Better get out now because my prediction is that it's going to be a short bloom this year!
Bc
Just a quick post. Hiked the north half of Santa Teresa County Park on Saturday. The best spring wildflowers to date. Lots of California poppies and large patches of yellow mustard. In addition many large patches single and multi-colored ground cover. Of particular note a huge hillside of white groundcover on the Vista Loop and multi-colored slope on the Bernal Hill Trail.
Better get out now because my prediction is that it's going to be a short bloom this year! Bc
0 Comments
I just got back from a killer hike in the north end of Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Quite a bit of color spread out over the park. Though still in the beginning stages it was still really nice. Lots of yellows, oranges and purples. No photos yet as I haven't gotten around to editing them yet but check back in a day or two. I also will try to get a page up for this hike.
You can access the section of the park I was in from Whispering Pines Entrance (take McAbee Rd off of Almaden Expressway and McAbee dead ends into Whispering Pines and the entrance is right there). I ended up doing an 8+ mile hike, when at the last minute I decided to include a trip to Provedencia Pond. It was well worth it not so much for spring color but for the sounds of the ponds creatures against a background of peaceful silence. For those of you not up to an 8 mile hike there are plenty of cut-offs you can take that allow you to customize your hike to a smaller distance (I think the shortest loop would be around to 4.5 to 5 miles or so. You download maps from the County Park website or view the map on my Almaden Quicksilver County Park Page (links to the Counties sit are there) If you are comfortable with single track trails cut into the hillside I highly recommend using the New Almaden Trail rather than the Mine Hill Trail Of course with the spring wildflowers the butterflies (and other insects ) are out. I saw three different species, though identifying them was a problem as they were all those little ones that just seem to flit about all the time and hardly ever land. bc Hiked at one of my new favorites spots today, Calero County Park. This is from a trail system kind of on the backside of the park. while still a bit sparse there are definitely signs of Springs arrival. The photos are from the the Serpentine Loop, Bald Peaks and Canada del Oro Cut-Off Trails.
Normally I start with the left fork of the Serpentine trail but did the whole thing in reverse this time starting with the right fork. It's amazing how different things can look just seeing them from the opposite direction. Try it sometime. Another interesting thing was on my starting fork (the right one) as it ascends in the shaded sections I was amazed at the variety of newly sprouting plants. I guess when you see them full grown the number of plants is kind of los (the big ones overshadow the smaller ones maybe?). But since they are all now about the same size you can see them all and it makes for some really gorgeous textures. Still no huge solid displays of color but some larger sparser patches here and there that still looked pretty good to my "tired-of -seeing-brown" eyes! You can see all of my photos including the ones I took today at my photo site at www.LCPhoto.SmugMug.com. Here's a link to the the gallery of the photos from this trail including the shots I took today. http://smu.gs/14lGyln bc I generally do my grocery shopping by incorporating into one of my "hiking days". I've found a great route that takes me along a stretch of the Guadalupe River Trail and then weaves through a quite neighborhood before ending up on some busy city streets.
Some California Poppies were starting to show up here and there on the River Trail. However I was reminded that it can also be a good place to see the effects of Spring in the yards of nearby neighborhoods as things spring back to life and begin to bloom. I even saw some early blooming roses (they have more sunlight than I do!). I did see the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile parked in front of Safeway which conjured up all kinds of childhood memories. Bottomline spring is beginning to happen so if you've been waiting to start your hiking now is a great time even in your local neighborhood! bc I headed out to an old standby today, The Los Alamitos Creek Trail that starts at Almaden Lake. It's within walking distance from where I live so it's a great fall back strategy for when I need someplace quick to get my hiking done. Though it's still a bit early for much action in the Wildflower department there was at least the beginnings of some flowering visible. I spotted a few California Poppies but most prominent was the yellow mustard plants. Several ground covers were also beginning to show their tiny flowers in yellow, oranges and purples. Grasses were beginning to sport their feathery seed heads. One of the things I've always liked about early spring is all the trees that are sprouting new leaves and everything returning to spring green. Something about this revival of growth is very invigorating to me. It still remains to be seen how dramatic a spring we get this year. I'm a bit worried because of the lack of rain but only time will tell. Strangely one of the best overall flower displays I've seen is a vacant lot next door to the Safeway at Almaden and Chenowyth/Cherry. It's a huge lot covered in yellow mustard. If you are in the area it's worth a cruise by look. bc Unfortunately as of Thur. 3/21/134 I walked by this field and they have mowed down the majority of the mustard. There is still some standing at the very back of the field (back by the tree line in the photo) but it's not that impressive anymore. bc I've been thinking about entering the world of blogging for a while now and finally decided to give it a shot. I'm not sure how avid I'll be about it so we'll see how that pans out. Given that it is closing in on Spring and in the Bay Area that means the appearance of wildflowers in many hiking locales, I thought it would be apropos to have that be the topic of my first post. I got out yesterday for a great hike at Santa Teresa County Park and, though nothing too spectacular is happening there in the wildflower department, there are a few California Poppies popping up here and there. Some of the ground cover is also sporting the beginnings of some flowering. I also spotted a few Irises though they looked a bit worse for the lack of recent rainfall (some March - April rain/showers would sure help). Additionally some of the trees, such as the California Laurel pictured, are also starting to flower. In fact virtually all the deciduous trees are starting to show definite signs of life with buds and leaves sprouting. Of course, overall, everything is turning green with the grasses in full growing mode, though some winter brown still shows. That said, all indications are that Spring has Sprung! The Wildflower season can be a fickle thing to catch so post your Spring Flower sightings here so we can all get out to see them. |
AuthorAn avid hiker, photographer and general observer of the universe. Archives
July 2015
Categories
All
|