Wildflowers - you have to know where to look

[woodsorrel]

Hi Everyone!

Can millions of years of geology create wildflowers? In California it can, and it does!

When people think about California geology, they think of earthquakes. But did you know that this same geology creates stunning wildflower displays?

There has been some debate in the US about whether people are already seeing signs of spring. In California we definitely do, and I've got the photos to prove it!

The trick to finding wildflowers near me is to find serpentine rock. Serpentine is created when heat and water alter igneous rock (like basalt) on the ocean floor. There are patches of it in the mountains where I live. While most soils have calcium but little magnesium, serpentine soils are high in magnesium but have little calcium. So generalist plants that try to grow on serpentine soils are poisoned by the magnesium. This creates a niche where native plants can hold their ground against invasives. And many of the native plants are beautiful wildflowers!

On this hike, I also saw my first bald eagle's nest and a rare butterfly.


I put the whole lot of pictures online for anybody interested in learning about species.


- Woodsorrel

 

[nic a char]

Interesting - in Scotland look up: the Geopark, Ben Lawers, and west coast/island machair

 

[woodsorrel]

Interesting - in Scotland look up: the Geopark, Ben Lawers, and west coast/island machair

Thanks, nic a char!

I had never heard of a 'geopark'. I searched online and found 6 in California. It turns out I visited one (by accident) and it was amazing. So I will have to seek out the others.

- Woodsorrel

 

[rorymax]

Nice pics Woodsorrel, be almost a shame to walk through that, but it would be a great walk.

 

[Harvestman]

Fantastic display of flowers. What a sight that must have been.

Here in the UK there are clear spring signs, and the spring flowers are out in increasing numbers, and I'm starting to get flies, bees and spiders with some regularity now.

 

[xylaria]

Your meadows look amazing.

My list of things I do before I die is stand in a sequoia forest, when I do I will time it for your meadow season. I know scotland has serpentine meadow. The north isles of the shetlands had some awesome flower meadows, california is probably quicker to get to.

 

[xylaria]

What are the yellow composite (daisy) flowers?

Do they have any medical properties? Like flea repellant or wound healing.

 

[woodsorrel]

What are the yellow composite (daisy) flowers?

Do they have any medical properties? Like flea repellant or wound healing.

xylaria, here is a link to the fully annotated pictures.


http://www.natureoutside.com/wildflowers-of-the-serpentine-realm/


The yellow flowers are named Goldfields (Lasthenia sp.). They live up to their name!
I do not know of a medicinal use for these flowers. But I do have a picture of soaproot in the bunch, along with a list of its many uses. I also have some shots of Mules ears (Wyethia sp.) and plan to write an article this summer on how to use them for food.

- Woodsorrel