Visitors 102
Modified 18-May-24
Created 18-May-24
115 photos
Sunny skies, with wildflowers in profusion, attracting bees, beeflies, butterflies, and crickets. Male Turkeys display; their namesake Vultures spread their wings. Stanford photographer LiPo Ching and I have a field day, wandering the serpentine grasslands near the peak of the native wildflower explosion.
The brilliant springtime wildflowers from before the arrival of Europeans -- and even as late as John Muir’s trek across the Central Valley to the Sierras -- have been largely replaced by exotic European grasses. Our natives have largely retreated to challenging environments, difficult for the invaders; serpentine soils are one such. Low in essential nutrients such as nitrogen, calcium, and potassium, rich in heavy metals such as chromium, iron, cobalt, and nickel, serpentine outcroppings still witness colorful shows. At Jasper Ridge, the natives seem to be retreating to even more challenging locations; their last stand might be the disturbed areas next to the old dirt road.
Here are California Goldfields, the predominant theme of the display. Owls’ Clover, scattered within some varied wildflower collections, standing apart elsewhere, hosting butterfly, bumblebee, and spider (separately!). California Poppies, our state flower, preferring our state rock serpentine, making exclamation points in the collection. Tidy Tips, strangely less obvious this year, with room for a beefly as well. Even a Cream Sacs, a yellow relative of the Owls’ Clover. Western Blue-eyed Grass; Leptosiphon; clover. Blue Dicks and Ithuriel’s Spear, now happily in their own genera, despite their somewhat similar growth pattern: a long supple leafless stem topped with an inflorescence of flowers. Coast Suncups, finding refuge *in* the road, visited by black beetles. A gathering of Narrow-leaved Mule Ears, at the edge of the grasslands near the Blue Oak forest – also beloved by beetles, perhaps different ones. A yellowjacket wasp, hovering, perhaps looking for a new home.
Wild turkeys, introduced here in the past few decades, have become firmly established. Males parade together, each showing his broad tail and colorful head and neck. The female feigns disinterest. Nearby, two Turkey Vultures show off their red bald head and dark plumage, which they share with their namesake.
My apologies for sharing too many photos this time. Life is full, and I have run out of time – if I keep postponing, I may not share these until *next* spring. Please let me know – is it OK to share so many images once in a while, or would you rather wait for a more carefully culled, curated, categorized, captioned collection? Comment if you feel called, on any photo, with information, observation, or special appreciation.
The brilliant springtime wildflowers from before the arrival of Europeans -- and even as late as John Muir’s trek across the Central Valley to the Sierras -- have been largely replaced by exotic European grasses. Our natives have largely retreated to challenging environments, difficult for the invaders; serpentine soils are one such. Low in essential nutrients such as nitrogen, calcium, and potassium, rich in heavy metals such as chromium, iron, cobalt, and nickel, serpentine outcroppings still witness colorful shows. At Jasper Ridge, the natives seem to be retreating to even more challenging locations; their last stand might be the disturbed areas next to the old dirt road.
Here are California Goldfields, the predominant theme of the display. Owls’ Clover, scattered within some varied wildflower collections, standing apart elsewhere, hosting butterfly, bumblebee, and spider (separately!). California Poppies, our state flower, preferring our state rock serpentine, making exclamation points in the collection. Tidy Tips, strangely less obvious this year, with room for a beefly as well. Even a Cream Sacs, a yellow relative of the Owls’ Clover. Western Blue-eyed Grass; Leptosiphon; clover. Blue Dicks and Ithuriel’s Spear, now happily in their own genera, despite their somewhat similar growth pattern: a long supple leafless stem topped with an inflorescence of flowers. Coast Suncups, finding refuge *in* the road, visited by black beetles. A gathering of Narrow-leaved Mule Ears, at the edge of the grasslands near the Blue Oak forest – also beloved by beetles, perhaps different ones. A yellowjacket wasp, hovering, perhaps looking for a new home.
Wild turkeys, introduced here in the past few decades, have become firmly established. Males parade together, each showing his broad tail and colorful head and neck. The female feigns disinterest. Nearby, two Turkey Vultures show off their red bald head and dark plumage, which they share with their namesake.
My apologies for sharing too many photos this time. Life is full, and I have run out of time – if I keep postponing, I may not share these until *next* spring. Please let me know – is it OK to share so many images once in a while, or would you rather wait for a more carefully culled, curated, categorized, captioned collection? Comment if you feel called, on any photo, with information, observation, or special appreciation.
Dan Quinn