Wildflower Mount Diablo Tuberous Sanicle, Turkey Pea Scientific Name: Sanicula tuberosa Family: Apiaceae (Parsley-Carrot Family) Blooms: Mar - May Color: Yellow-Orange Perennial herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Mike Woodring

Purple Finch Finches and Relatives Purple Finch Haemorhous purpureus All Year Finches and Relatives Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald Found in open woodlands, along forest edge, and in second-growth habitats or weedy areas. Pinkish-red on head, throat, and breast. Told from House Finch by lack of brown streaking on belly and flanks. Back is streaked and also pinkish-red in color. Female has broad eyebrow. Uses twigs, grasses, fruits, and mosses to build its cup-shaped nest in trees. Primarily feeds on plant matter (seeds, buds, blossoms, nectar, and fruit); occasionally eat insects.

Mixed Evergreen Forest Excerpted from MDIA's book Plants of the East Bay Parks, by Glenn Keator, Ph. D. Plant Communities of Mount Diablo State Park January 1, 1999 Madrone, Arbutus menziesii Where oak canopies overlap, conditions favor a variety of other usually evergreen trees: California bay laurel, madrone, Douglas fir, tanbark oak (not a true oak but a lithocarpus), and California nutmeg. The Douglas fir and California nutmeg are not met with in our own region, while the other trees are. These mixed forests represent habitats intermediate in winter rainfall and summer drought between redwood forests, where summer fogs and heavy winter rains rule, and oak woodlands , where we've already seen the the severity of summer drought. Often there will be no absolute line and mixed-evergreen forest nudges the borders. Generally mixed-evergreen forests occur on north-facing slopes where south slopes are home to oak woodland. However, mixed evergreen forests may carpet a canyon bottom alongside the narrow riparian corridor but give way to oak woodland or chaparral on adjacent slopes. Often, too, the mixture of trees in these forests varies from locale to locale. Close to the coast, expect to see Douglas fir (Pseudotsunga menziesii ) and California nutmeg (Torreya californica ) in the forest; inland, expect to encounter canyon live oak. California black oak, California bay laurel, and madrone. The complex interactions of different trees from site to site are still not fully understood, for they also change with the age of the forest and its fire history. With the exception of a few deciduous trees -- California black and Garry oaks, California buckeye, and occasionally bigleaf maple -- mixed evergreen forests have the leathery, tough evergreen leaves so characteristic of chaparral shrubs. Unlike those, however, mixed-evergreen forest tree leaves tend to be broader and -- at least on lower branches -- horizontally oriented, for purposes of more efficient light absorption for photosynthesis. Only near the tree tops and only in some species (such as madrones) are leaves obliquely inclined, with pale undersides held skyward to reflect away intense summer sun. Although in mixed-evergreen forests as elsewhere wind pollination is used for the conifers and oaks, both madrone and bay laurel differ sharply, having insect-pollination strategies. Madrone produces abundant, nectar-rich white bells in mid-spring (bee favorites); bay laurel makes long lasting sets of small, pale yellow, saucer shaped flowers from mid-winter to early spring. Bay laurel is thus especially important in sustaining insects active at at time of year when most life is dormant. It joins ranks with the manzanitas in fulfilling this important role. As to seed dispersal, strategies resemble those of oak woodlands; again with many nutrient rich stored foods in extra large seeds. Only the madrone makes bright red-orange berries, attractive to large numbers of birds. Where Douglas fir occurs, its seeds are winged and wind distributed. This makes good sense, for Douglas fir is taller than the other trees, and winds easily reach its tall branches laden with seed cones. Not only do the roots of these trees extend outward for great distances to pick up as much of the winter rains as possible, but the competing understory plants -- shrubs, bunch grasses, bulbs, and perennial herbs -- seek water for later use. This intense competition for water means that the drier areas with least winter rainfall, where mixed-evergreen forest is marginal at best, have poorly developed understory vegetation. At the opposite pole, along the edge of redwood forests, the understory may be rich and varied. Most smaller plants are perennial; the annual life cycle is not favored by the relatively low light intensities. Many of these smaller plants extend into adjacent communities. The moisture-loving kinds extend into redwood forests and the droughty kinds -- especially the few bunchgrasses, such as melicas and California fescue --into oak woodlands. California bay laurel | Glenn-Keator Bay Laurel Trees near Juniper Campground | Dereck Love BACK TO LIST

Wildflower Mount Diablo Buckbrush Ceanothus Scientific Name: Ceanothus cuneatus var. cuneatus Family: Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn Family) Blooms: Feb - Apr Color: White Shrub Native A shrub commonly associated with chaparral throughout the Mount Diablo foothills. The miniature petals are spaulate in shape. Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Mike Woodring

Wildflower Mount Diablo Sky Lupine Scientific Name: Lupinus nanus Family: Fabaceae (Pea Family) Blooms: Mar-May Color: Blue-Purple Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants

Great Purple Hairstreak Atlides halesus estesi Lycaenidae Blues, Coppers, Hairstreaks Flies January to November Host Plant Mistletoe Nectar Plant Toyon Kevin Hinsta Underwing

Wildflower Mount Diablo White Brodiaea Scientific Name: Triteleia hyacinthina Family: Themidaceae (Brodiaea Family) Blooms: Apr - May Color: White Perennial herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Kevin Hintsa

Wildflower Mount Diablo Spearmint Invasive Scientific Name: Mentha spicata Family: Lamiaceae (Mint Family) Blooms: Jun - Nov Color: Blue-Purple Perennial herb Introduced Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Steven Beatty

Eurasian Collared-Dove Pigeons and Doves Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto All Year Pigeons and Doves Daniel Fitzgerald A rapidly spreading species native to Eurasia this dove has a black band on its hind neck, grayish tail coverts and three-toned wing pattern in flight.

Red-winged Blackbird Blackbirds, Orioles, and Meadowlarks Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus All Year Blackbirds, Orioles, and Meadowlarks Daniel Fitzgerald Found in marshes, grassy field, along road sides, usually near water. A black bird with red-marked wings clinches the identification of the male. Lower edge of red in males wing is bordered with buffy-white or buffy-yellow strip. Females are duller, with buffy eyebrow and streaked under parts. Usually nests near or over water; nest is placed in emergent vegetation, but also in shrubs, rarely in trees. It is a cup-shaped structure built from cattail leaves, sedges, and other plant fibers. Feeds on seeds and insects.

Wildflower Mount Diablo Pale Sack Clover Scientific Name: Trifolium depauperatum amplectens Family: Fabaceae Blooms: Feb-May Color: White Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants

Wildflower Mount Diablo Mule Ears Scientific Name: Wyethia glabra Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower Family) Blooms: Apr Color: Yellow-Orange Perennial herb Native, endemic to California Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Mike Woodring