Ring Mountain

On April 11th, our class visited Ring Mountain in Marin County. Ring Mountain primarily consists of serpentine grasslands. The hillsides host an abundance of wildflowers such as California poppies, tidy tips, and California goldfields. A number of rare and endangered flora exist on Ring Mountain and there have been various efforts to preserve these species.

Smooth Western Morning Glory (Calystegia purpurata) is a vining perennial with long shoots emerging from a woody base. It belongs to the Convulaceae (Morning Glory) family. The Smooth Western Morning Glory is endemic to California and grows in coastal scrub and the chaparral of coastal and inland valleys. The leaves are triangular in shape and have a deeply chordate base. The flowers are radially symmetrical and have 5 white, fused petals that form a funnel. In the center there are 5 anthers that surround a central stigma. Additionally, like other members of the morning glory family, its seeds are psychedelic.

Sky lupine (lupinus nanus) is an annual herb which belongs to the Fabaceae family and is native to western North America. The stem of the sky lupine is pubescent. As is characteristic of the Fabaceae family, its individual flowers consist of a banner, two wings, and a keel. The flowers are violet-blue in color; the center of the banners are white. The flowers are attached to the stem by pedicels (ranging from 2.5 to 7 m) and the inflorescences consist of flowers arranged in a whorl. It commonly grows on slopes in open or disturbed areas below 1,300 meters. Additionally, the sky lupine typically blooms from March to June.

Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a perennial herb native to temperate regions within the Northern Hemisphere. The leaves of yarrow are cauline and are alternately arranged. The leaves are often bipinnate but can be tripinnate occasionally, making them appear fern-like. The inflorescence is made up of 4-9 phyllaries (bracts) and contains ray and disk flowers. The ray flowers are ovate-round and white and the disc flowers are tubular and cream-colored. Common Yarrow grows in many habitats but is most common in disturbed soils of grasslands and and open forests. Generally, they are very attractive to butterflies. Additionally, common yarrows often vary in polyploidy.

Trip Summary: Overall, this trip was a beautiful one that featured a ton of wildflowers, rocky outcrops, and spectacular views. The only thing that put a damper on the trip was the non-stop wind. It was one of the rare times where the weather had been nice all week but then took a turn during our field trip (usually it is the other way around). However, we can’t have it all and at the end of the day, it builds character (or so I’m hoping). A morale boost came in the form of a huge rock, which we couldn’t help but climb. I’m genuinely surprised the wind didn’t knock any of us over while climbing or descending the rock but I’m very grateful at the same time. Some unexpected views we came across were those of the castles the rich people of Tiburon reside in. We came across a car with a “USC Dad” sticker on the window which felt pretty ironic considering the recent USC scandal.