hard berries that taste like lemon when you suck on them.  I just don't want to put something in my mouth if it's NOT lemonade berry.


Trail with sun streaming through the chaparral.



Canyon Sunflower



Common Monkey Flower



Can't find it.  Maybe it's something that escaped from a garden and isn't in the native guides



The Coast Live Oaks are blooming too.



The white flowers and the green prickly thing hiding in the leaves are Wild Cucumber.



Elderberry



Even the poison oak is in bloom.

 I love it here.