Wildflower Mount Diablo Mock Parsley Scientific Name: Apiastrum angustifolium Family: Apiaceae (Parsley-Carrot Family) Blooms: March Color: White Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Steven Beatty Steven Beatty Detail

Wildflower Mount Diablo Oxeye Daisy Invasive Scientific Name: Leucanthemum vulgare Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower Family) Blooms: Jun-Aug Color: White Perennial herb Introduced Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald

Wildflower Mount Diablo Italian Thistle Invasive Scientific Name: Carduus pycnocephalus ssp. pycnocephalus Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower Family) Blooms: May - Jul Color: Red-Pink Annual herb Introduced Native to Mediterranean, naturalized. Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Mike Woodring

Wildflower Mount Diablo Downy Navarretia Scientific Name: Navarretia pubescens Family: Polemoniaceae (Phlox Familiy) Blooms: May - Jun Color: Blue-Purple Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Kevin Hintsa

Alameda Whipsnake by Scott Hein Placed on Federal Threatened Species List February 5, 1997 On February 5, 1997, the Alameda Whipsnake was added to the federal government's list of threatened species. The action by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service means the snake is eligible for federal habitat protection and restoration funding. The whipsnake is sooty black with yellow-orange stripes running the length of its body. It can grow to 4 feet and is found most abundantly in Mount Diablo State Park. It eats lizards, rattlesnakes, small mammals and birds. The snake is known for its speed, which it generally uses to retreat from humans. BACK TO LIST

Wildflower Mount Diablo Fendler's Meadow Rue, male Scientific Name: Thalictrum fendleri Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family) Blooms: Apr - Jun Color: Yellow-Orange Perennial herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Mike Woodring

Wildflower Mount Diablo Lacepod Scientific Name: Thysanocarpus laciniatus Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) Blooms: March Color: White Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Daniel Fitzgerald Flower detail Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald Leaf detail

Wildflower Mount Diablo Man Root, Wild Cucumber Scientific Name: Marah fabaceus Family: Cucurbitaceae Blooms: Mar - Apr Color: White Perennial herb or vine Native, endemic to California Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Kevin Hintsa Stephen Smith Fruit

Jeweled Spider Flies by Dan Sandri (aka Small-headed Flies) June 20, 2025 by Dan Sandri One of my favorite insects is quite uncommon (described as rare), but can be found if you know when and where to look for them! Jewelled Spider Flies currently can be seen along Mary Bowerman Fire Interpretive Trail (western and northern side) and at some other locations. They are amazingly-colored, with metallic blue, purple or green colors (hence they are termed jeweled), and have some of the most incredible mouthparts in the insect world! The flies we see in Mount Diablo State Park, in genus Eulonchus , have a super-long proboscis, and there are at least 2 species present. The proboscis is typically longer than the bodies of the flies, and they fold it underneath their body as they fly! These are beautifully metallic flies with a truly fascinating life history. Their antennae are inserted near the middle of the head and their eyes cover much of the head. Flies in the genus Eulonchus attack spiders in the families Euctenizidae (Wafer-lid trapdoor spiders) and Antrodiaetidae(folding trapdoor spiders, a small spider family related to atypical tarantulas). Their larvae are specialized endoparasitoids of spiders (endoparasitoids develop within the body of another animal). The adult female lays eggs, sometimes thousands of them, which then hatch into larvae. First stage Acrocerid larvae are free-living planidia that move similarly to an inchworm. Most fail miserably in finding a host. The lucky ones find one of these relatively rare spiders either by wandering and actively seeking out a spider host or by sitting and waiting for the host to pass by. The larva will attach to a spider, enter into an opening, and attach at or near the book lung of the spider. Over a long period of time, it will feed on the spider from the inside, eventually killing it. Look for these flies now, and in the coming few weeks, flying around Red Ribbons flowers (Clarkia concinna ) and Bunchleaf Penstemon flowers (Penstemon heterophyllus ). I also have seen them on Ithuriel’s Spear flowers (Triteleia laxa ), but in fewer numbers. by Dan Sandri Genus Eulonchus (Family Acroceridae) at Red Ribbons (Clarkia concinna), Mary Bowerman Trail, Mount Diablo State Park by Dan Sandri Genus Eulonchus (Family Acroceridae) approaches Bunchleaf Penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus), Mary Bowerman Trail, Mount Diablo State Park by Dan Sandri Eulonchus smaragdinus (Family Acroceridae) on Bunchleaf Penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus), Mary Bowerman Trail, Mount Diablo State Park BACK TO LIST

Wildflower Mount Diablo Padre's Shooting Star Scientific Name: Primula clevelandii ssp. patula Family: Primulaceae (Primrose Family) Blooms: Feb - Apr Color: Red-Pink Perennial herb Native, endemic to California Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Jayah Faye Paley

Northern Mockingbird Thrushes and Thrashers Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos All Year Thrushes and Thrashers Daniel Fitzgerald As suggested by its common name, it mimics the calls of other birds and some animals and is conspicuously common with slim long tail with white patches on its wings and tail.

Blue Purple Wildflowers Blue-Purple Wildflowers Prev 1 2 3 ... 7 1 ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ... 7 Next Alkali Heliotrope, Seaside Heliotrope Heliotropium curassavicum var. oculatum American Brooklime Veronica americana American Vetch Vicia americana Arroyo Lupine Lupinus succulentus Artichoke Thistle Cynara cardunculus Baby Blue Eyes Nemophila menziesii var. menziesii Big Pod Lupine Lupinus pachylobus Bird's Eye Gilia Gilia tricolor ssp. tricolor Black Sage Salvia mellifera Blue Dicks Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum Blue Scarlet Pimpernel Lysimachia loeflingii Blue Skullcap Scutellaria tuberosa Prev 1 2 3 ... 7 1 ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ... 7 Next Up