Red Larkspur (Delphinium nudicaule) is out on Mount Diablo, and its presence, whether on a rocky slope above a creek or in the green grass, can be shockingly beautiful, a blaze of brilliant scarlet!  

A member of the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae), Red Larkspur is found in the foothills and mountains of California, with its range just reaching into southern Oregon. It is showy and bright, and can be found all around Mount Diablo State Park (look for it especially along Mary Bowerman, Falls, North Peak, Bald Ridge, Twin Peaks and Mitchell Canyon Trails – it’s all around, actually!). 

Plants are usually about a foot tall, and flowers are mostly bright red, although they can be red-orange. The leaves are located low on the stem and are often hidden in surrounding grasses. After blooming, the above-ground part of the plant disappears.

And these flowers aren’t just attractive to us. They are attractive to hummingbirds too – their pollinators (many red flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds)!