Field Journal Entry#9 Ring Mountain

Ring Mountain Preserve Tiburon, CA

Coordinates: 37.9099° N, 122.4858° W

Ring Mountain is an open area with serpentine grassland located in the Marin County, California. The trail consists of grassy slopes with many different wildflowers such as poppies and goldfields, and other short shrubs. There were many giant rocks on the trail almost remind me of Stonehenge. Some part of the trail got little muddy but overall it was good. Serpentine grassland holds extensive amount of wildflowers during the spring that we all enjoyed walking through.

Calystegia purpurata

Calystegia purpurata, also known as smooth western morning glory, is a part of Convolvulaceae family. It is perennial herb from woody caudex, glabrous, often glaucous. The stem is trailing to strongly climbing less than 7m. The leaves is triangular to reinform. It is a funnel shaped flower. The lobes are spreading, 2-tipped with sinus V-shaped. The inflorescence is peduncle 1,5 flowered. The flower has sepals about 7-14mm, corolla 23-52mm, and white or cream.

lupinus nanus

lupinus nanus, also known as sky lupine, is a native annual plant that is part of fabaceae family. The petiole is roughly 2-8.5cm, leaflets 5-9mm, 1-12mm wide, occasionally linear. The inflorescence consists of 2-20cm flowers generally whorled, penduncle 2-15cm, pedicels 2.5-7mm and bract 4-12mm. The flower is 6-15mm, upper deeply lobed, and blue or lavender petals and the center of the banners are white. It usually live in open or disturbed areas less than 1300m elevation. The flowering time is around March to June.

Achillea millefolium

Achillea millefolium, also known as Common Yarrow, is a native perennial herb that is part of Asteraceae family. The cauline leaves are alternate, divided finely 3-pinnate. The inflorescence is consists of phyllaries 4-9mm. The ray flower is white about 2.4-4mm, ovate to round. The disk flower is white about 15-40mm, corolla 2-3mm. It lives in many habitats such as disturbed grasslands less than 3560m elevation. The flowering time is between April to September.

Narrative:

We left the parking lot around 1 pm and it took about half an hour to get there. The reserve was open grassland area that consists of variety of wildflowers and Stonehenge around the trail. It was a beautiful area except it was cloudy with very very strong wind. I thought if we were there at the right time, the view would be unbelievable. It was so windy and everyone had hard time listening to Dr.Paul and taking picture of the plants. The wind got little better after an hour or so. We also took picture at the top of the giant rock mountain. I realized that serpentine soil holds extensive amount of wildflowers during the spring and overall we enjoyed the trail.

Additional photos:

Milk Thistle, part of Asteraceae

Purple Vetch, part of fabaceae

False Babystars, part of polemoniaceae

Field Journal Entry#8 Edgewood Par

Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve

10 Old Stage Coach Rd, Redwood City, CA 94062

Coordinates: 37.4732° N, 122.2782° W

Edgewood County Park and Natural Preserve is a 467-acre protected area located in San Mateo County and is best known for its spring wildflower displays. It has variety of habitats of woodlands, coastal shrubs, wetlands and grasslands perfect for hiking or walking dogs. There were great amount of poison oaks on the side of the trail that had to be looked out for. The overall trail difficulty was moderate since there were some big slopes in between. There were great amount of new flowers we learned at this field trip. The tidy tips, pineapple weed, blue eyed grass, shepherd’s needle were some of the flowers we have encountered.

 

Layia platyglossa

Layia platyglossa, also known as Tidy Tips, is a native annual wildflower that is part of the Asteraceae family. This plant was mostly found in grasslands. The habit is decumbent to erect, glandular, not strongly scented. The stem is not generally purple-streaked. The leaves were linear to lanceolate or oblanceolate, proximal lobed. The inflorescence was peduncle less than 13cm. The flower is yellow inside and white on the perimeter. The fruit is glaborous or sparsely hairy. It lives in the elevation less than 2000m. The flowering time is between Feburary to July.

 

Matricaria discoidea

Matricaria discoidea, also known as pineapple weed, is a part of Asteraceae family. The stem is generally branched from base. The leaves is glabrous and sessile. The inflorescence is having heads generally 1cm diameter shatting at maturity. It has 1-2mm corolla, and fruits narrow brown glands extending to bottom of fruit. It lives in elevation less than 2250m. The flowering time is from February to August.

Scandix pecten-veneris

Scandix pecten-veneris, also known as Shepherd’s needle, is a nonnative that is a part of Apiaceae family. Their leaves are parallel with petiole about 2-10cm. The blade is 2-10cm, 1-5cm wide. The inflorescence is penduncle about 1-6cm, lance-linear to obovate, ciliate. The fruit is wide and rounded that has body about 6-15mm, 1-2mm wide. It lives generally in grassy slopes or roadsides elevation around 15-1000m. The flowering time is from April to June.

Narrative

We left on time around 1pm at the parking lot. This field trip was quite a drive that it took longer than the others. There was a giant hill right at the beginning of the hike that completely burned my thighs. There were many poison oaks on the side of the trail, so we managed to stay inside of the trailroad. We saw many wildflower plants that we haven’t seen in the previous field trips. My favorite one was the pineapple weed because it really looks like a mini pineapple. That was the first time that I actually agreed on how they named the plant. I wish the weather could be better since it was cloudy all the time.

