Went up about 500 feet to get a picture of the closed basin
(probably formed by tectonic activity along the 3-4 geologic faults that
run through it) that I’m living in for the summer. You can see San
Gorgonio mountain in the back (with snow).
As I climbed over hillsides of decomposing quartz monzonite (a type
of granite), I came across some plants that had retained some of
yesterday’s 1.5 inches of rain.
Raindrops on Lupine:
Evening Primrose (Oenothera californica):
Some other plants I encountered on the hike ...
Rose Sage (Salvia pachyphylla) - notice the bee?
Curl-Leaf Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius var.
intermontanus) The white wisps are the flowers When wet, the
resulting linear seeds auger themselves into the soil (like Stipa
grasses do).
Beavertail Cactus (Opuntia basillaris var. basillaris) This
cactus definitely prefers south-facing slopes.
Sierra Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis var. australis)
Pinyon Pine (Pinus monophylla) This is the only single-needle
pine in the world.
Locoweed (Astragalus lentiginosus var. sierrae) [Chris
Trammel and Justine Wilson took this photo]
Yarrow--pink form (Achillea millefolium)
Coyote Tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata)
I’m fairly certain that this is the poisonous Letharia columbiana
lichen…
Juniper Mistletoe (Phoradendron juniperinum)
Veiled Polypore (Cryptoporus volvatus) I think this is the
only fungus in the world that protects it’s spore-bearing pore layer
with a sheath. It relies on beetles to bore their way through the
membranous veil, allowing the spores to then disseminate into the air.
Chopped up, this fungus makes a decent
tea.
Stone Age Skills
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