Most people know that our ecosystem is renewed by fire.   Some species need the heat to germinate their seeds.  Other species take advantage of the openings in the vegetation that a fire creates.  Still others are specialists – they appear after a fire, multiply for a few years, then vanish until the next fire occurs.  Mary Bowerman described the phenomenon of fire-following flowers in her 1944 book on Mt. Diablo’s plants.  These species tend to grow in colonies so they make quite a display.

The first picture to the right shows an example of this phenomenon in Lime Ridge involving two species – chaparral or slender sunflower (Helianthus gracilentus) and a mallow, probably Fremont mallow.  It is on the edge of the area where the 2003 fire occurred and is probably at its peak this year.  These pictures were taken about June 3.  The patch will probably have good color for another week or so.

To find it, walk up the power line road to where an oak tree and the chaparral habitat are close to the road on the left. The flowers are about 30 feet off the road.

Lesley Hunt
June 2006