We are having a wonderful wildflower season out here, and the lower
elevations are just past their peak. The chaparral zones are overwhelming in
diversity and abundance, so I'm going to be out in the backcountry quite a bit
for the next few weeks as long as the temperatures remain below 95F.
I'm involved in a field study determining the effects of urban pollution
on nearby plant communities, and along the way I found some interesting plants,
one of which is Turpentine Broom:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/64004640@N03/16333224984/
I photographed it a couple of days after the study, and while wash-hopping
I came across a number of specimens of this plant, a very large one of which
had the largest specimen of Southwestern Pipevine (Aristolochia watsonii) that
I have ever seen:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/64004640@N03/16954312552/
It was a surprise to find it as it is 550 feet below its elevation range. I
also found a nice, fresh Burro Weed Strangler (Orobanche cooperi):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/64004640@N03/16333317194/
After a couple of hours of wash-hopping, I took a brief hike around the
base of Usery Mountain, which affords all sorts of wonderful scenic views:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/64004640@N03/16767827890/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/64004640@N03/16767945680/
The variety and abundance of wildflowers is the best we've seen in years,
and here are a couple of interesting ones:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/64004640@N03/16767651208/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/64004640@N03/16748081977/
I even had an opportunity to take a close-up of an Ocotillo flower
(Fouquieria splendens), which was afforded by a fallen Palo Verde branch
(Parkinsonia microphylla) pulling down a stem of a nearby specimen:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/64004640@N03/16929327746/
The wildflower study area in Usery Mountain Regional Park afforded some
wonderful views:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/64004640@N03/16768393490/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/64004640@N03/16333517294/
I'm undoubtedly going to have more flower and scenery photos in the coming
weeks.
Chris
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro
- Hunter S. Thompson
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