  |
DavidS
Member
|
    
Here in San Francisco Bay Area, the 2011 wildflower season is off to a start. Last year in 2010 I discovered what seems to be the earliest local environment to begin that change. The marine environment between our coast and the first high range of mountains tend to be too cool, foggy, and damp. Inland areas about the SF Bay including all the low elevation urban areas are also too cool with frequent fog that often moves in overnight. Higher areas of the inland mountains like the Diablo Range though are usually above the fog but during mid winter cool.
It is areas is on the east side of the highest southern end of the Santa Cruz Mountains above the Santa Clara Valley where the marine air blocking ridge is often above 3000 feet, with fog and cool marine air that visit through the Golden Gate well below. There rainfall is higher and temperatures more moderated than further inland about the Diablo Range. Its generally east exposure is nicely warmed by morning sun. The often steep slopes are covered in dense chaparral averaging 10 to 30 feet high that have a history of wildfires. The most sunny exposures have a brushy cover of chamise, sage, manzanita, and ceonothus. Within shady ravines large shady California bay dominate often leaving a relatively open understory. Other less sunny areas include knobcone Pine, toyon, coast live oak, tanbark oak, madrone, big leaf maple, poison oak, coyote brush, and bush monkeyflower.
Two weekends ago I hiked about Almaden Quicksilver County Park during light showers. There our earliest wildflower, little white milkmaids were just coming out in modest numbers. Then last weekend hiked about the Del Valle Reservoir area of the Diablo Range where on its many decades grazed hills, I only saw a few buttercup. Yesterday, on a sunny February 13, drove out on Hicks Road where there were now lots of milkmaids. Then drove up to the blocked road end of the Mount Umunum Road in Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve.
There carrying my G10 and Benbo tripod, walked a quarter mile up the paved road then went north on the dirt Barlow Road that is a maintained fire road below the old ridge top Air Force radar station. After 1.5 miles, that turns onto the Woods Trail that is actually the well maintained gravel Mount El Sombroso Road. I hiked west about a half mile before turning around at Rincon Creek. Thus a modest 5 mile roundtrip with about 800 feet of up down. Although temps at 9am down in the valley were 45F degrees, due to the inversion, temps up at the 2300 foot trailhead were already 55F degrees and by time I returned into the mid 60s.
On the first section of the Barlow Road, milkmaids were most numerous:
http://www.davidsenesac.com/Spring_2011/IO2462w.jpg
while blue witch and the pretty chaparral currant showed in a few spots:
http://www.davidsenesac.com/Spring_2011/IO2414w.jpg
The tiny yellow flowers of California bay trees were also blooming:
http://www.davidsenesac.com/Spring_2011/IO2442w.jpg
Also along the road were areas of acorns below the coast live oak. At one spot I took this pic of an acorn beside two madrone berries and a tiny green miners lettuce:
http://www.davidsenesac.com/Spring_2011/IO2423w.jpg
All along the hike were toyon trees still sporting their bright red fall berries:
http://www.davidsenesac.com/Spring_2011/IO2416w.jpg
Further along the road, I saw a few white flowers of miners lettuce, and one flowering plant each of manroot and rough cat's-ear. In sunny areas were the abundant white fragrant flowers of buckbrush and manzanita that were buzzing with many bees. Also saw one death camas lily just coming out of its bud. Down on the Woods Trail were quite a few Indian warrior including this unusual one with all pink leaves as its chlorphyll stage had not yet started:
http://www.davidsenesac.com/Spring_2011/IO2458w.jpg
Along the neglected Barlow Road I passed just one gal who was a trail runner while down on the Woods Trail, there were quite a number of hikers, trail runners, and mountain bikers. With vegetation in its early spring, some early insects were flying about, as were fence swift lizards aka blue bellies to eat them. And in the understory, the sound of small birds was frequent. At one spot I rousted a bunch of noisy blue jays. And at a mud puddle were deer hoof prints. All the above images were taken with flash often as fill.
David Senesac
http:www.davidsenesac.com
(Edited by DavidS at 7:49 am on Feb. 15, 2011)
|
Total Posts: 81 | Joined Feb. 2005 | Posted on: 11:49 pm on Feb. 14, 2011 | IP
|
|
| |
|
Bay Area Hiker Discussion Board
Sierra Azul Open Space
