This gallery contains 8 photos.
Another Mount Lassen wildflower/shrub photographed in Lassen Volcanic National Park in California: Shasta knotweed (Polygonum shastense) is an inconspicuous plant. Climbing up Mount Lassen I noticed these native perennials while looking around as Leonard was studying some rock samples. The … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
In my previous post (see “Manzanita Leaf Fungus” on 08-20-2019), I discussed a manzanita (Arctosstaphylos ssp) gall caused by a fungus. An aphid, the manzanita leaf gall aphid (Tamalia coweni), also induces galls on manzanita shrubs. T coweni has an … Continue reading
This gallery contains 3 photos.
There are more than 50 species of manzanita (Arctostaphylos ssp) in California alone. Two agents induce galls in manzanita species. Exobasidium vaccinii, a fungus, is one of these agents. E vaccinii induces swollen, convex, bright red galls on the dorsal … Continue reading
This gallery contains 6 photos.
Leonard loves fruit pies. So when he noticed the desert gooseberries (Ribes velutinum) in the lanes between our pastures were ripe, he picked enough of the berries for a deep-dish pie – a feat in itself since desert gooseberries are … Continue reading
This gallery contains 7 photos.
Sadler oaks (Quercus sadleriana) are often an understory species beneath conifers but can grow on sunny, dry ridges and serpentine soils. Their range is approximately the same as the Brewer’s spruce (Picea breweriana) discussed in my previous post (07-14-19 “Brewer’s … Continue reading
This gallery contains 9 photos.
Sticky monkeyflower (Diplacus aurantiacus) grows on rocky slopes, disturbed areas, coastal cliffs and canyon walls below 3,000 feet in California and Southern Oregon. This hardy plant even thrives on nutrient-poor, serpentine substrates. While hiking the Enderts Beach Trail south of … Continue reading
This gallery contains 9 photos.
Most people have heard of purple sage. Even as a native Pennsylvanian, I read Zane Grey’s Riders of the Purple Sage in my youth. However, when I first encountered Salvia dorrii, it was introduced to me as desert sage. I … Continue reading
