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IN THE FIELD: Corte Madera Mountain

By Tom Oberbauer

Back in January of 1978, I hiked up onto Corte Madera Mountain with a friend, Tom Scott (now with UC Berkeley and UC Riverside), who had been studying Golden Eagles in San Diego County. Bald Eagles were wintering at Corte Madera Lake. After postponing the hike due to rain, that was a good rain season, we drove out to Corte Madera Lake, which was accessible because Tom Scott had a key, and we hiked up the north side of Corte Madera Mountain on a little used trail. The trail climbed through a woodland of mostly coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), but also Coulter pine (Pinus coulteri), as well as Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi). It was foggy going up and the view was obscured.

IN THE FIELD: Corte Madera Mountain
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In The Field: The New Santa Fe Valley Trail

By Jürgen Schrenk

Recently, the new Santa Fe Valley Trail, connecting the San Dieguito River Park’s Del Dios Gorge Trail with the Lusardi Creek Preserve, was opened to the public. The beginning of the trail took us through fields of Menzies’ Goldenbush (Isocoma menziesii var. menziesii).

In The Field: The New Santa Fe Valley Trail
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The Desert a Month after Monsoonal Rains

By Jürgen Schrenk

After yet another week of waiting for the temps to go down watching our Monarch production and limiting our walks to local parks, I was worried that I might completely miss the monsoonal “spring” in the desert. So, I went on a quick drive along S-2

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CNPS-SD Helps With Rare Plant Surveys

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!

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The Mount Laguna Surprise

By Tom Oberbauer

…The next week, I drove up and hiked to the location I visited in December and sure enough, the display of Platystemon californica (above) was pretty amazing. Sheets of color extended across the slopes leading into the center of the meadow. I spent some time attempting to photograph and create video of the breeze gently shaking the small flowers. From this location, the view of the meadow ranges across its full length, extending more than three miles in the distance to the south. Laguna Lake also contained a good level of water reflecting the blue sky, apparently left over from the previous two good rainfall seasons. I attempted to capture the view of the flowers with the lake and end of the meadow in the distance. The breeze and the movement of the flowers in this manner always reminds me of when I was a child and my family visited Estes Park in Colorado and we observed alpine wildflowers…

The Mount Laguna Surprise

bahiopsis laciniata

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Late Bloomers

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Epilobium canum Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File/Epilobium_canum_%27Everett%27s_Choice%27_kz3

By Don Rideout, Gardener

Although spring is peak bloom time, both in gardens and in the wild, it’s good to have some later bloomers to feed pollinators and delight plant lovers. Here are just a few to consider if you are starting a new garden or adding to an existing one.

California Fuchsia (Epilobium canum), pictured above : This is a very popular garden plant that is readily available and easy to grow. There are a number of varieties, and the choice is mostly a matter of personal preference. The flowers are red and tubular, which hummingbirds love. It begins blooming in late July or August, then goes dormant when colder weather arrives. Cut it back hard at that time and it will regrow from the rhizome in spring. It spreads readily by the rhizome and also by seed, so give it room and be prepared to control it if needed.

Salvia clevelandii Photo: Public domain

Cleveland Sage (Salvia clevelandii): Both beautiful and fragrant, this one can’t be beat, and there are numerous cultivars and hybrids to choose from. Blue flowers appear in May and last through
August. It is highly drought tolerant and requires well-drained soil; water no more than once a month in summer. Hummingbirds and insects love it. Give it plenty of room to reach its full size. It can be deadheaded or cut back as desired.

San Diego County Viguiera Photo: Laura Camp https///www.flickr.com/photos/24284031@N00/8502864142

San Diego County Viguiera (Bahiopsis laciniata): This member of the sunflower family generally starts blooming in spring and continues into September, providing lots of nectar for butterflies, native bees, and other pollinators. It is highly drought tolerant and typically needs watering no more than once a month in summer. It can be deadheaded or cut back as desired.

Eriogonum fasciculatum Photo: Jonathan Coffin https///www.flickr.com/photos/73431753@N00/14292028904

The Buckwheats (Eriogonum spp.): With many species to choose from, there is a buckwheat for every garden. All are consistent late-season bloomers that attract numerous pollinators. California Buckwheat (E. fasciculatum) is the most common in our local wildlands. Ashyleaf Buckwheat (E. cinereum, a Channel Islands native) and Sea Cliff Buckwheat (E. parvifolium) can bloom from late spring into fall near the coast. Other Channel Islands natives include Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat (E. arborescens) and St. Catherine’sLace (E. giganteum). Sulphur Buckwheat (E. umbellatum), the most colorful of all buckwheats, isn’t a true San Diego native, but it grows well here and features vibrant yellow flowers. All these buckwheats are highly drought tolerant but can handle once-a-month summer watering.

For more information on growing these plants and others, see Calscape.org or Calflora.org .

Vegetation Textures and Color

Vegetation Textures and Color

By Tom Oberbauer, Past President CNPS-San Diego

San Diego County has varied topography throughout: beaches, mesas and canyons, foothills, mountains, and desert. That makes it somewhat distinctive from other counties that mostly consist of mountain ranges and valleys, like Riverside Co., Los Angeles Co., and parts of Orange Co. Also, the development patterns here have allowed for the persistence of native vegetation on slopes around Mission Valley, along I-5 north of Mission Bay, and along I-8, as well as SR-67 and SR-52.

Because we have such varied topography, we also have a variety of vegetation communities; the patterns and texture of the vegetation are strikingly different depending on where you are. Following adequate rainfall seasons, the vegetation may appear quite vigorous with new growth that fills in gaps created by long, dry summers and falls.

One of the most distinctive vegetation communities in terms of color, texture and patterns is pure Coastal Sage Scrub, Diegan Coastal Sage Scrub: Artemisia californica, Eriogonum fasciculatum, and Rhus integrifolia vegetation.