June 24, 2016

NEW
– Clustered dock is native to Europe, Asia and North Africa.
– Nipplewort, with its yellow dandelion-like flower is native to Europe and southwestern Asia.
– Pennyroyal native to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
– Toyon trees are blooming with white flowers.
– Umbrella sedge

Forest Edges
Starting
– Featherweed with its dull flower is blooming up on the ridge and in the meadow part of the Homestead Trail.
– Lance leaf selfheal with its beautiful purple blooms is blooming on the ridge and along the Homestead Trail where it’s in the sun.
Peaking
– Bigelow’s sneezeweed with its large pincushion disc floret and down facing rays, it’s blooming now on the Homestead trail.
– Wavyleaf soap plant, puts up a tall, dark purple flower stalks; look for graceful, bright white flowers.
– Yerba buena, the tastiest plant in the Land Trust is blooming.
Fading
– Buckeye, these deciduous trees are along the streets and in Three Groves. Pause and examine the beautiful flowers up close.
– French, Scotch and Spanish Broom, are bright with their yellow flowers. These are some of the most aggressive invasives here. Pull it if you can, cut off the flowers so it can’t go to seed. Do whatever you can to combat its advance.
– Hedge parsley, a native of Europe, an aggressive invasive here, has lacy leaves and white cluster flowers and is blooming all over.
– Himalayan blackberry, a native of Armenia and Northern Iran, here it is a formidable invasive with big thorns. Make note of its location for berry picking later in the year.
– Ocean spray, this shrub with its pretty white tassel flowers grows all around the Ridgewood Rock and in the forests of the Land Trust.

Meadows
Peaking
– Bluff lettuce. This succulent is blooming yellow in the crags of the rock faces on the Ridgewood Rock.
Peaking
– California blackberry, all over the Land Trust in sunny places.
– California everlasting, this wonderfully scented flower is blooming near the Ridgewood Rock and in the meadow below the Madrone bench.
– Common California aster.
– Coyote mint, found only in California is blooming in meadows.
– Euphorbia, a native of Eurasia, is blooming in Cowboy Rock meadow and along Pixie Trail.
– Fuller’s teasel, native to Eurasia and North Africa, is blooming up near Panoramic.
– Naked buckwheat is blooming in the meadows and on the Ridgewood Rock.
– Poison hemlock, native to Europe and North Africa, infamous poison of choice of Socrates – condemned to death for impiety – is blooming below Cowboy Rock. In the carrot family, its blotchy red stem warns of its lethal toxicity.
– Purple sand spurry, native to Europe and Asia, is blooming on the ridge.
– Sticky monkeyflower, this bright orange mimulus with its sticky leaves was used by the Coast Miwok to place on sores and burns.
– Ithuriel’s spear, or Brodiaea, popping up all over! A banner year for this lovely flower.
Fading
– Filaree, this non-native’s small pink flower is blooming all over Kerouac Hill.
– Flax, a delicate non-native, is blooming in full sun on the Homestead Trail.
– Morning glory’s, white trumpet flower can be seen poking out of the grass in meadows and on Kerouac Hill.
– Pineappleweed, in the middle of Lattie Lane fire road.
– Yarrow, one of the great medicinal herbs for blood, is blooming in full sun.

Wet Places
Peaking
– Horsetail, these primeval silica based plants are growing creeksides.

Forests
Starting
– American trailplant. This low green plant lines the forest trails. The arrow shaped leaves are white on the bottom. Flip over a leaf to point the way.
– California spikenard grows to a height of 3-9′ each spring after dying completely back at the end of the season. It can be found along shaded creek beds and its firework white flowers are blooming now.
– Hellebore, a non-native orchid that has done very well in our climate. Plant is small, flowers are very showy.
Fading
– California coffeeberry’s small white flowers are important pollinators to native bees and butterflies.
– Cleavers, throughout the forests. It clings when you touch it. Also called bedstraw.
– Figwort, I love this flower, it’s like nothing else. Find it along the paths in the woods. Foliage is like nettle but with a dark stalk. A friend to insects, it’s a host to butterfly larvae and a strong bee attractant.
– Hazelnut bushes, are filled out with new growth and making nuts.

Key to map:
I haven’t located American trailplant, California Blackberry, California honeysuckle, Bay, Chickweed, Cleavers, Hedge parsley, Manroots, Swordfern, French or Scotch Broom on the map as they are so prolific.
Flowers that are finished have been removed from the map and are greyed out in the map key.

Gallery of wildflowers and plants found in Homestead.

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