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Wildflower Mount Diablo Muehlenburgers Centaury Scientific Name: Zeltnera muehlenbergii Family: Gentianaceae Blooms: Apr-Jul Color: Red-Pink Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald

Wildflower Mount Diablo Crevice Alumroot Scientific Name: Heuchera micrantha Family: Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage Family) Blooms: Color: White Perennial herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Daniel Fitzgerald Flower detail Daniel Fitzgerald Inflorescence

Wildflower Mount Diablo Elegant Clarkia, Canyon Clarkia Scientific Name: Clarkia unguiculata Family: Onagraceae (Evening Primrose Family) Blooms: Apr - Jun Color: Red-Pink Annual herb Native, endemic to California Found throughout Mitchell Canyon, elegant clarkia, along with other members of the evening primrose family has 4 petals and exhibits ovaries that occur well beow the flower on the stem. Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Mike Woodring

Wildflower Mount Diablo Soap Root, Amole, Wavy-leaf Scientific Name: Chlorogalum pomeridianum var. pomeridianum Family: Agavaceae (Agave Family) Blooms: May - Jul Color: White Perennial herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Daniel Fitzgerald Kevin Hintsa

Wildflower Mount Diablo Rosy Sandcrocus Scientific Name: Romulea rosea Family: Iridaceae Blooms: Mar-Apr Color: Red-Pink Perennial herb Introduced There is a high risk of this plant becoming invasive in California according to Cal-IPC. Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald

Wildflower Mount Diablo Hummingbird Sage Scientific Name: Salvia spathacea Family: Lamiaceae (Mint Family) Blooms: Feb-Jul Color: Red-Pink Perennial herb Native, endemic to California Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Hummingbird Sage shown with Bush Monkey Flower

Wildflower Mount Diablo Cream Cups Scientific Name: Platystemon californicus Family: Papaveraceae (Poppy Family) Blooms: Mar - Apr Color: Yellow-Orange Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Jenn Roe Mike Woodring

Wildflower Mount Diablo Wall Bedstraw Invasive Scientific Name: Galium parisiense Family: Rubiaceae (Madder Family) Blooms: Apr-Aug Color: White Annual herb Introduced Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Steven Beatty

Riparian Woodlands 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 Canyon | Mike Woodring Riparian woodland is found only along permanent streams and rivers, where the water table remains at or just below the surface all year. Our area has no true rivers, but there are several perennial streams -- some with fairly broad floodplains -- that support riparian woodland. Because riparian woodlands have a guaranteed water supply, their component trees are very different from trees in most other environmental situations. These trees are not limited by the hot, dry days of summer; rather they can afford to grow fast and profligately right through the longest days of the year. Consequently, the derivation of riparian woodlands is entirely different from that of the rest of our flora. The closest relatives to riparian species come from summer-wet climates such as those across the Midwest and eastern parts of the United states. Wander in these forests if you are homesick for the look and feel of eastern hardwood forests. Riparian trees -- because of their ancestry from eastern United States climates -- behave as though they still were adapted to cold winters. Nearly all are deciduous in winter, for they can afford to make whole new sets of leaves the following year, come what may. Leaves are also designed in ways that suggest water wastefulness: they're broad, thin, often lobed or compound, and held horizontally -- fully exposed to the summer sun. They are also borne in thick tiers from top to bottom. Riparian trees reach maturity quickly because they're able to grow over such long periods each year. Quick growth may cause weak wood, however, and many riparian trees are liabilities because of brittle limbs. They also have relatively short life spans. BACK TO LIST

Wildflower Mount Diablo California Fuchsia, Hummingbird Fuchsia, Zauschneria Scientific Name: Epilobium canum Family: Onagraceae (Evening Primrose Family) Blooms: Aug - Dec Color: Red-Pink Perennial herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Kevin Hintsa

Wildflower Mount Diablo California Blackberry Scientific Name: Rubus ursinus Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family) Blooms: Apr Color: White Vine or shrub Native Leaflets of three are commonly mistaken for poison oak , but blackberry leaves are hairy and prickly. Blackberries are commonly found near the creeks that flow through many canyons. Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Mike Woodring

Ruby-crowned Kinglet by Dan Sandri January 1, 2024 Dan Sandri Hey! What’s that small, seemingly-restless bird, on the move through the tree branches, making rapid chipping sounds and flicking its wings? It’s there… but then it isn’t… It may be one of our most active Mount Diablo Winter residents: a Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula). A Ruby-crowned Kinglet is an olive-green and golden-colored bird, with a prominent white eye ring, white wingbar and very small, thin bill. This wingbar contrasts with a black bar on the wing, which helps differentiate it from the similar-looking, but a bit larger, Hutton’s Vireo (Hutton’s Vireos also have a more-conical bill). The “ruby crown” possesed by the male is only occasionally visible, when the bird is agitated or excited, especially in Spring. In Summer, Ruby-Crowned Kinglets have migrated to the north or northeast and are common in conifer and mixed forests in the northwestern United States and across Canada. Ruby-Crowned Kinglets nest high in trees, and therefore in this season prefer taller, older trees. During migration and in Winter, they are common in woods and thickets across most of the continent. Ruby-Crowned Kinglets prey on spiders and many types of insects, foraging in tree foliage, flitting about, hovering and pecking in in their search for food. These birds also eat a small amount of seeds and fruit, including poison-oak berries. So keep an eye out for this Kinglet – or an ear for their chatter, as they are often heard first. Tis the season! Bird Guide: https://www.mdia.org/birds-1-1/ruby-crowned-kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula)1 Dan Sandri.jpeg BACK TO LIST