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 1. Brodiaeas On Figueroa Mtn & Gaviota Pass   2. Wildflowers On Figueroa Mtn & Gaviota Pass 
2. Wildflowers On Figueroa Mountain & Gaviota Pass
© W.P. Armstrong 30 May 2009

Figueroa Mountain Road

Left: Deer brush (Ceanothus integerrimus). Right: Grassland and Cachuma Lake in distance.

A young Crotalus viridus crossing Figueroa Mountain Road.

Yellow mariposa (Calochortus clavatus ssp. pallidus) growing on a shiny outcrop of serpentinite. The uncommon serpentine endemic ssp. clavatus has purple anthers. The subspecies in above image was also growing in non-serpentine areas along Figueroa Mtn Road.

The above images of yellow mariposa (Calochortus clavatus) appear to be ssp. pallidus rather than ssp. clavatus. Subspecies clavatus has deep purple anthers and clubbed (clavate) hairs on inner surface of petals. The hairs on inner surface of corolla in above image are slightly (gradually) dilated toward the apex, but probably not truly club-shaped (clavate).

Serpentine (technically called serpentinite) is a greenish, shiny rock that is exposed throughout the Coast Ranges of central and northern California, and the Sierra Nevada foothills. The name is derived from its resemblance to snakeskin. According to the California Geological Survey, serpentinite has been designated California's official state rock. Serpentinite is a magnesium silicate rock with a waxy luster and a shiny, marblelike appearance. It varies from cream white through all shades of green to black. Higher grade, deeply-colored serpentinites are used for animal carvings, particularly in Africa. Some polished serpentinites resemble jade in color and are used in pendants and rings.

Serpentinite is formed by the alteration of plutonic mantle rock (peridotite) beneath the oceanic crust. It is only seen on land in subduction zones where oceanic rocks are preserved. Serpentinite is low in plant nutrients and high in toxic metals. Serpentinite outcrops in California contain some rare endemic plants adapted to this rock type, including several species of cypress (Cupressus = Hesperocyparis). One of the most notable species on a nearby slope (near Zaca Peak) is the Sargent cypress (H. sargentii), a tree well-known to this author during years of research for a Master's degree in biology.

  Serpentine & California Cypress  

Butterfly mariposa (Calochortus venustus), a variable species with several color forms.

Sticky snapdragon (Antirrhinum multiflorum).

Golden stars (Bloomeria crocea).

Foothill penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus var. heterophyllus).

Flame firedot lichen (Caloplaca ignea).

A bee fly (Order Diptera: Family Bombyliidae).

  More Wayne's Word Images Of Bee Flies  

Tracking Satellites On A Cow Pie

"Farewell-to-spring" (Clarkia cylindrica). The flowers exhibit protandry: The anthers mature and release pollen before the stigma is receptive. Note 4-lobed receptive stigma (black arrow) surrounded by withered anthers. This strategy favors cross pollination between different plants.

  See Flower Terminology Part II  

Lichens & Wildflowers Above Gaviota Pass

Overlook Fire Road on a ridge south of Gaviota Pass during the severe spring drought of 2009.

Oak moss (Evernia prunastri), a fruticose lichen that is collected in Europe for a delicate perfume.

Teloschistes chrysophthalmus, a fruticose lichen that is common on the Channel Islands.

  Index Of Lichen Images On Wayne's Word  

Fruiting head of Agoseris grandiflora.

The flowers of elegant clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata) exhibit protandry: The anthers mature and release pollen before the stigma is receptive. Note fuzzy receptive stigma (white arrow) surrounded by withered anthers. This strategy favors cross pollination between different plants.

  Hybridization In Clarkia  

References

  1. Hickman, J.C. 1993, Editor. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley.

  2. Smith, Clifton F. 1976. A Flora of the Santa Barbara Region, California. Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

  3. Watson, Lynn. 2009. NatureShutterbug: Images of Figueroa Mountain Wildflowers." Available at: http://natureshutterbug.com/wordpress/. Accessed 30 May 2009.

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