Parry's larkspur ~ 06/09/11 ~ Pinnacles

best guess Parry's larkspur
best guess Delphinium parryi ssp. parryi
Ranunculaceae

Since I'm looking at larkspurs anyways, thought I'd post this slightly fuzzy pic of another flavor. Why is it that whenever I want to get a pic of a flower, the wind suddenly picks up? I'm making my best guess on the ID based on the lateness of bloom in June and the narrow leaves. Again with these dark blue Delphiniums, the other possibility is zigzag larkspur (Delphinium patens ssp. patens).

western larkspur ~ 06/09/11 ~ Pinnacles

western larkspur

Delphinium hesperium ssp. pallescens
Ranunculaceae

This is the first time I've ever seen a wild white-colored Delphinium. The pink undertones are best seen in shadow as opposed to full sun. Absolutely beautiful!

pipestem ~ 06/09/11 ~ Pinnacles

pipestem / chaparral clematis
Clematis lasiantha
Ranunculaceae

Cool, eh? I had absolutely no idea what this was and wasn't sure where to start looking for an ID. The leaves reminded me a little of poison-oak, but I knew it wasn't that. Based on the shiny and leathery looking leaves and thinking it was a shrub or tree of some sort, I looked at pictures of all the trees and shrubs found in the Pinnacles area. No go.

So, I asked myself, me of very little botanical knowledge, "What does this look like?" Well, it looks like a Dr. Seuss character. I got a hint by searching online for "Dr. Seuss looking tree flower." No, seriously, this is how I found a picture titled Dr. Seuss flowers with a description of clematis seed heads. Bingo!

It's a vine that used a dead tree as support. With a check of the Pinnacles plant list, I discovered there are two species of Clematis, the other being western virgin's bower (Clematis ligusticifolia). Due to the more compact leaf shape and the fact this was found nowhere near a stream, I picked pipestem for the ID above. Please note both species of Clematis have common names that readily apply to other plants, such as the pipestem found in southeastern U.S., Agarista populifolia.

Oh! Getting back to Dr. Seuss, I was curious to know which character had the fuzzy top. Out of several, I decided the chaparral clematis silky seed plumes look a lot like Truffula Trees from The Lorax. How did I not read this book as a child? Sigh... I usually avoid linking to sites that obviously violate copyright, so I am conflicted about including links for those like me who have not heard the story of The Lorax. However, considering there are thousands and thousands of sites that include images and text which have nothing to do with Dr. Seuss, here are three links to this wonderful environmental story ahead of its time: text, video, and blog entry.

Parry's larkspur ~ 06/02/11 ~ Fort Ord

best guess Parry's larkspur
best guess Delphinium parryi

Ranunculaceae

This is my best guess of a deep blue-colored larkspur ID. There are 2 subspecies listed for Fort Ord, D. parryi ssp. maritimum and D. parryi ssp. parryi. Goodness knows who can tell the difference between Delphiniums, which readily hybridize.

columbine ~ 05/30/11 ~ at home

crimson columbine
Aquilegia formosa
Ranunculaceae

I was given this columbine from a friend who in turn had received several as a gift in memory of her mother. I believe it was grown from seeds collected from wild growing columbine at Rocky Creek down the coast. Since recovering from my illness, I have been into surrounding myself with living things. Before I only had a jade, a geranium, and a plethora of poorly cared for spider plants on our north facing balcony. Now, I have purchased my first 6-packs of easy-to-grow plants like alyssum, lobelia, and dusty miller. I'm such a novice at growing outdoor flowering plants that I hope I can keep this columbine going for its lifespan of 3-4 years (according to Paghat's Garden). I plan to collect seeds and continue this plant on my balcony garden. Can anyone give me advice on where to cut for deadheading? Plus, I'd like to transplant this to a larger pot. Maybe I should wait until it is done flowering?

ps 09/22/11 - I want to note that in the last week, this plant has started a fresh batch of blooms.

best guess zigzag larkspur
best guess Delphinium patens ssp. patens
Ranunculaceae

Here's my heart photo (in response to a comment made by Jeannette of Bread on the Water)... The first time I heard the word Delphinium was several years ago when a good friend from college asked me to do her summer wedding flowers. I am by no means a florist, gardener, or an expert in anything botanical, but she gave me a wonderful gift of special memories. We poured over flower books for months beforehand, calling and e-mailing, picking good color combinations and shapes of flower arrangements. The day before her wedding we visited the Columbus, OH morning flower market to haul buckets and buckets of flowers home. I spent an exhausting 28 hours straight prepping and arranging roses, delphiniums, bells of Ireland, and numerous other flowers in the cool of her basement. However, she insisted on making her own wedding bouquet. After I noticed she was too busy accommodating her guests, I made a bouquet for her as a just-in-case and hid it in the fridge. She was in tears as she was desperately trying to get ready for her wedding ceremony and never got around to making her own bouquet. I said, "Never fear, my dear." Then, I showed her what I made for her all wrapped up neatly in a large satin ribbon. She burst into more tears. While I understood her appreciation, I hadn't meant to cause her more tears... plus, her eyes would be puffy for photographs. That moment was one of my favorite memories of a friend, gifts to each other of the heart. Thank you, Paula.

So, onto the ID stuff... This is my best guess. The other possibility is the Parry's Larkspur (Delphinium parryi ssp. parryi). Delphiniums are nowhere to be found on the 2006 CNPS plant list for Garland Ranch. It's thanks to my handy-dandy, brand new Wildflowers of Garland Ranch - a field guide by Michael Mitchell and Rod M. Yeager that I could even begin to narrow down the 57 species and subspecies of Delphiniums found in CA and 22 found in Monterey County alone. It's not a terribly uncommon flower at Garland as I have photos of this beautiful purple from past anniversary hikes, unfortunately not posted on Nature ID. I usually associate delphiniums with Pinnacles National Monument where some years they grow in impressive patches along the little creek. I was surprised to discover this flower is related to the buttercups.

California buttercup
Ranunculus californicus
Ranunculaceae

The first buttercups I've seen this year. It's a cheery little flower. There is a tiny Diptera in the second picture, and you've got me if you can ID it.

in honor of the crappy photo blog

columbine

I have been trying for over a year to get a decent picture of columbine to post to Nature ID. No can do. Maybe the funny angles of this flower keep the camera from auto-focusing properly. Or maybe its tall stalks wave too much in the slightest breeze?

One of the earliest nature blogs I found was the Crappy Photo Blog. I loved it for its honesty. Don't we all have crappy photos? It's too bad they haven't posted anything in months.

blue-eyed grass & California buttercup
Sisyrinchium bellum & Ranunculus californicus
Iridaceae & Ranunculaceae

I've never before seen so much blue-eyed grass on any of my hikes. It's too bad we didn't capture a photo that shows the proliferation at Garland Ranch. It may have actually outnumbered the vetch on the mesa. On the trail up past the waterfall, we found a small stand of blue-eyed grass which had unusual spiky petals (see second picture above); I wonder why that happens.

CA buttercup ~ 03/14/09 ~ Fort Ord

California buttercup
Ranunculus californicus
Ranunculaceae

I can't tell from this pic whether there was a sheen to the petals. I'm not absolutely positive about this ID since there seems to be so much variation among CA buttercups.