Wildflower Mount Diablo Bracted Popcornflower Scientific Name: Plagiobothrys bracteatus Family: Boraginaceae (Borage Family) Blooms: Apr-May Color: White Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald

Wildflower Mount Diablo California Goosefoot Scientific Name: Chenopodium californicum Family: Caryophyllaceae (Pink Family) Blooms: Color: Yellow-Orange Perennial herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Steven Beatty Steven Beatty Leaf detail

Wildflower Mount Diablo Glittering Vervain Scientific Name: Verbena gemmea Family: Verbenaceae Blooms: Color: Blue-Purple Perennial herb Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants

Spotted Towee by Jenn Roe Marvelous Animal Adaptations May 21, 2025 by Dan Fitzgerald The Spotted Towhee is an eye-catching bird, but it takes some luck to see one. Bright white dots decorate black wings and back; rufous (reddish) sides stand out against a white belly; a jet black head holds intense red eyes. Believe it or not, this striking bird is designed to hide, which is what it does in a brushy habitat where its colorful patterns blend with the dappled shade. Chaparral and open woodlands provide the Spotted Towhee with the shrubs it needs for protective cover and a year-round food supply. An omnivore , eating from both plants and animals, the Towhee forages by hopping around and scratching the ground for insects, spiders, millipedes, and other nourishment. It also searches low limbs for food. In fall and winter, when insects disappear, Towhees dine on seeds and berries. The Spotted Towhee’s secretive life in the brush changes in spring when the male bird perches conspicuously atop shrubs to sing his raspy song either to attract a mate or declare his territory (keep out!). Why does the female have such drab feathers? The female Towhee spends most time on the ground. Her dull, ground-colored feathers help her go unnoticed by predators (such as hawks, owls, and snakes). Towhees nest on the ground or in low branches and the female is the nest builder. She also incubates (sits on) the eggs without any help from her mate. However, once eggs hatch, both parents work to feed the nestlings (baby birds). Download this article by Arnold Joe The Spotted Towhee’s black and white patterns help it blend in the shade of its habitat. The bird pictured above is male. by Arnold Joe In springtime, male Spotted Towhees can be seen singing from the tops of shrubs. by Arnold Joe The female’s dull colors help her blend with the ground, making her less visible to predators while nesting. BACK TO LIST

Wildflower Mount Diablo Valley Spurge Scientific Name: Chamaesyce ocellata ssp. ocellata Family: Euphorbiacae (Spurge Family) Blooms: May-Oct Color: Yellow-Orange Annual or perennial herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants

Wildflower Mount Diablo Cotton Rose, California Fluffweed Scientific Name: Logfia filaginoides Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower Family) Blooms: Mar - May Color: White Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Ken-ichi Ueda, iNaturalist

Rare wildflowers Mount Diablo Rare Plants on Mount Diablo Only plants with photos are shown. See full list (PDF) Prev 1 2 1 ... 1 2 ... 2 Next Brewer's Western Flax Hesperolinon breweri Chaparral Harebell Ravenella exigua Contra Costa Manzanita Arctostaphylos manzanita ssp. laevigata Hairy Bird’s Beak Cordylanthus pilosus ssp. pilosus Hospital Canyon Larkspur Delphinium californicum ssp. interius Jepson's Woolly Sunflower Eriophyllum jepsonii Michael's Rein Orchid Piperia michaelii Most Beautiful Jewelflower Streptanthus glandulosus ssp. glandulosus Mount Diablo Bird's-beak Cordylanthus nidularius Mount Diablo Buckwheat Eriogonum truncatum Mount Diablo Globe Lily, Mount Diablo Fairy Lantern Calochortus pulchellus Mount Diablo Jewelflower Streptanthus hispidus Prev 1 2 1 ... 1 2 ... 2 Next Up Jump to Wildflower Guide

Orange Sulphur Colias eurytheme Pieridae Whites, Sulfurs Flies All year Host Plant Legumes, Vetches Nectar Plant Daniel Fitzgerald Female Underwing Daniel Fitzgerald Female Underwing Michael Marchiano Male Michael Marchiano White Female

Wildflower Mount Diablo California Cicely Scientific Name: Osmorhiza brachypoda Family: Apiaceae (Parsley-Carrot Family) Blooms: April Color: White Perennial herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Steven Beatty

Wildflower Mount Diablo Yellow Salsify Invasive Scientific Name: Tragopogon dubius Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower Family) Blooms: Apr - May Color: Yellow-Orange Perennial herb Introduced Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Stephen Smith

California Hairstreak Satyrium californica Lycaenidae Blues, Coppers, Hairstreaks Flies April to July Host Plant Oak, Mountain Mahogany, California Lilac Nectar Plant California buckeye, Oregon sunshine, Narrow-leaved milkweed, Yarrow Daniel Fitzgerald Underwing

Native wildflowers Mount Diablo Native Wildflowers California Native Plants Prev 1 2 3 ... 35 1 ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 ... 35 Next Alkali Desertparsley, Caraway-leaved Lomatium Lomatium caruifolium Alkali Heliotrope, Seaside Heliotrope Heliotropium curassavicum var. oculatum Alkali Mallow Malvella leprosa American Brooklime Veronica americana American Nightshade Solanum americanum American Vetch Vicia americana Arroyo Lupine Lupinus succulentus Ashy Silk Tassel Garrya flavescens Baby Blue Eyes Nemophila menziesii var. menziesii Big Berry Manzanita, Great-berried Manzanita Arctostaphylos glauca Big Flower Agoseris Agoseris grandiflora Big Pod Lupine Lupinus pachylobus Prev 1 2 3 ... 35 1 ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 ... 35 Next Up Jump to Blooming Now Wildflower Guide