June 25, 2018

NEW
– American speedwell is growing in a seep with a lot of Horsetail below Amaranth.
– American trailplant is blooming in the woods.
– Purple clarkia is blooming in the meadow on the Red Plum trail.
– Coyote mint is blooming in meadows up on the ridge.
– Harvest brodiaea is blooming in the lower meadows above the Homestead Trail.
– Helebore, an orchid native to Eurasia, is blooming in forests.
– Rosilla is blooming with its backwards facing yellow fringe is blooming along the creek between 11 and 12.
– Skunkweed is blooming lavender in the meadow below Homestead Hill.

Forests
Starting
– California coffeeberry has small clusters of white flowers. This waxy leaved shrub is a common presence in the forests.
– California honeysuckle, a vine, climbs shrubs and trees and blooms with pink flowers.
Peaking
– Alum root with its froth of dainty white bell flowers is blooming in forests.
– Forget-me-nots, native to Europe, is one of our most successful invaders. Easy to pull, easiest to identify when it’s flowering, so pull it then.
– Hedgenettle, a tower of purple flowers, is in the mint family. This grows all over in Homestead.
– Manroot, a native vine with large maple-shaped leaves is blooming white as it climbs.
– Ocean spray, a shrub with soft wavy-edged leaves has cones of bright white frothy flowers.
Fading
– Common snowberry, a shrub with pink flowers.
– Fairy bells cream flowers hang below the leaves of this woodland plant.
– Fringe cups has lovely lobed foliage with its fringed flowers on a tall stalk.
– Redwood sorrel is blooming near the redwood in the sliver of Land Trust between 435 and 441 Laverne.
– Star flower has dainty pink flowers and blooms in forests.
– Thimbleberry, a shrub with soft maple-shaped leaves blooms in forests with a flat white flower.
– White flowered onion*, edible and native to the Mediterranean, is blooming in wet spots with its white cone flowers. Pull it up by the roots if you can.
– White hawksweed with its white flowers is blooming in forests.
– Wood sweet-cicely’s small white flowers fade to form long edible seed pods.
– Wood rose blooms bright on rangy rose bushes in the forests.

Forest edges
Starting
Peaking
– Creeping snowberry’s small pink bell flowers are blooming in the forests.
– Featherweed has a brown tufted center flower with silver furred leaves.
– Sticky monkeyflower is blooming orange on bushes in meadows. It will bloom throughout the summer heat when its dark leaves will become sticky.
– Wavyleaf soap plant blooms with open white flowers at the end of a long stalk.
– Woodland strawberry blooms in sun, will persist for months in different habitats as they warm.
– Yerba buena, has small white flowers on this delicate creeping plant.
Fading
– California blackberry is blooming with paper-white flowers, on a thinner, trailing vine than Himalayan blackberry.
– Figwort, a great plant for insects blooms with a small maroon flower.
– Purple woodsorrel, native of South Africa, blooms with a magenta flowers.

Meadows
Starting
– Bluff lettuce, a succulent with a red stalk and yellow flower is blooming on sunny rock faces.
– California everlasting with its white paper-like flowers blooms in meadows.
– California poppy, one of the longest bloomers, is bright orange in meadows up on the ridge.
– Common yarrow with its white cluster is blooming up on the ridge.
Peaking
– Cow parsnip with its large white umbel is blooming in meadows and oak woodlands.
– Field madder, native to the Mediterranean, is one of the very small flowers in the grass of meadows.
– Ithuriel’s spear with its rich blue bell flowers is blooming in meadows.
– Lance leaf selfheal with its velvety tower of purple flowers is blooming in bright meadow areas.
– Naked buckwheat has tight pink flower clusters and blooms in meadows.
Fading
– Buckeye trees with their long cluster flowers are blooming now. Upper Laverne is lined with them and will be a tunnel of flowers soon.
– French broom, native to the Mediterranean, is one of our most aggressive invaders and also one of the easiest to pull.
– Narrow leaved clover, native of Eurasia, has a large clover flowers tipped in pink.
– Purple western morning glory is blooming in meadows.
– Scotch broom, native to Western Europe, one of the most aggressive invaders of our meadows is blooming with its yellow pea flowers. Pull it before it goes to seed if you can.
– Shamrock clover, native of Europe, has pretty yellow flowers.
– Short podded mustard, native to the Mediterranean, has small clusters of yellow flowers on long stalks. In the mustard family, the flowers are delicious.
– Silver lupine is blooming purple in bushes up on the ridge.

Key to map:
I haven’t located plants on on the map if they are very prolific. Find them by their habitat.

Gallery of wildflowers and plants found in Homestead.

*Non-native

Share this: