Saturday, May 28, 2011

Fish Canyon Falls Plants - May 28, 2011

Matilija poppySee Fish Canyon Falls Hike Description at Dan's Hiking Pages

Plants See Fish Canyon Trail Plant Guide (April 2011) (PDF)

Plants See Plants and Wildflowers in the San Gabriel Mountains at Dan's Hiking Pages

This year I’ve had a strong focus on plants and helping others learn about plants. I find that knowing about the flora that graces my hiking environs greatly enhances my outdoor experience.

Fish Canyon has served me well over the years as a convenient venue for learning about plants. Its two miles of trail hosts a wide variety of plants in its riparian (streamside) and chaparral plants communities. And since it is so close to home, I have been able to hike it a lot over the years and observe the behavior of plants throughout the seasons of the year.

Fish Canyon FallsLast September 25, I observed Fish Canyon at the beginning of fall. This year I experienced it in the dead of winter (Jan. 29), the first of spring (March 19), and mid (April 16) and later spring (May 28). It’s been fun to watch the cycle of life.

A primary goal for this hike is to photograph every plant species in bloom along the trail. I think I was pretty close to accomplishing the task, although it is likely that I missed some. Since I was the first hiker on the trail, my pace was pretty fast to stay ahead of the crowd. I did not attempt to capture gallery-quality photos but to simply record the blooms. I was able to give more time to photographing plants on the way back.

Here are some select plants, and except for the buckwheat, none of these duplicate any of the plants from the Fish Canyon Trial Plant Guide (April 2011).

Indian pink
Indian pink (Silene laciniata) Carnation (or Pink) family (Caryophyllaceae)
Native / Perennial herb / Blooms May to August.

Scarlet larkspur
Scarlet larkspur (Delphinium cardinale) / Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae)
Native / Perennial herb / Blooms May to July.

Castor bean
Castor bean (Ricinus communis) / Spurg family (Euphorbiaceane)
Non-Native / Shrub / Blooms most of year.

Canyon dudleya
Canyon dudleya or Liveforever (Dudleya cymosa) / Stonecrop family (Crassulaceae)
Native / Perennial herb / Blooms May to July.

Canyon dudleya
Canyon dudleya or Liveforever (Dudleya cymosa) / Stonecrop family (Crassulaceae)
Native / Perennial herb / Blooms May to July. Note that the primary difference between canyon dudleya and lanceleaf dudleya is the shape of the leaves.

Lanceleaf dudleya
Lanceleaf dudleya or Liveforever (Dudleya lanceolata) / Stonecrop Family (Crassulaceae)
Native / Perennial herb / Blooms May-July.

Lanceleaf dudleya
Lanceleaf dudleya (Dudleya lanceolata) leaves.

Prickly-pear cactus
Prickly-pear cactus (Opuntia littoralis) / Cactus family (Cactaceae)
Native / Shrubby, succulent / Blooms May to July.

Western thistle
Western thistle (Cirsium occidentale) / Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Native / Biennial herb / Blooms April to July

Globe gilia
Globe gilia (Gilia capitata) / Phlox family (Polemoniaceae)
Native / Annual herb / Blooms April-July.


Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) / Rose Family (Rosaceae)
Native / Shrub / Blooms May-July.

Narrowleaf Bedstraw
Narrowleaf Bedstraw (Galium angustifolium) / Madder Family (Rubiaceae)
Native / Perennial herb / Blooms March-September.

Narrowleaf Bedstraw
Narrowleaf Bedstraw (Galium angustifolium) / Madder Family (Rubiaceae)
Native / Perennial herb / Blooms March-September.

California Buckwheat
California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) / Polygonaceae (Buckwheat family)
Native / Perennial shrub / Blooms March to November.

Himalayan blackberry
Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor) / Rose family (Rosaceae)
Non-native (invasive) / Perennial herb / Blooms May to August.

Himalayan blackberry
Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor) is an invasive non-native, not to be confused with California blackberry (Rubus ursinus), which is native with rounded stems, and small, straight prickles, in contrast to the Himalayan, which has five-angled stems and heavier, angled prickles.

Fairy lantern
Fairy lantern or Globe lily (Calochortus albus) / Lily family (Liliaceae)
Native / Perennial herb / Blooms April to June.

White sage
White sage (Salvia apiana) / Mint family (Lamiaceae)
Native / Shrub / Blooms March to July.

Southern honeysuckle
Southern honeysuckle (Lonicera subspicata) / Honeysuckle Family (Caprifoliaceae)
Native, vining shrub / Blooms April to June.

Other plants I saw blooming in Fish Canyon are listed below in the approximate order in which I photographed them. The asterisk (*) indicates that the plant is featured in my Fish Canyon Trial Plant Guide (April 2011).

