Wildflower Watch by Joan Linn Bekins
Elephant seals, gray whales and wildflowers await at Point Reyes
Point Reyes offers wildflowers, as well as elephant seals on the beach and gray whales offshore. It's worth the drive.
By JOAN LINN BEKINS ·
Silver lupine among the wildflowers in bloom at Rodeo Beach
Silver lupine enriches the soil by holding atmospheric nitrogen and nurtures a relationship with other flora.
By JOAN LINN BEKINS ·
Rushing waterfalls can be found as close as Mill Valley
Now is the time to savor the abundant rushing waterfalls in Marin. The easiest one to view is Cascade Falls, close to downtown Mill Valley. Just stay on Throckmorton Avenue and you will come to a small parking area. From there, it is a gentle uphill climb to the falls. The trail is somewhat rocky, and be aware of tree roots that cross the trail. The Cascade Falls are lovely, tucked into the fragrant redwoods. There are green ferns of all varieties, shapes and sizes to admire. Stop, breathe...
By JOAN LINN BEKINS ·
Be on the lookout for eye-catching mushroom
Calling Amanita muscaria “eye-catching” is an understatement. This mushroom sports a bright red cap with small white spots, called warts. It can be seen in various shades of red, as well as orange and lighter colors. Highly toxic, it is found under planted trees. It favors fir, spruce, birch and pine and is commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita. The season for fruiting varies in different climates. Fruiting occurs in summer and autumn across most of North America, but later in...
By JOAN LINN BEKINS ·
Stunning deciduous redwood can be found in Ross
We are fortunate, indeed, to have a colorful, stunning example of a living fossil species —the dawn redwood tree. It is deciduous, while other redwoods do not drop their leaves and needles or turn colors. A visual feast of autumn-red needles on this tree awaits you at the Marin Art and Garden Center in Ross. Enter through the main black iron gate and walk on the path toward the nearby white gazebo. Look to the right of the gazebo, and there it is. You will be looking at the dawn redwood, an...
By JOAN LINN BEKINS ·
Harvey’s Garden blooms at Blackie’s Pasture thanks to volunteers
A lot is happening right now in Harvey’s Garden at Blackie’s Pasture. Dazzling colors of a variety of flowers are attracting bees and other insects, and the UC Masters Gardeners and other community volunteers are on their knees tenderly caring for this small plot of land that brings joy to many hikers and cyclists every day. Woolly yarrow, Achillea tomentosa, blooms in dense small canary-yellow clusters at the tops of soft, feathery gray-green foliage. It thrives in full sun. A native to...
By JOAN LINN BEKINS ·
The bird’s-eyes gilia may be California’s prettiest native
I can’t think of a prettier California native wildflower than this one! Called bird’s eyes or bird’s-eyes gilia, the Gilia tricolor displays bold colors — pale blue or violet flowers with baby blue stamens, contrasted with a yellow throat decorated with purple spots. It is an annual herb with a long blooming season and is cultivated all over the world, endemic to California. You’ll see it in Marin as well as many other counties. The plant grows on slopes, Sierra foothills, woodlands and...
By JOAN LINN BEKINS ·
Pride of Madeira traces roots to Portuguese islands
A very showy purplish-blue conical shaped flowering plant, pride of Madeira, Echium candicans, joins other show-stoppers from its native Madeira, a Portuguese island group off the northwestern coast of Africa, just 320 miles from Morocco. The region is called Macaronesia. The Palheiro and Madeira botanical gardens in Funchal on Madeira feature a stunning variety of flowers including Strelitzia, the official flower of Madeira, a native of South Africa that we call Bird of Paradise. You’ll also...
By JOAN LINN BEKINS ·
Watch for signs of spittlebugs on walks or in the garden
Whether on a hiking trail or in your garden, you have probably seen small white sticky, frothy masses on plants. These are the bubble homes of spittlebugs, related to aphids and cicadas in the order of Hemiptera, identified by botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. On a recent hike on Mount Tamalpais, I noted healthy young coyote bushes on both sides of the trail. At a distance, they appeared to be covered with small white flowers. A puzzle — this couldn’t be. On closer examination, I discovered...
By JOAN LINN BEKINS ·
Footsteps of spring in bloom on Ring Mountain
Now is the time to hike into our Tiburon hills and explore serpentine flowers — being sure, of course, to keep your fair distance from fellow hikers and sightseers. Some of these evolutionary adaptive flowers are in bloom now. You’ll see footsteps of spring, or Sanicula arctopoides, sometimes called bear’s-foot sanicle. For the complete story, pick up this week's edition of The Ark on newsstands or SUBSCRIBE NOW for home delivery.
By JOAN LINN BEKINS ·
There’s much to enjoy at the San Francisco Botanical Garden
Take advantage of a warm clear day and drive across the bridge to Golden Gate Park’s San Francisco Botanical Garden for a relaxing day of sights, sounds and scents. Magnificent magnolias are in bloom through March. Whether they’re pink blossoms, white tulip-shaped or cup-and-saucer shaped, they’re a feast for the eyes. For the full story, pick up this week's edition of The Ark on newsstands or SUBSCRIBE NOW for home delivery
By JOAN LINN BEKINS ·
Herb native to California has more than 200 species
Phacelia is an herb native to California and is confined to the western part of the U.S. It is a genus that has more than 200 species in the order Boraginales. Clusters of phacelia flowers range in lovely colors from pinkish blue to various shades of lavender and purple. Most are annuals. In Marin, the most common and widespread is P. californica, found on gravelly slopes, rocky outcrops of ocean bluffs and sides of steep canyons. Watch for them in Tiburon, on Angel Island, on Mount Tamalpais...
By JOAN LINN BEKINS ·
Look for lupine, elephant seals at Chimney Rock in Point Reyes
The color of the lupine in green fields and grasslands at Chimney Rock seem to reflect the blue sky. Add orange poppies and yellow buttercups and you have an exquisite, colorful landscape. Hiking trails from the ridge offer spectacular views of Drakes Bay, the coast, elephant seals and birds. (Joan Linn Bekins photo / For The Ark) For the full story, pick up this week's edition of The Ark on newsstands or SUBSCRIBE NOW for home delivery.
By JOAN LINN BEKINS ·
Purple irises signal spring at Abbotts Lagoon in West Marin
If purple irises make you smile, head out to Abbotts Lagoon. Wild Iris douglasiana is in bloom all along the walking trail. The spring sunshine and the color purple will have you joyfully hopping along, like the small brown rabbits you may see on the way to the sand dunes. Sparrow birdsong is in the air, so bring binoculars and a bird book. Watch for osprey overhead. For the full story, pick up this week's edition of The Ark on newsstands or SUBSCRIBE NOW for home delivery.
By JOAN LINN BEKINS ·
