By Justin Daniel, Vice President, Rare Plants Co-chair
With vaccinations allowing more contact outdoors and a workload a year behind, it's been a busy time a few of us to help some of our fantastic environmental conservancy organizations around San Diego County by assisting them in their rare plant surveys. The following are glimpses into some of the recent surveys. Come along for the ride and reach out to support our partners, too!
Teofulio Summit - San Felipe Valley with the Volcan Mtn Foundation (VMF)
VMF acquired a large undeveloped parcel near Teofulio Summit at the top of San Felipe Valley a few years ago. You might remember last year's July newsletter blurb on the rare plant we found and documented there: Hulsea californica (San Diego alpinegold).
This year, the dryness has resulted in no emergent Hulsea californica on the slope where this biennial species grew so large last year, but we did find a number of them clustered on the crest near profusely blooming Penstemon spectabilis (showy penstemon) and Penstemon clevelandii (Cleveland's beardtongue).
Plenty of bloom from the Leptosiphon parviflorus (variable linanthus) and Acmispon glaber var. breviolatus (short winged deerweed) had the Acmon blues (Icaricia acmon) and other butterflies quite happy as well. Shown here (below) is as good a shot as could be managed of a Golden Hairstreak Butterfly (Habrodais grunus) on the cup leaf ceanothus (Ceanothus perplexans). We added what we could find to the growing plant list for this special property - now conserved thanks to VMF's donors and directors.
This survey had an excellent group of CNPS and VMF members and friends, but it was the botanists who forged ahead through thick redshank (Adenostoma sparsifolium) and cup leaf Ceanothus chaparral to the top of the parcel. Many of you guys will recognize Fred Roberts, our rare plant botanist, on the left and Larry Hendricksen, Anza-Borrego State Park Botanist, next to Valerie Cournoyer, VMF Conservation Stewardship Committee Chair. Apologies for not naming the other guys in the picture - space is limited and reserved for plant names!
Del Dios Highlands - Lake Hodges
The new Executive Director of the San Dieguito Valley River Conservancy (SDRVC) reached out recently about collaborating on surveys for a new acquisition of 117 acres sporting varieties of coastal sage scrub, mixed ceanothus chaparral, shady oak woodlands, scrub oak riparian zones, and, unfortunately, patches of tough to remove invasive species. Some very rare and special plant species thrive there and we headed out with our Habitat Restoration Committee all-star Arne Johanson to get our heads around this beautiful and challenging preserve.
While we offer a fond and cheerful farewell to ex-ED Johnathan Applebaum, new Director Emily Kochert has stepped into some big shoes to help manage a huge and complex watershed. Arne, Bob Byrnes, and the Habitat Restoration Committee volunteers have already been helping target the invasive fountain grass (Pennisetum spp.), giant reed (Arundo donax), and other weeds found here.
The plant list we've just begun to record here is long... nearly 200 species with nearly all of those being native plant species found in a single day. Rare plants now protected from development are the Encinitas baccharis (Baccharis vanessae), white coast ceanothus (Ceanothus verrucosus) that is dominant in parts of the chaparral, San Diego sagewort (Artemisia palmeri), southern mountain misery (Chamaebatia australis), and lots of ashy spikemoss (Selaginella cinerascens). With more surveys and assistance (especially with future rains), we'll find many more rare species hiding in the dense growth.
Mauro Preserve - Oceanside / Vista
For this survey, Fred Roberts and I accepted an invitation from Buena Vista Audubon to their Preserve parcel adjoining Whelan Lake Bird Sanctuary. CNPS-SD has been involved in focused surveys for threadleaf brodiaea (Brodiaea filifolia) in the distinct populations found on the property for a few years now.
When threadleaf brodiaea was first found on the parcel, it was covered by thick mustard and non-native grass patches, eking out an existence competing with non-native annuals atop. Our 2019 count resulted in about 1,300+ scapes (inflorescence stalks or peduncles) total. This time, with help from some great volunteers led by Audubon's Julie Fontaine, we counted over 1,800 scapes even in this very dry year!
An informal estimate counted thousands more that didn't flower, but for official counting methods, the team stuck with tallying up the flowering stalks (see photo above). Much of the increase is very likely due to Audubon's effective restoration methods that knocked down the mustards and fennel, reduced the grasses substantially, and then implemented measures that keep out rampaging motorcycles. With the disturbances reduced, we even chanced across a few small flowered morning glory (Convolvulus simulans), another rare plant growing among the Brodiaea filifolia!
Now it looks bare from afar, but within a few years, this parcel will be returned to a native state. Plans include native grassland conversion and pioneering coastal sage scrub to cover the gentle slopes.