Spanish broom*
Golden yarrow*
Elegant clarkia*
Mustard*
Milkweed*
Common sunflower*
Deerweed
Botta’s clarkia*
Tree tobacco*
Cliff aster
Western wallflower*
Everlasting
Golden stars*
Vinca*
Oleander
Yucca
Eupatory
Matilija poppy*
Purple nightshade
Common yarrow*
Bush monkeyflower* icon

Fish Canyon FallsSee Fish Canyon Falls Hike Description at Dan's Hiking Pages

Plants See Fish Canyon Trail Plant Guide (April 2011) (PDF)

Plants See Plants and Wildflowers in the San Gabriel Mountains at Dan's Hiking Pages

NEXT > Fish Canyon and Dudleya Densiflora - July 9, 2011
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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Plants on Garcia Trail - 5-9-11

Garcia TrailSee Garcia Trail Description on Dan’s Hiking Pages

Plants See Plants and Wildflowers in the San Gabriel Mountains at Dan's Hiking Pages

What plants might you find along Garcia Trail above Azusa? Since this trail is so close to my house, it’s a convenient venue for me to observe plant life. I’ve photographed plants on Garcia Trail for several years now throughout different seasons, but below is a snapshot of the plants from a single day in May. Some of these plants are in the middle of their blooming season and others are at the beginning or end.

Fire Crew TruckI’ve not been on my local Garcia Trail since January, so I was eager to hit the trail for a little pre-vacation exercise and to scope out the plant life. The weather was cloudy and cool, making nice conditions and ideal lighting for plant photography. I started the hike at 11:34 and immediately starting photographing plants. Up the trail was a crew from LA County fire camp 16 performing much-need trail maintenance. I arrived at Azusa Peak at 1:22. Someone has attached a Christian flag to the cross and the mailbox that was used for a summit log is gone. Still cloudy and cool with some breeze. I continued to photograph plants on the way down and finished the hike at 2:54.

I’ve displayed the plants below in the order in which I photographed them, with the hollyleaf cherry starting the return trip just below Azusa Peak. For more information about any of these plants, simply copy the scientific name and Google it.

Fountain grass
Fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum) / Grass family (Poaceae)
Non-native, invasive. / Annual grass. Blooms July to October.

Moth mullein
Moth mullein (Verbascum blattaria) / Figwort family (Scrophulariaceae)
Non-native (Eurasia) / Perennial herb. Blooms May to September.

Deerweed
Deerweed (Lotus scoparius) / Pea family (Lamiaceae)
Native / Perennial herb (shrubby bush). Blooms March to August.

Prickly-pear cactus
Prickly-pear cactus (Opuntia littoralis) / Cactus family (Cactaceae)
Native / Shurby, succulent. Blooms May to July.

Cliff aster
Cliff aster (Malacothrix saxatilis) / Sunflower family (Asteraceae)
Native / Perennial herb. Blooms most of the year.

Golden Yarrow
Golden yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum) / Sunflower family (Asteraceae)
Native / Small perennial shrub. Blooms April to August.

Blue elderberry
Blue elderberry (Sambucus Mexicana) / Honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae)
Native / deciduous tree or shrub. Blooms March to September.

Wild cucumber
Wild cucumber (Marah macrocarpus) / Gourd family (Cucurbitaceae)
Native / Perennial herb or vine. Blooms (tiny white flowers) January to April.

Western thistle
Western thistle (Cirsium occidentale) / Sunflower family (Asteraceae)
Native / Biennial herb. Blooms April to July.


Everlasting (Gnaphalium spp.) Sunflower family (Asteraceae)
Native / Annual or biennial herb. Blooms January to July.

Wild morning glory
Wild morning glory (Calystegia macrostegia) / Morning-glory family (Convolvulaceae)
Native / Perennial vine. Blooms March to June.

Showy Penstemon
Showy penstemon (Penstemon spectabilis) / Figwort family (Scrophulariaceae)
Native / Perennial herb. Blooms April to July.


Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) / Sunflower family (Asteraceae)
Navtive / Annual herb. Blooms most of the year.

Caterpillar phacelia
Caterpillar phacelia (Phacelia cicutaria) / Waterleaf family (Hydrophyllaceae)
Native / Annual herb. Blooms March to May.

Southern honeysuckle
Southern honeysuckle (Lonicera subspicata) / Honeysuckle Family (Caprifoliaceae)
Native / Vining shrub. Blooms April to June.

Brittlebush
Brittlebush (Encelia farinose) / Sunflower family (Asteraceae)
Native / Shrub. Blooms March to July.

Yucca
Yucca (Yucca Whipplei) / Lily family (Liliaceae)
Native / Subshrub. Blooms March to June.

Blue dicks
Blue dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum) / Lily family (Liliaceae)
Native / Perennial herb. Blooms February to May.

Hollyleaf cherry
Hollyleaf cherry (Prunus ilicifolia) / Rose family (Rosaceae)
Native / Shrub or tree. Blooms February to May
Seeds and leaves are poisonous.

Douglas nightshade
Douglas nightshade (Solanum douglasii) / Nightshade family (Solanaceae)
Native / Perennial herb. Blooms most of the year.

Clematis
Clematis or Virgin’s bower (Clematis ligusticifolia) / Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae)
Native / Woody vine. Blooms January to June.


Wild Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum) / Mustard family (Brassicaceae)
Non-native / Annual herb.

Azusa PeakSome of the other plants blooming along Garcia Trail today which are not included here are mustard (yellow), filaree (purple), California buckwheat (cream), and tree tobacco (yellow). icon

See Garcia Trail Description on Dan’s Hiking Pages

Plants See Plants and Wildflowers in the San Gabriel Mountains at Dan's Hiking Pages