Monday, May 14, 2012

Roadside Attractions - 2, Mother's Day








Here are a few more from yesterday's afternoon drive from Quincy to the Greenville Y.  I found this Heart-leaf Milkweed, Asclepias cordifolia, on Quarry Road, but they are beginning to bloom in many places in the 3,500' range including Oakland Camp and points along 89 on the way to Greenville from the Y.  This one is sometimes known as California Purple Milkweed, but there are other species also called Purple Milkweed, so Heart-leaf is the safest bet, and A. cordifolia is as safe as it gets.  The second photo is Scarlet Fritillary from a patch that has some of the tallest ones I've ever seen.  That's along the dirt frontage road on the hill just north of the college on Highway 79/89.  You'll never spot them at 55 mph, but it's definitely worth a pit stop for this and other flowers.  There are a few in there that are four feet tall.
I found this cluster of Lupine and others among the rocks just north of the Y.  It's a risky scramble down toward the large pool in Indian Creek, but rewarded by many interesting plants and animals.  The Fence Lizards were particularly active in the afternoon and were jumping 2 to 3 feet from rock to rock.  Very impressive.
I see I've posted these out of order.  The beautiful beetle, which I think is a Cerambycid (longhorn beetle) was by the side of the road just north of the Y, as were the Coulter's Daisies, Erigeron coulteri, but the close-up of False Solomon's Seal was taken near the Fritllary, nearer to Quincy.  The Choke Cherry is blooming in the woods in many places.  They're especially noticeable between the Y and Crescent Mills.
Back home in Quincy, just a short hike up Boyle Ravine, I found this amazing display of small fungi.  They were growing on a steep embankment and looked like a fungal version of the Keddie Cascades.

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