May 31, 2018

NEW
– Bluff lettuce, a succulent with a red stalk and yellow flower is blooming on sunny rock faces.
– California angelica has a large umbel flower and is blooming in a few meadow edge locations.
– California honeysuckle, a vine, climbs shrubs and trees and blooms with pink flowers.
– Common snowberry, a shrub with pink flowers.
– Lance leaf selfheal with its velvety tower of purple flowers is blooming in bright meadow areas.
– Ocean spray, a shrub with soft wavy-edged leaves has cones of bright white frothy flowers.

Forests
Starting
– California coffeeberry has small clusters of white flowers. This waxy leaved shrub is a common presence in the forests.
Peaking
– Alum root with its froth of dainty white bell flowers is blooming in forests.
– Forget-me-nots, native to Europe, is one of our most successful invaders. Easy to pull, easiest to identify when it’s flowering, so pull it then.
– Hedgenettle, a tower of purple flowers, is in the mint family. This grows all over in Homestead.
– Spotted coralroot with its red stalk and many orchid-shaped flowers is coming up in forests.
– Manroot, a native vine with large maple-shaped leaves is blooming white as it climbs.
– Redwood sorrel is blooming near the redwood in the sliver of Land Trust between 435 and 441 Laverne.
– Star flower has dainty pink flowers and blooms in forests among the carpets of False lily of the valley.
– Thimbleberry, a shrub with soft maple-shaped leaves blooms in forests with a flat white flower.
– Wood rose blooms bright on rangy rose bushes in the forests.
Fading
– Andrew’s clinton is blooming in the Weedon Redwoods. See it on the bank above Laverne up from the waterfall in Stolte Grove.
– Fairy bells cream flowers hang below the leaves of this woodland plant.
– False lily of the valley is brightening the forest floor with its white star flower.
– Fringe cups has lovely lobed foliage with its fringed flowers on a tall stalk.
– Pacific bleeding heart is blooming under the redwood trees in the sliver of Land Trust between 435 and 441 Laverne.
– Pacific pea with pink and white flowers is blooming in forests
– Pacific sanicle with its showy bright foliage has mustard flower clusters.
– White flowered onion*, edible and native to the Mediterranean, is blooming in wet spots with its white cone flowers. Pull it up by the roots if you can.
– White hawksweed with its white flowers is blooming in forests.
– Wood sweet-cicely’s small white flowers fade to form long edible seed pods.

Forest edges
Starting
– Creeping snowberry’s small pink bell flowers are blooming in the forests.
– Featherweed has a brown tufted center flower with silver furred leaves.
– Milkwort is blooming with purple flowers.
– Purple woodsorrel, native of South Africa, blooms with a magenta flowers.
– Sticky monkeyflower is blooming orange on bushes in meadows. It will bloom throughout the summer heat when its dark leaves will become sticky.
– Wavyleaf soap plant blooms with open white flowers at the end of a long stalk.
– Woodland strawberry blooms in sun, will persist for months in different habitats as they warm.
– Yellow coralroot is blooming at 15.
– Yerba buena, has small white flowers on this delicate creeping plant.
Peaking
– California blackberry is blooming with paper-white flowers, on a thinner, trailing vine than Himalayan blackberry.
– Figwort, a great plant for insects blooms with a small maroon flower.
Fading
– California tea has purple-tipped flowers and is blooming beside the trail on the way up to 11.
– Douglas iris with blooms from pale cream to rich purple is blooming in the forests
– Meadow rue has small pink fringe flowers and delicate foliage.
– Sourgrass, native to South Africa, is blooming up on the ridge. Although fun to chew on for kids, this plant is a very successful non-native spreading in wet locations where natives might otherwise grow.

Meadows
Starting
– American vetch is blooming purple in the meadow grasses up on the ridge.
– Narrow-leaf bird’s foot trefoil, native of Europe, blooms bright yellow in disturbed areas.
– Buckeye trees with their long cluster flowers are blooming now. Upper Laverne is lined with them and will be a tunnel of flowers soon.
– California everlasting with its white paper-like flowers blooms in meadows.
– California poppy, one of the longest bloomers, is bright orange in meadows up on the ridge.
– Checkerbloom’s bright pink is starting to bloom on the ridges of Homestead Hill.
– Common vetch, native to the Mediterranean, has bright purple flowers on a pea vine.
– Common yarrow with its white cluster is blooming up on the ridge.
– Filaree, native to the Mediterranean, has small purple flowers and blooms in disturbed areas like trails
– French broom, native to the Mediterranean, is one of our most aggressive invaders and also one of the easiest to pull.
– Herb robert, native of the United Kingdom, is blooming purple with a golden center is blooming along trails and in disturbed areas.
– Narrow leaved clover, native of Eurasia, has a large clover flowers tipped in pink.
– Ookow has large purple flower clusters and is blooming below Amaranth.
– Purple western morning glory is blooming in meadows.
– Red elderberry is blooming with cones of white blooms near the spring on the trail toward Amaranth from 4-Corners.
– Scotch broom, native to Western Europe, one of the most aggressive invaders of our meadows is blooming with its yellow pea flowers. Pull it before it goes to seed if you can.
– Shamrock clover, native of Europe, has pretty yellow flowers.
– Short podded mustard, native to the Mediterranean, has small clusters of yellow flowers on long stalks. In the mustard family, the flowers are delicious.
Peaking
– American wild carrot is blooming in the meadow near Amaranth.
– Blue eyed grass, in the iris family, blooms purple with a yellow center
– California buttercup is starting to bloom bright yellow in meadows.
– Cow parsnip with its large white umbel is blooming in meadows and oak woodlands.
– Field madder, native to the Mediterranean, is one of the very small flowers in the grass of meadows.
– Ithuriel’s spear with its rich blue bell flowers is blooming in meadows.
– Mule’s ears with its bright yellow blooms is starting to bloom in meadows.
– Naked buckwheat has tight pink flower clusters and blooms in meadows.
– Silver lupine is blooming purple in bushes up on the ridge.
– Sky lupine, bright blue with white accents, is blooming on the ridge.
– Suncups on the ground with yellow flowers is starting down near 13 but will be on the ridge and in meadows soon.
Fading
– California plantain almost too small to see but getting very close is rewarded with the many translucent disks of its flower
– Chickweed, native to Europe, medicinal and edible is blooming with its white star flower.

Key to map:
I haven’t located plants on on the map if they are very prolific. Find them by their habitat.

Gallery of wildflowers and plants found in Homestead.

*Non-native

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