March 23, 2013 - Olsynium douglasii, grass widow

Wildflower Walk March 23, 2013, Saturday

Out about an hour and a half. Took about 95 images. 45 keepers. Some ‘keepers multiple use of same image.

New bloom, Olsynium douglasii, grass widow. First found 12 days later, last year, April 4, 2012 but almost the same day, March 22 the year before, 2011.

I didn’t see this patch last year. Perhaps they are always earlier. I haven’t noticed any O. douglasii foliage elsewhere. But I didn’t look for it in familiar places today.

Draba verna, spring whitlow grass is everywhere. They are lining the curb on Euclid. I attempted photos including the curb for location but the photos are bleached. I don’t know why.

Lomatium gormanii, salt and pepper too, are everywhere. It seems like there are more this year but I don’t trust that memory of years past.

I wondered if the early buttercups, here, were Ranunculus glaberrimus ver. Ellipticus as they are said to prefer higher elevations and, perhaps, higher latitudes. If they like it higher maybe they like it cooler and bloom earlier than var. glaberrimus.

I managed only further confusion. The early plants this year often have elliptical leaves but leaves on the same plant, while elliptical, will have the notches of R. glaberrimus var. glaberrimus.

This year’s early R. glaberrimus plants seem to have cauline leaves often.

I checked the rocks near south pond for their Draba verna and they seem to be few.

I saw lots of red foliage but it didn’t seem to have the distinctive pointed shape of Draba verna. I’ll know more when I blow up the images.

Montia linearis, narrow leaf miner’s lettuce, hasn’t done much. A little.

I believe I saw a lot of Camassia quamash, common camas foliage developing.

I went looking for the blossoming Lomatium macrocarpum, big seed biscuitroot I saw last outing. I failed to find it for awhile.

A young man on a bicycle stopped and we chatted awhile.

Grant Cummings came over to say hello. He must have seen my car parked across the street from his house. I had lost my wool scarf. He found it and returned it to me.

The wind had been a dull knife sawing my bones walking from my building my car but there was only a breeze in the park and I was over dressed. The thick wool scarf fell from the side pocket on my vest.

Grant said he had an Olsynium douglasii blossoming in his yard. I had not seen any in the park at that time but I did see a scraggly patch, later.

I wanted to show Grant the blossoming Lomatium macrocarpum, in part, because it looks a little strange to me. But I hadn’t found it yet. I had not been looking far enough off the trail.

Later, on my second trip up and down the main trail looking for them I noticed the twigs of willow and dogwood that I had photographed last outing so I knew the phantom L. macrocarpum was nearby.

The lower leaves of the Lomatium triternatum, 9 leaf biscuit root, that were just emerging from sheathing last outing were well developed.

I noticed the scraggly little patch of Olsynium douglasii, about half a dozen perhaps protected by the low branches of a small Pinus ponderosa on my way back to the car. One of the blossoms was completely withered so I suppose they have been in bloom for awhile.

I didn’t photograph budding on shrubs today but I did notice that the little Physocarpus malvaceus, mallow ninebark was budding.

The south pond has considerable water in it but it is way down from last year.

The north pond has only small puddles of open water. It’s mostly dry.

The photos:

Lomatium Gormanii, salt and pepper

110-190

Ken Swedberg says Lomatium gormanii has paired ovaries. 120 seems to show a couple of florets with paired ovaries and two styles serving them.

110

120

130

140

150

160

170

180

190

Ranunculus glaberrimus maybe var. ellipticus, maybe not, sagebrush buttercup

210-280

I’ll try to pay attention, next outing, to the ‘lacquered’ petals. I wonder if they will be associated with elliptical leaves.

210

220

 230

240 9 petals not the frequent 5 petals.Ken Swedberg has counted 14 petals. Some times many petaled plants grow in patches.

250

260

270

280

Draba verna, spring whitlow grass

310-340

323 and 326, same image, cropped, show red basal leaves of spring whitlow grass. I expected them to be red, early and green later because I had read that red leaves protected the plant from cold and other drought conditions. But the leaves seemed to be greener last outing. I saw none this red.

I see in 323 some that are ‘hairy’ and some smoother than I have noticed in the past.

The white structures on the moss seem to be ‘different’. I need to read about mosses … someday.

310

320

323

326

330

340

Camassia quamash, common camas

410-420

I assume these are C. quamash from their location. This area will be thick with them later.

It seems something has been browsing C. quamash foliage.

410

420

Montia linearis, narrow leaf miner’s lettuce

510-520

Not much is happening. I see something emerging from a sheath. 

510

520

Lomatium macrocarpum, big-seed biscuitroot

610-697

610 a young plant

620-630 A more typical plant with buds.

640-697 The plant that seems anomalous.

610

620

630

640

650

660


670

675

680

685

690

695


697

Lomatium triternatum, 9 leaf biscuitroot

710-720

The leaves that were emerging from sheathing last outing are more prominent.

710

720

Olsynium douglasii, grass widow

810-840

One blossom is shriveled so this plant has been in bloom for awhile. I didn’t look for foliage earlier in the day, but none caught my eye … none forced itself on my attention.

810

820

830

840