more newly bloomed species...

  

Now that the red maids and red-stemmed filaree are blooming like mad, there are two new species to add to our list of bloomers.

1. popcorn flower (a.k.a. Plagiobothrys spp.)

Just noticed this blooming yesterday.

2. and a mystery flower.

It's a tiny bloom, so you really need to click on this to see it at all... I'm not sure I've even consciously noticed it before. First saw this about 4 days ago.

Working on i.d.s for these, will keep you posted re: what I determine.

1st thing Jepson's* says about identifying Plagiobothrys (there's many species in California) is it's essential to have the nutlet (the seed). Jepson's, typically, is scrupulously efficient in its language, so confirming my suspicion that they mean what they say, the page where many of the different species are drawn, in many cases, the only thing drawn is the nutlet.

Ah.

Guess I gotta find a nutlet, or wait for one to mature.

=)

Next I will share pics from yesterday re: disturbance-loving flowers (and cool bugs therein), and muse on disturbance-loving species--and my tiny (and presumed) role inadvertently aiding, through tromping around for lizards, a plant species so rare that Jepson's lists it as "PRESUMED EXTINCT."

biobabbler

* within the pages of biobabbler, "Jepson's" always refers to "The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California" edited by James C. Hickman. I have the 1993 edition. It's a MAJOR reference for biologists with an exceedingly robust reputation. A smidge over 1400 pages. A truly amazing resource.