Date: May 7th, 2023

Location: Mount Tamalpais at Ridgecrest Blvd

Coordinates: 37.848763 (North), -122.6373709 (West)

Description:  We returned to Mt. Tamalpais for another eventful field trip, stopping at a different trail that was lower in elevation. This location is closer to Mill Valley in Marin county and proved to be a challenging hike on hills and valleys. Habitat of the region is composed of redwood forests, oak woodlands, open grasslands, and chaparral. Dominant animal species in the area included mountain lions, deer, coyotes, and foxes.

Plant Descriptions and Images: 

Family: Orobanchaceae, Genus & Species: Pedicularis densiflora (Warrior’s plume)

This species is a deciduous perennial herb characterized by hemi-parasite roots, short stature, and soft- to coarse-brown stems with hairs. Leaves produced on the plant are green, simple, and fern-like with an alternate growth pattern. Specifically, these leaves are doubly toothed to lobed and appear in a lance-oblong shape. The inflorescence is a dense, spike-like raceme that produces more lower bracts compared to flowers. Each flower has straight, club-like petals that are a deep red to red-purple in color and are generally minutely hairy. The upper lip of the petals are longer and hooded, while the lower lip is shorter and equally lobed.

Family: Iridaceae, Genus & Species: Sisyrinchium bellum (Blue eyed grass)

This species is a perennial evergreen herb characterized by rhizome roots, leaves with parallel venation, and a clump-forming growth habit. Stems on the plant are generally tufted and usually only produce one leaf-bearing node. The leaves that grow from these nodes are a gray-green color, are simple with an alternate growth pattern, and are linear with entire margins. Since this plant is a monocot, the leaves are narrow, long, and sword shaped with a glabrous surface. Inflorescences of these plants are umbel-like with translucent margins of inner bract wider just below the tip. When the flowers bloom, they appear as six-stellate flowers clumped together. Colors of these flowers range from blue to violet to white and have tips that are truncated to notched. Individual flowers only live one day, but are produced in great quantities.

Family: Orobanchaceae, Genus & Species: Castilleja foliolosa (Woolly paintbrush)

This species is a deciduous perennial herb characterized by semi-parasite roots, a lack of chlorophyll, and many felt-like hairs on the stems that are white to gray in color. Stems sprouted from this plant are short with axillary shoots present. Similar to the stems, the leaves are white or gray in color and are reduced to fleshy scales. These leaves are generally simple with obtuse tips and grow in an alternate pattern. Inflorescences of this plant are spike-like with lobed bracts that are an orange-red color. Flowers that make up these inflorescences are a similar orange-red color, are puberlent with pale margins and have a shorter lower lip.

iNaturalist Submissions:

1. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/165110147
2. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/165110339
3. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/165110576

Narrative:

Today was my final makeup field trip with my dad. The ride back up to Mt. Tamalpais was long, but by now I was enjoying longer transportation rides. When we got to the site, there were two entrances that led to the trail, so similar to San Pedro Valley Park, we just picked a random one. While walking through the woodland, a theater company was practicing Into the Woods in a giant amphitheater. It was very funny to me that they were singing “into the woods” while we were walking into the woods. The music was nice to listen to while my dad and I were searching and identifying plants. However, we were only able to find a few plants by eye in the couple of hours we were there. Many of the plants were no longer blooming, so it was harder for me to identify them with the seek app. Overall, it was good practice and nice to get some fresh air after spending so much time studying for classes.