Live Oak Camp

We recently attended a gathering of our motor home club at Live Oak Camp.  Live Oak Camp is just east of Lake Cachuma in California.  Here are a few images I captured at that time.

Checkerbloom or Checker Mallow

(Sidalcea ???)

This Oak Titmouse seems to be saying

"Are you looking at me?"

This Western Bluebird posed long enough for me to get a shot.

This Red-Shouldered Hawk appears to have some feather damage on its right wing-tip.

Drum Canyon Road

Another place that is usually a good location to see spring wildflowers is along a little country road called Drum Canyon Road.  Recently a local photographer friend emailed that there were still flowers along this road.  This reminded us that we had not driven that road this year, and gave us a good reason to do so.

We saw many Farewell-to-Spring, Botta's Clarkia or Punch Bowl Godetia.

(Clarkia Bottae)

The wild mustard had really taken over some of the fields.

Well named Caterpillar Phacelia.

(Phacelia cicutaria)

This Tacky Phacelia was growing out of an old pipe.

We had seen another Tacky Phacelia growing out of the same pipe in the spring of 2005.

(Phacelia viscida)

Bush Monkey Flower

(Mimulus aurantiacus)

Just a lttle seed-puff highlighted by a spot of sunlight.

Buttercups

(Ranunculus californicus)

California Thistle

(Cirsium occidentale)

Spring mix. 

Purple Sage

(Salvia leucophylla)

 

Spring Wildflowers - Part X

After returning home, on April 19th we made a return trip to Figueroa Mountain to see what the wildflower status was.

At the lower elevations, there was a lot of Wild Mustard in bloom.

(Hirschfeldia incana)

As we started to climp the mountain, we saw quite a bit of Hummingbird Sage (aka Crimson Pitcher Sage or Crimson Sage).

(Salvia spathacea)

Sacred Datura or Jimson Weed

(Datura wrightii)

Lanceleaf Liveforever or Southern California Dudleya.

(Dudleya lanceolata)

This time the Mariposa Lilies were blooming.

(Calochortus catalinae)

Common Monkeyflower, Yellow Monkeyflower or Seep Monkeyflower.

(Mimulus guttatus)

Wild Onion

(Allium fimbriatum?)

Miner's Lettuce

(Claytonia parviflora)

The Bush Lupines were just starting to really bloom.

Another Mariposa Lily.

(Calochortus catalinae)

I've admired this old oak tree for quite a while.  I finally stopped and got a picture of it.

Spring Wildflowers - Part IX

After leaving the Death Valley area, we headed west on California Highway 58.  This route would take us back past the northern end of the Carrizo Plains and past other areas known for spring wildflowers.

As Highway 58 climbed up over the Temblor Range, we again found hillsides painted with color.

White Tidy Tips

(Layia glandulosa)

Purple Nightshade

(Solanum xanti)

We took a quick drive back into the northern end of the Carrizo Plain to see what had changed during the week since we had last been there.

We found Fields filled with Tidy Tips.

And fields that were just palettes of different colors.

One flower that we had not seen during our earlier visit was Recurved Larkspur or Byron Larkspur.

(Delphinium recurvatum)

We also stopped at the intersection of Highway 58 and Shell Creek Road.  This is a another well known location for spring wildflowers.
This image contains Tidy Tips, Owl's Clover and Goldfields.

The Panamint Daisy

The Panamint Daisy (Enceliopsis covillei) is a rare perennial that is endemic to the Death Valley area, found primarily on the western slopes of the Panamint Mountains.  This plant tenaciously inhabits rocky hillsides with a high alkali content.  The flower heads can be up to 5 inches across on 12 to 20 inch stems.