Wildflower of the Week: Scarlet Bugler

May 16, 2012

Scarlet Bugler (Penstemon centranthifolius) blooming on the lower slopes of Devil’s Peak in the Ventana Wilderness.

Attention-grabbing stalks of Scarlet Bugler are currently blooming throughout the drier and hotter parts of the Santa Lucia Mountains, making it a natural choice for Wildflower of the Week. Read the rest of this entry »

1 Comment | Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by xasauan

White Redwood Resurrection

May 15, 2012

For many, many years the banks of this precipitous South Coast stream were the home of the tallest white redwood (that we knew of anyway) to be found anywhere in the Santa Lucia Mountains. We’re not going to take sides in the argument over exactly how tall it was. Estimates range from 30 to 50 feet (which may have to do with the uppermost portion dying off somewhere along the line). Either way, this was a white redwood of genuinely tree-like proportions. A far cry from the more typical white redwood shrubs and saplings. Read the rest of this entry »

3 Comments | Big Sur, Plants, Santa Lucias | Permalink
Posted by xasauan

Wildflower of the Week: Douglas Iris

May 3, 2012

Douglas Iris (Iris douglasiana) on Skinner Ridge. Read the rest of this entry »

3 Comments | Big Sur, History, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan