Xasáuan Today

The Carmel River’s last major tributary, Garzas Creek, flows through Garland Regional Park.

Here’s some of what’s currently blooming along the creek and on the trail to the top of Vásquez Knob…

Giant Trillium (Trillium chloropetalum).

Woodland Star (Lithophragma affine)

Toothwort (Cardamine californica) visited by a mystery butterfly. Toothwort is currently blooming pretty much anywhere there’s shade.

Common Linanthus (Linanthus parviflorus)

Stinging Phacelia (Phacelia malvifloria)

Fuchsia-Flowered Gooseberry (Ribes speciosum)

A diminutive Cream Cup (Platystemon californicus)

Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii) catkins

Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)

Johnny Jump-Ups (Viola pedunculata) near the top of Vásquez Knob

View of Carmel Valley, Monterey Bay and the Santa Cruz Mountains from Vásquez Knob. Vásquez Knob, by the way, was apparently named, not for the famous Tiburcio Vásquez, but for his big brother, Antonio María Vásquez, who appreciated the view enough to make his home on the Knob.

Madroño (Arbutus menziesii) blossoms

Hairy Honeysuckle (Lonicera hispidula)

Coast Paintbrush (Castilleja affinis)

Field of Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon clevelandii)

Common Fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii)

More Shooting Stars

Blunt-Leaved Lupine (Lupinus truncatus), which prefers Baja and Southern California, reaches its northernmost limit in the Monterey Bay area. Who knows, though. With the climate getting warmer, it may soon be taking up residence north of the Golden Gate.

Fiesta Flower (Pholistoma auritum)

Dwarf Ceanothus (Ceanothus dentatus)

California Buttercup (Ranunculus californicus)

Silver Lupine (Lupinus albifrons)

California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) and Owl’s Clover (Castilleja exserta)

Lots of poppies…

Ocean Spray (Holodiscus discolor)

Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum)

Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterophylla)

Baby Blue-Eyes (Nemophila menziesii)

Hill Star (Lithophragma heterophyllum)

California Saxifrage, which has now been kicked out of the Saxifraga genus and has become Micranthes californica.

Coast Larkspur (Delphinium patens)

Wild Cucumber (Marah fabaceus)

A faded Shooting Star.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 7th, 2015 at 6:15 pm and is filed under Carmel River, On Foot, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.