 

Striped Coralroot, part of Orchidaceae

Field Madder, part of Rubiaceae family

Winter Cress, part of Brassicaceae family

Lupinus albifrons, part of Fabaceae

 

Field Journal Entry #7 Marin Headlands

The Marin Headlands Sausalito, CA 94965

coordinates: 37.8262° N, 122.4997° W

The Marin Headlands is a hilly peninsula at the southernmost end of Marin County California. It is located just north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge. This place has beautiful view of Golden Gate Bridge and downtown skyline. The trail was not very hard, but it had some incline and long zigzag trails. This was where the filed quiz was taken so it wasn’t easy for me to take time and look around. The variety of plants such as lupinus, coffeeberry, and other flowering plants were there living in habitat of grasslands and coastal scrub.

Nemophila menziesii

Nemophila menziesii, also known as baby blue eyes, is a part of family Boraginaceae. It is a native plant with opposite leaves. The blade is linear-oblong to ovate with lobes around 5-13mm. It has entire or 1-3mm toothed. The inflorescence is pedicels 20-60mm and less than 70mm in fruit. The flower is calyx lobes 4-8mm, corolla 5-20mm wide with bowl shaped to rotate. The flower is bright blue in the circumference and white center generally blue-veined or black-dotted.

Franciscan Paintbrush

Franciscan Paintbrush is a native plant that is part of Orobanchaceae. It is very noticeable with the bright vibrant red petals. It is a bilaterally symmetrical flowers that has short axillary shoots in the stem. The leaves are lanceolate about 30-80mm and inflorescence is open and has bracts that are entire with the bright red tips on the petals.

Erythranthe guttata

Erythranthe guttata, also known as yellow monkey flower, is a native plant with ovate to round leaves. The leaves are abruptly reduced on distal stem. The inflorescence is raceme, generally flowers, and bracts ovate to cordate, not glaucous. The flower is open and calyx about 11-17mm, and asymmetrically swollen in fruit. They commonly live in wet area generally terrestrial.It lives at elevation less than 2500m.

Narrative:

We left the school at 1pm and arrived in 20minutes. It was a field quiz day and I was keep looking at notes on the way. It was surprising that the weather is good, despite the fact that it was raining all week. We looked at about 55 species (including the bonus questions) and got out little early about 30minutes. It started to rain again right after we arrived at school.

Additional photos!

Harlequin Flower, part of Iridaceae

Lupine, part of Fabaceae

Fringe cups, part of family Saxifragaceae

Field Journal Entry #6 San Bruno Mountain State and County Park

San Bruno Mountain State Park
Brisbane, CA 94005
Coordinates: 37.6969° N, 122.4338° W

San Bruno Mountain State Park is a state park located in northern San Mateo County, California. It is adjacent to the southern boundary of San Francisco and borders the cities of Brisbane, South San Francisco. The trails is suitable for hiking, walking dogs, and jogging. The mountain area uphold a grassland habitat. It offers the beautiful views of Pacific Ocean and the downtown skyline. There were radio broadcast towers at the top of the trail. We were able to see many beautiful species especially flowering plants since flowers started to blossom this month. Franciscan wallflower was one of the memorable plants in this trip.

 

Salvia spathacea

Salvia spathacea, also known as california hummingbird sage, is a part of family Lamiaceae. It is native perennial herb, mat-like, and hairs wavy. The leaves are about 8-20cm and the blade is oblong. The inflorescence is clusters less than 6cm wide, and green to purple bracts between 1.5-4cm. The flower is calyx about 1.5cm to 3cm, upper lip generally entire, and corolla tube about 25-35mm. It generally lives in common, oak woodland, chaparral, coastal-sage scrub. The flowering time is around March to May.

Ceanothus thyrisflorus

Ceanothus thyrisflorus, also known as blueblossom is a native evergreen shrub that is a part of the Rhamnaceae family. This plant is mat-like to erect and the stem is spreading to erect. The leaves are green and alternate, stipules are scale like. The blade is about 10-40mm, oblong to ovate or widely elliptic. Its inflorescence is generally raceme or panicle like about 1.5-7cm. The flower is vibrant light to deep blue.

Erysimum franciscanum

Erysimum franciscanum, also known as Franciscan Wallflower, is a native plant that is part of family Brassicaceae. The plant with four petals in a cross shape has yellow-shite color flowers. The flowers are arranged in a raceme inflorescence and its leaves are simple and alternate. This is endangered plant but we were lucky to see this plant multiple times during the hike.

Narrative

We departed right on time around 1pm at the parking lot. It took about 25minutes for us to get there with not much of traffic. The hike was overall easy to moderate. It was good to see plants we saw in the previous hikes since it was a good review for our field quiz. The most plant family we saw was apiaceae, boraginaeceae, and brassicaceae. One of the memorable plant I found out in this hike was Franciscan Wallflower. The shape of the 4 petals with beautiful white yellowish color made me to keep looking at it. It was sad to hear that this is currently endangered plant. The best part of this trip was In n Out. This was the reason why I took this class! It felt more amazing after the workout.

More plants!

Leucanthemum vulgare, part of family Asteraceae

Sidalcea malviflora, part of Malvaceae

Calandrinia menziesii, part of Montiaceae