piperia ~ 07/25/10 ~ Huckleberry Hill

light colored orchid likely Yadon's
CNPS 8th Edition Inventory
Orchidaceae

Huckleberry Hill was the first place that I ever saw Yadon's piperia. It helps tremendously for ID to have numerous yellow flags with a labeled digital picture, complete with scientific name and common name. The plastic flags themselves serve as great hiding spots for spider egg sacs. I wish I had taken a picture. Interestingly enough, there was a chicken-wired orchid on the Presidio side of the fence. We wondered what it was, but couldn't get close enough to check it out. We may never know. Obviously, somebody is studying these orchids, but I wouldn't know who or where to go for this information.

ps - 07/27/12 - Vern Yadon confirmed to me that the later flowers tend to be much paler than the early flowers, even though I've seen both versions on this same day at multiple locations.

wet, drippy fog

Huckleberry Hill
July 19, 2010

Sometimes my camera simply does its own thing. Yes, this is a color photograph and has not been altered in any way. I was trying to get a habitat shot of the Monterey pines on Huckleberry Hill here in town. The fog was so thick and heavy up there that it sounded like it was raining.

Yadon's piperia ~ 07/19/10 ~ Huckleberry Hill

Yadon's rein-orchid

Piperia yadonii
CNPS 8th Edition Inventory
Orchidaceae

This is a federally endangered species. We visited Huckleberry Hill June 2, 2010 and the only evidence of this orchid at the time were numerous flags and signs. I don't know what the leaves look like, but I got down on my hands and knees and searched all around several flags for anything green. Really, the only things growing in this 30 yard stretch of path were rattlesnake grass (Briza maxima), an unidentified single-stem legume, bushes I believe are Eastwood's manzanita (Arctostaphylos glandulosa), and Monterey pine (Pinus radiata). Thanks to Native Orchids flickr post of another Piperia, I suspected Yadon's might be blooming now and went on an orchid hunt instead of my usual early morning walk.

Bingo! It's not a very big plant, maybe 8-14" tall and would be very easy to overlook. My photos look nothing like a particular photo used on both Wikipedia and CalPhotos.

It was interesting to note that more than half the flags seemed to have blooming orchids nearby and a smaller number of blooms had no flag at all. I also found a couple orchids eaten down to the stems or pulled up from the roots.

I rarely go out looking for something this specific, but I'm glad I did. Vern Yadon (yes, the same for whom this orchid is named) states there are 14 orchid species, with 7 being Piperia, in Monterey County.

ps 08/26/11 - Ha! Looks like the picture used for both Wikipedia and CalPhotos was incorrectly identified. Phew! No wonder I was so confused when first looking at this orchid. I've already contacted the owner of the picture to see if he can get it placed properly online.

pss 12/30/13 - The California Department of Transportation has requested permission to use my first photo above on a vista viewpoint interpretive sign.  Cool!

habitat ~ 06/02/10 ~ Huckleberry Hill

Huckleberry Hill
June 2, 2010

What the heck does a huckleberry look like? I still need to look this up, because we kept making guesses with each vine or shrub we encountered figuring the hill was named for a reason. I would have just as easily named the place Monterey Pine Hill. According to an interpretive sign, this is one of the largest remaining native Monterey Pine forests in the world. I think "native" is the operative word in this impressive description. I'm tempted to lump this place with Del Monte Forest, but I'll continue with my previous location rules and specify by route of access.

There's a little section behind the Presidio with a bunch of yellow flags labeled with endangered species. It wasn't until we walked a little farther when we found the Yadon's piperia (Piperia yadonii) signs, but no evidence of the actual orchid.

Btw, those stairs are much easier to take coming down than going up!

acmon blue ~ 06/02/10 ~ Huckleberry Hill

acmon blue
Plebejus acmon

This is one of my better butterfly pictures and had to post. It's a sweet little butterfly which tends to hold still long enough for me to get the camera out. I like the iridescent blue spots and the seemingly snobby upturned nose. For something so small, it's got presence and stylish attitude.

ps 06/21/10 - There's a possibility that this is a lupine blue (Plebejus lupini). I certainly can't tell the difference just by looks from the underside. I believe (and I could be wrong), that we have both species flying locally this time of year. Glassberg notes that these two species may be one and the same.

pss 05/0514 - I originally posted this as acmon blue (Plebejus acmon) and have changed the ID above to lupine blue.  I've been in discussion with Paul Johnson at Pinnacles about these two look-alike butterflies, and I'm posting this with his permission.  So often one can only get a clear picture of the underside of the hindwing, because of the way these small butterflies like to perch.  His idea is that the metallic scales are different colors in each species.  I've looked at a ton of online photographs, and based on his idea, I've decided the following for my blog IDs:
gold-greenish = acmon: see Bill Bouton's 2008 photo
silver-bluish = lupini:  see Ken Kertell's 2009 photo

Therefore, the above should be lupine blue, like the color of the flower.  This idea has yet to be tested.

pss 06/13/14 - Wishy-washy.  I've decided this has to be acmon... small dainty dots and fresh June appearance.  Maybe the color of scales may not be reliable across locations?  For reference, lupine blue, Plebejus lupini, (Shapiro and Tenney).

20 guesses!

Huckleberry Hill
June 2, 2010

I challenge anyone to provide the posted name for this odd contraption!
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OK, I'll accept one guess. Here's the answer: Wildlife Guzzler. The name made me laugh; I pictured a group of deer kicking back with a case of beer and having a party. 550 gallons is a lot, isn't it?