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Wildflower Mount Diablo Curvepod Yellowcress Scientific Name: Rorripa curvisilique Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) Blooms: May-Aug Color: Yellow-Orange Annual or perennial herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald

Wildflower Mount Diablo Dense Flowered Willowherb, Dense boisduvalia, Dense flowered boisduvalia, Dense flowered spike primrose Scientific Name: Epilobium densiflorium Family: Onagraceae (Evening Primrose Family) Blooms: June- August Color: Red-Pink Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Steven Beatty

Anna's Hummingbird Hummingbirds Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna All Year Hummingbirds Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald Found in a wide diversity of habitats, ranging from open woodlands to brushy chaparral habitats. Upperparts greenish in color, dusky white below with greenish wash. Note red throat and crown in male. Learn the squeaky, insect-like song; at first, it is easy overlooked, but once learned it becomes a valuable aid in identification. Nests in trees or shrubs. Nest is a cup-shaped structure built from plant down and spider's silk. Feeds on flower nectar, small insects and spiders.

California Digger-cuckoo Bee Brachymelecta californica Apidae Brachymelecta Describe your image Describe your image Describe your image Describe your image Describe your image Describe your image Description Brachymelecta californica are cuckoo bees: they parasitize the nests of Anthophora digger bees. Formerly placed in genus Xeromelecta , these bees have a distinct pattern of broken, white-striped hairs on their abdomens, and gray-white hairs on their thorax and head. Females lack scopae on legs. Nectar/ Pollen Plants Nectar generalists; no care for pollen Habits Cleptoparasitic of nests of Digger Bees, including Anthophora edwardsii and Anthophora urbana . Like Melecta , it sneaks into an unoccupied Anthophora nest and lays an egg in the provisioned nest. Its larva hatches, kills the host bee larva and eats the nest provisions. The larva pupates in the cell and typically emerges in very late Spring or in Summer. Season June - August

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

Cooper's Hawk Diurnal Birds of Prey Cooper's Hawk Accipiter copperii All Year Diurnal Birds of Prey Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald Found in wooded areas interspersed with open country. This medium-sized Accipiter has rounded wings and a long, narrow tail - usually rounded at the tip. Females are larger than males. Nest is built of sticks and twigs, and lined with strips of tree bark; it is placed up to 60 feet above the ground in a tree. Feeds on birds, mammals, and reptiles; insects, amphibians, and fish may also be eaten.

See map, below TRAILHEAD KEY DIFFICULTY DISTANCE 4 Easy/Peasy <1 mile Mary Bowerman Trail 5 RATING: Easy TRAILHEAD: Access on north side of road beside small picnic site where Summit Road splits into two one-way routes just past exit to Lower Summit Parking Lot. Drinking water and toilets at lower summit parking lot. Less than a one mile flat loop trail encircling TRAIL STATISTICS: the summit of the mountain. Allow half hour without stops. The first one third is paved and is ADA accessible up to the Ransome Point overlook. DESCRIPTION: This easy trail offers spectacular views as well as a journey through time. Discover how nature has created and altered this peak. There are 14 stops, following the Mary Bowerman Trail Guide (PDF) which can be obtained at the Summit Visitor Center or picked up at the trailhead. This will guide you through the diverse flora, fauna, geology and weather which embraces Mt. Diablo's summit. You will be introduced to chamise, yerba santa, California native juniper, scrub oak and poison oak. Being careful not to step on the sagebrush lizard as you skirt the summit, you'll come across Devil's Pulpit, a great red-colored monolith, made of chert. Greenstone, an altered submarine volcanic rock laid down on the ocean floor, over 100 million years ago, is the most common rock exposed on the summit of the mountain. Banded red chert, blocky greywacke sandstone and patches of shale are also present along the route.

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 Little Springbeauty Scientific Name: Claytonia exigua ssp exigua Family: Montiaceae (Spring Beauty Family) Blooms: Mar - May Color: Red-Pink Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Mike Woodring

Fiery Skipper Hylephila phyleus Hesperiidae Skippers Flies March to December Host Plant Grass Nectar Plant Mustards (sinapis and brassica) Daniel Fitzgerald Female Underwing Arnold Joe Male Hank Fabian Female

Wildflower Mount Diablo Dove-foot Geranium, Crane's bill geranium, Woodland geranium Scientific Name: Geranium molle Family: Geraniaceae (Geranium Family) Blooms: May - Jul Color: Red-Pink Annual or Perennial herb Introduced Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Mike Woodring

Wildflower Mount Diablo Perennial Pepperweed Invasive, Cal-IPC rating: high Scientific Name: Lepidium latifolium Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) Blooms: May-Jul Color: White Perennial herb Introduced Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants