Visitors 83
Modified 23-Mar-24
Created 23-Mar-24
41 photos
Five walks over seven days, in sunshine and rain: from the Frog Pond, up Black Oak Trail, and back around. The Checker Lilies are at their peak. Bluebirds are setting up a household in the bluebird box. Other flowers and birds show off, along with our ubiquitous rainbow. Windy Hill is visited by fog and sunlight, always a joy to see.
The most striking new flower is the Checker Lily, standing tall in several spots along the trail. (If you know what to look for, you can also see another stage of this plant: a single large leaf, emerging from the ground, lying along the ground pointed down toward the trail. See below.) Checker Lilies come in a variety of colors, from dusky yellow to dark magenta. If you can get that low, look up into the flower!
There is much more to experience along these trails this time of year. Giant Trillium and Hound’s Tongue are still very much with us, and prominent – Hound’s Tongue is developing its large clingy seeds. Poison Oak and Manroot seek out sunlight and space, crowding the trails. You might notice dark-blue flowers of Blue Witch Nightshade – don’t eat this one, but then, you probably only eat those plants you are sure of. California Buttercup and Suncup each display the exact same shade of yellow – as far as I can tell – at different heights.
A pair of Western Bluebirds sets up a household in one of the bluebird boxes around Portola Valley Ranch; get ready for a profusion of achingly blue fledglings later this spring. (And thank the folks who keep these refuges ready for the next year.)
Enjoy all this and more as you explore our wonderful, interconnected Portola Valley trail network!
* Each Checker Lily doesn’t bloom every year. Other years, the plant produces a single “nurse” leaf, lying close to the ground, which photosynthesizes and stores food in the bulb for the next year. Like many of our wildflowers, Checker Lilies are not at all evident year-round. In the hot summer and before the rains, they retreat underground, storing up energy for the fecund springtime, a time for photosynthesis, flowers, and pollination. The Jasper Ridge Oakmead Herbarium has some nice photos of all stages of this plant: google “Jasper Ridge Plant List”, click on “Plant List”, then search.
The most striking new flower is the Checker Lily, standing tall in several spots along the trail. (If you know what to look for, you can also see another stage of this plant: a single large leaf, emerging from the ground, lying along the ground pointed down toward the trail. See below.) Checker Lilies come in a variety of colors, from dusky yellow to dark magenta. If you can get that low, look up into the flower!
There is much more to experience along these trails this time of year. Giant Trillium and Hound’s Tongue are still very much with us, and prominent – Hound’s Tongue is developing its large clingy seeds. Poison Oak and Manroot seek out sunlight and space, crowding the trails. You might notice dark-blue flowers of Blue Witch Nightshade – don’t eat this one, but then, you probably only eat those plants you are sure of. California Buttercup and Suncup each display the exact same shade of yellow – as far as I can tell – at different heights.
A pair of Western Bluebirds sets up a household in one of the bluebird boxes around Portola Valley Ranch; get ready for a profusion of achingly blue fledglings later this spring. (And thank the folks who keep these refuges ready for the next year.)
Enjoy all this and more as you explore our wonderful, interconnected Portola Valley trail network!
* Each Checker Lily doesn’t bloom every year. Other years, the plant produces a single “nurse” leaf, lying close to the ground, which photosynthesizes and stores food in the bulb for the next year. Like many of our wildflowers, Checker Lilies are not at all evident year-round. In the hot summer and before the rains, they retreat underground, storing up energy for the fecund springtime, a time for photosynthesis, flowers, and pollination. The Jasper Ridge Oakmead Herbarium has some nice photos of all stages of this plant: google “Jasper Ridge Plant List”, click on “Plant List”, then search.
Dan Quinn