On the sad occasion of the passing of Scott Peden on Dec. 5, 2016, we recall our first email exchange with Scott, who whipped out this dazzling response to a simple question relayed to him by Park Ranger Jodi Apelt (thanks, Jodi!): what flowers might readers of Hilltromper expect to see on Scott's December wildflower walk through Waddell Creek? As we quickly learned, to Scott there were no simple questions about nature and no short answers, either. We loved that about him and will miss the knowledge, kindness and enthusiasm of this gentle, fascinating man with the haircut of a biker, the mind of a scientist and a heart of pure gold. —Dec. 15, 2016
Subject: question for Scott Peden
Date: 11/20/13
Traci,
Here is a list of the flowers I'd expect to see, with some explanations.
This is not all of the flowers and plants, just the most common ones found
in Dec.
This starts off at the beginning of the Skyline to the Sea trail across
from the Waddell Beach parking lot, and the first .75 miles always has
lots of flowers in bloom one wouldn't expect to find elsewhere.
Coastal Buckwheat
Fuzzy seed heads of the Coyote Brush should still be visible, sometimes
looking like snow on a bush.
Marsh Baccharis, Baccharis glutinosa with its closed white fuzzy flower
heads, the annual relative of the Mule Fat, Baccharis salicifolia in Ano
Nuevo, and a close cousin to the Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis.
at all locations that has some moisture and sun
Coffeeberry, both flowers and immature berries
Lizard Tail, almost always, some of these yellow flowers can be found
amongst the silvery gray foliage.
Western Morning Glory, a vine with pointy leaves, if it has sun and
water, it will bloom. dark veining to the folds of the flower.
Our Fall Colors really start off with the red berries and very toothed
edge leaves of the Toyon, California's State Shrub, also called Hollybush.
Hollywood derives it's name from this. It is also known as California
Christmas Shrub or some variation of that.
Hairy Honeysuckle and its red berries.
Poison Oak leaves, they can range from a dark green, to bright veined
yellows to scarlet leaves, depending on how much cold or frost touched the
leaves and broke the cell walls, allowing the chlorophyll, which gives it
the green color, to drain out. then they are bare stems, which is the
reason 80% of all Poison Oak Cases are reported in the winter.
Poison Oak seeds, look like miniature white pumpkins, they gain this
appearance about Halloween so I call them Ghost Pumpkins, and they persist
till the birds have eaten them all, it's an important winter source of
food for the residents as well as the migratory birds. Watch for birds in
the Poison Oak thickets!
There are yellowish green Lichens in abundance hanging form the trees.
Look closely, this variety is Ramilina menzies, Lace or Fishnet Lichen,
and is flat and has holes in it, the only lichen in our area that has this
feature. Once you enter the Redwood mixed forest you might start seeing
Usnea, a different lichen hanging form the trees, this one is round. A
very rare form of Lichen in our area is Old Methuselahs beard, and looks
like tinsel hanging from a Christmas tree, and is in fact what use to be
used in Germany as the initial tinsel. (some of this in in Fall Creek in
Henry Cowell, some is in Blooms Campground area)
Nightshade, we have Four varieties I'm aware of, and any or all might be
present. Both flowers and berries are persistent in this area year round.
The most common are the small flowered nightshade, and the Douglass or
woodland Nightshade, then Purple nightshade, with a small chance of seeing
Blue Witch! Each nightshade (including tomatoes, potatoes and peppers)
have a gold center but the pattern on the flower petals of each variety is
different, stop and take a notice. Blue Witch has much larger flowers,
which are purple, with green dots, and it is more of a vine usually
unnoticed vine, then a small annual bush.
Wood Ferns, heavy with ripe Sori if you look under the broad triangular
fronds. The leaves are rounded at the tip like a butter knife with 3-5
hairs on the tip.
California Polypody. This is my first sign of the hot dry season leaving,
they will put out new fronds a week after the first usable amount of
moisture, sometimes weeks ahead of the mushrooms, and they dry up and
disappear as the lat bit of moisture goes away.
Sword Ferns, with thier sharp pointy eneds like a steak knife, and the
'hilt' to the leave at the stem are now abundant as we enter the forest.
Live forever succulents are once again visible, they don't seem to stand
out in the dry season but are full of water and glisten now.
Toothwort, or Milk Maids should be about the time you see your first
Redwood trees. The lower leaves are shaped like molar teeth, upper leaves
on the flowering stem (which is a separate stem from the larger round
leaves) look like eye teeth, except on the Milk Maids they will have 3
large bumps like a cows teats. Beautiful Syrphid flies like to hand out in
these, as it is to cold for flower scents to travel, instead when brushed
they create heat!
California Newts, and Banana Slugs if it's not to cold for them, yet damp
enough, as well as pollinators like the small though colorful yellow and
black Syrphid flies/Bee mimics.
Both Bay Tree, California Nutmeg and California Buckeye's might have their
rounding to droop shaped seeds on the road.
Yellow Bush Lupine is bound to be in bloom.
Bolanders or Pacific Pea may also already be in bloom.
Above Twin Redwoods I'd expect to find Fetid Adders Tongue aka Slinkpod,
even more Toothwort or Milk Maids, possibly sugar scoop and I'd expect the
Bay Trees to be coming into bloom too.
In the Chaparral areas I'd look for the 5 petaled yellow Rush Rose, as
well as Sensitive Manzanita and Santa Cruz Manzanita.
Not much for December, but January has an explosion in the Chaparral area,
and by Valentines day it is many times more bloomers then in December.
Scott
