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Springtime Monkey-Flower blossoms, Black Oak sprouting new leaves, Desert Agaves can reach 10-20 feet
849 species of fungi in California
Wild Monkey Flower along a trail in Poway.
Monkey-flowers of various species are putting on an excellent display this month around San Diego. Look for these low, shrublike plants with their tubular flowers wherever native vegetation clothes the landscape — from the coastal bluffs to the lower slopes of the mountains. As you drive Interstates 8 or 805 near Mission Valley, look for the rusty tint these flowers give to the steep hillsides. On the terraces just above San Onofre State Beach, you can usually see springtime monkey-flower blossoms in various shades of yellow, orange, and red.
California Black Oak (Quercus kelloggii) is also known as Kellogg Oak.
The Black Oak, San Diego County’s most handsome native deciduous tree, is sending out new leaves this week, painting the mountain slopes with shades of red, brown, and bright green. The newly emergent leaves are reddish brown in color, giving a pseudo-autumnal tinge to the forest. After a week or two, the unfolding leaves acquire a light green tint; after a month, they’re dark green. Black oaks are common throughout the upper elevations of the Palomar and Laguna Mountains. Enjoy the best of the show by exploring either the Fry Creek or Observatory Trails on Palomar Mountain. Both begin at the national-forest campground area two miles below Palomar Observatory.
Mojave Yucca is a member of the Agave family and grows from the coast to the desert, from sea level to 8,200 feet.
Desert Agaves, or century plants, are sending up their asparagus-like flower stalks on rocky hillsides throughout much of the Anza-Borrego Desert. On warm, sunny days, the stalks may grow almost one foot per day (fast enough for you to notice the sharp leaf tips at the bud actually separating from one another). After the stalk reaches a height of 10-20 feet, clusters of waxy, yellow flowers appear, ready for pollination by bees and other insects. After the flowers bloom, the fleshy, dagger-like leaves at the base of the plant die (after a life of 10 or 20 years, not a century) and the stalk, bearing a crop of seeds, dries up as well.
Mushroom growing in a damp compost pile in Ocean Beach.
We've seen a few rain showers over the past month, and as a result, mushrooms are popping up in shady spots all across the county. Whether you're turning your compost pile or pulling weeds in a wet garden, you're likely to come face to face with more than a few types of fungi. There are tens of thousands of species globally and nearly 850 species of fungi just in California. Some are small and thin with delicate caps, others are marshmallow-like masses. Some break down organic matter, while others share nutrients with their hosts. They are all part of our ecosystem in one way or another. If you want to identify mushroom you've discovered or just want to learn more about San Diego fungi, check out iNaturalist's Fungi of San Diego County page or the San Diego Mycological Society's Mushroom Identification page.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Springtime Monkey-Flower blossoms, Black Oak sprouting new leaves, Desert Agaves can reach 10-20 feet
849 species of fungi in California
Springtime Monkey-Flower blossoms, Black Oak sprouting new leaves, Desert Agaves can reach 10-20 feet
849 species of fungi in California
Wild Monkey Flower along a trail in Poway.
Monkey-flowers of various species are putting on an excellent display this month around San Diego. Look for these low, shrublike plants with their tubular flowers wherever native vegetation clothes the landscape — from the coastal bluffs to the lower slopes of the mountains. As you drive Interstates 8 or 805 near Mission Valley, look for the rusty tint these flowers give to the steep hillsides. On the terraces just above San Onofre State Beach, you can usually see springtime monkey-flower blossoms in various shades of yellow, orange, and red.
California Black Oak (Quercus kelloggii) is also known as Kellogg Oak.
The Black Oak, San Diego County’s most handsome native deciduous tree, is sending out new leaves this week, painting the mountain slopes with shades of red, brown, and bright green. The newly emergent leaves are reddish brown in color, giving a pseudo-autumnal tinge to the forest. After a week or two, the unfolding leaves acquire a light green tint; after a month, they’re dark green. Black oaks are common throughout the upper elevations of the Palomar and Laguna Mountains. Enjoy the best of the show by exploring either the Fry Creek or Observatory Trails on Palomar Mountain. Both begin at the national-forest campground area two miles below Palomar Observatory.
Mojave Yucca is a member of the Agave family and grows from the coast to the desert, from sea level to 8,200 feet.
Desert Agaves, or century plants, are sending up their asparagus-like flower stalks on rocky hillsides throughout much of the Anza-Borrego Desert. On warm, sunny days, the stalks may grow almost one foot per day (fast enough for you to notice the sharp leaf tips at the bud actually separating from one another). After the stalk reaches a height of 10-20 feet, clusters of waxy, yellow flowers appear, ready for pollination by bees and other insects. After the flowers bloom, the fleshy, dagger-like leaves at the base of the plant die (after a life of 10 or 20 years, not a century) and the stalk, bearing a crop of seeds, dries up as well.
Mushroom growing in a damp compost pile in Ocean Beach.
We've seen a few rain showers over the past month, and as a result, mushrooms are popping up in shady spots all across the county. Whether you're turning your compost pile or pulling weeds in a wet garden, you're likely to come face to face with more than a few types of fungi. There are tens of thousands of species globally and nearly 850 species of fungi just in California. Some are small and thin with delicate caps, others are marshmallow-like masses. Some break down organic matter, while others share nutrients with their hosts. They are all part of our ecosystem in one way or another. If you want to identify mushroom you've discovered or just want to learn more about San Diego fungi, check out iNaturalist's Fungi of San Diego County page or the San Diego Mycological Society's Mushroom Identification page.
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