The Piñon

Note: This article was first published in the Torreyana. The writer, former TPC director and treasurer Donna Close, is moving to Bend, OR this summer. We will miss her contributions and are very grateful for all the time, treasure and talent she gave to TPC.

Have you ever received a gift that consisted of multiple boxes you had to keep unwrapping until you finally got to the bottom? This is how the plants in the Reserve have responded to getting more than 18 inches of rain from December through May.

The previous two years had little rain, and the plants seemed to have rushed to flower and seed all at the same time with very little new growth. They survived by dropping leaves and waiting out the hot summer and fall until the first rains would arrive. This year has been one of the most spectacular I have witnessed in 13-plus years of hiking the trails. The plants have responded to all the rain
and cool temperatures with tons of new growth, spreading out the bloom season so they weren’t competing with each
other for pollinators. I wish I had taken a photograph each month to capture the evolving show of blooms over the park’s vistas.
After the rains arrived in December, the wild cucumber sent out its long stems and draped itself over everything in its path. The spice bush (bush rue) seemed to have multiple bloom periods. January rains continued the awakening of long-dormant plants. Miner’s lettuce was growing in large patches in places I had never noticed before. Three varieties of lupine could be seen springing up on the trails. Even more amazing: In mid-January we saw a large influx of American Robins move into the coastal areas, feasting on available berries and staying for weeks. The first hint of an unusual flower year was the large population of pepper grass growing in open spaces along the park road and trails. Chamise was the first plant to make a statement, blanketing the scenery with snowy white as far as the eye could see. (These are now slowly turning brown and will be providing a wonderful harvest for the birds throughout the fall and winter.) At the same time, the bedstraw was blooming, throwing in some creamy white and yellow to compete or complement the chamise. Remnants of those blooms are still visible on the plants. June brought us the flat-top buckwheat, with white flowers and hints of pink. The harvester ants can be seen moving these seeds around, hopefully developing into even more plants next year. Laurel sumac waited until warmer temperatures to leaf out, and their Christmas tree-shaped
flowers are now competing with toyon blossoms for “Best in Show” on the mesa. (The toyon will provide a wonderful
display of red berries come late fall/early winter.) Bush poppies are still blooming along the park road across from the Guy Fleming trailhead and up the stairs of High Point along with the red-orange flowers of the southern pink. Guy Fleming has always been the trail with the greatest flower show. This year was better than ever with its everchanging display of showy plants. Milkmaids appeared dotting the hillsides of the lower park road and all along the shaded area of the trail. These along with the vines of the wild cucumbers took advantage of the first rains. Next, the common phacelia leafed out, and purple flowers dusted the hillside. Adding to the display were the goldfields, California poppies, tidy tips, sun cups, ground pink, groundsel, and white popcorn flowers. Sea dahlias were blooming from the top of the hillside all the way down to the park road. Blue dicks were growing in mass, and Nuttall’s snapdragons shot up to heights I have not seen before (a few are still hanging on to their flowers). This was the year of the lupine. Large patches of collared lupine were seen along the west side of the Guy Fleming Trail, at Whitaker Garden, and at the bottom of the Beach Trail. The California poppies were putting on their own show, especially on the south-facing slope of the trail. The lance-leaf dudleyas are growing in bunches all along the east-facing side of the trail, with their red-orange flower stalks adding a burst of color. As the spring bloom was starting to fade, the yellow pincushions took over the west hillside. I don’t recall ever seeing the pincushion from top to bottom. The white flowers of three-spot have claimed the slope closest to the south overlook, and the bird’s beak is still growing along the trails, barely starting to bloom. Razor Point put on its own display of flowers. The yellow flowers of the Weed’s mariposa popped out first along this trail, with yellow-faced bumblebees busy pollinating them. There are groups of mariposa along the lower park road, and here and there on other trails. Del Mar sand asters have reached heights not seen previously, with beautiful gray foliage and dusty pink flowers now showing off along the edges of the trails. The pink splendid mariposa seemed to favor the Beach Trail for its biggest display, which started blooming in late April. It’s curious that they don’t bloom at the same time as the Weed’s nor in the same places. A hike onto the Broken Hill overlook offers you a display of amole (soap plant), whose wavy leaves have died back after sending up stalks of small flowers at least two to three feet tall – not just a few plants but hundreds of them. Turkish rugging, which I had seen only once over the years, was covering large parts of the entrance to the overlook, competing with the hot pink of the canchalagua. Skunk weed, with its distinctive smell, provided splashes of purple along the Broken Hill Trails and park road. Johnston’s honeysuckle was flowering along the North Broken Hill Trail, more so than I have ever seen. Beautiful globes of goldenstar could be seen poking out from the shrubs along the lower switchbacks of Broken Hill.
While this was a banner year for some plants and annual flowers, I noted that others appeared not to like the abundance of water or the late warming of soil temperatures. Blue-eyed grass, purple nightshade, and golden yarrow appeared, but not as abundant or as long lasting as in previous drier years. I have enjoyed every moment I have spent hiking the trails over the years. There is always something new to discover in the Reserve, and the scenery is always evolving. Take a walk and enjoy all its treasures.