habitat ~ 02/28/14 ~ SFB Morse Botanical Reserve

SFB Morse Botanical Reserve

February 28, 2014

posted 03/03/14 - Rain.  Lots of rain.  Rivers of rain.  Yay!  I got totally soaked, and I loved it.  And, great rumbling thunder, too!... erm, okay, it was a little scary under the towering, swaying Monterey pines.  I've been coordinating another excursion with a fellow blogger, but then it occurred to me that I don't have to drive 2 hours north in order to hike in the rain.  It only takes 10 minutes up the hill by car to get to the end of a PG road where I park.  Then I walk into Pebble Beach to avoid paying the toll road fee ($10!) to get to Del Monte Forest Conservancy property.  Andy regularly runs through here from home.  I should visit more often.  This SFGate article mentions obtaining a "Pebble Beach Nature Trails" map from the local hotels; I always wondered about the colored trail markers but had no idea how to obtain information.  This location includes the surrounding Huckleberry Hill Natural Habitat Area with a cute pygmy Gowen cypress forest.  I  have plenty of IDs to post from this amazingly diverse location, which is being actively managed.  Hopefully, at some point I'll add the details later.  But, for now, I'm off on another adventure...

Yadon's piperia ~ 04/18/13 ~ Huckleberry Hill

 Yadon's rein orchid
Piperia yadonii
CNPS 8th Edition Inventory
Orchidaceae

posted 05/23/13 - "Please watch your step. Those are Yadon's you're treading on."  So said my veteran CNPS guide. Really!?!  I've only ever noticed these when they're blooming in late July and early August and the leaves are completely gone.  I had no idea when the leaves were actually out; they look just like the exotic orchids I have as houseplants.  Once again, I'm noting this location is not Monterey City's Huckleberry Hill Nature Preserve where I first saw Yadon's.

lots o' lotuses ~ 04/18/13 ~ Huckleberry Hill

Bentham's deerweed / Bentham's lotus

Acmispon cytisoides (formerly Lotus benthamii)

Fabaceae

round-leaved Heermann's lotus / woolly lotus

Acmispon heermannii var. orbicularis (formerly Lotus heermannii var. orbicularis)

Fabaceae

rush lotus (more pictures)

Acmispon junceus (formerly Lotus junceus)

Fabaceae

harlequin lotus / coast lotus / witch's teeth

Hosackia gracilis (formerly Lotus formosissimus)

CNPS 8th Edition Inventory

Fabaceae

stipulate lotus (more pictures)

Hosackia stipularis (formerly Lotus stipularis)

Fabaceae

Oy!  The 2nd edition Jepsons Manual released last year with its classification overhaul has thrown everyone for a loop, from the reliable memories of old-time native plant folks to the extensive databases of Jepson eFlora, Calflora.org, and CalPhotos.  The embedded links I've included in the names above were a little challenging to track down.  Lotus had most plants split off into Acmispon (deerweeds) and Hosackia (lotuses).  I wouldn't have attempted this post if I hadn't had the expert guidance of an experienced local CNPS member pointing out all these plants to me.  Our local chapter president asked me to accompany this fellow and make a record of what and where he collected for our annual wildflower show.

Speaking of where, my new location label of Huckleberry Hill Natural Habitat Area, which is managed by the Del Monte Forest Conservancy in Pebble Beach, is not the same as my previously featured Huckleberry Hill Nature Preserve, which is managed by the City of Monterey. While these two locations are only across Hwy 68 from each other, I think I see slight differences in habitat resulting from different historical land uses.  For those who live around here, this location is what's better known as the "quarry entrance" off Holman Hwy.

acacias ~ 03/04/12 ~ SFB Morse Botanical Reserve

prickly Moses / star acacia
Acacia verticillata
Fabaceae

Sydney golden wattle
Acacia longifolia
Fabaceae

prickly Moses (left shrub) and golden wattle (right tree)

everblooming acacia
Acacia retinodes
Fabaceae

Wow, I didn't know there was such a variety of acacias. Usually when I see the prolific bright yellow blooms, I'm speeding down a highway, like Hwy 1 from Watsonville to Santa Cruz and Hwy 68 from Monterey to Salinas. During this hike, I noticed the leaves and blooms were very different shapes, so I took pictures. All these trees and shrubs featured here are native to Australia.

When I saw my doctor last month for a check-up, he blamed the acacia trees for my runny nose. I'm not sure that's entirely correct, since right along the coast where we spend most of our time, there are no acacias that we've seen. The nearest one is at the Pacific Grove Golf Course a mile away. I'm guessing my and Andy's late January to early March allergies are due to the Monterey pine.