Wildflowers in Shell Ridge

April 9, 2004

In spite of the recent warm spell, this is a late year, mostly because of the cool rainy weather in February. Therefore, normal blooming is about 2 to 3 weeks overdue. Yet, there are tens of millions of flowers on these hills we will walk today. The trouble is there are only a few different kinds of flowers. Our walk took us from the Sutherland entrance (off of Walnut Blvd.) to Shell Ridge, taking the road to the right past Bramhall Pond, up the hill to Ginder Gap, up the narrow footpath to the crest of Shell Ridge, along the summit, down the switchback, near Indian Valley school, down the hill to Indian Pond and back to the entrance again. This is about a four-mile walk and will take about 90 minutes.

			(1)(2)
Common Name	Color	Scientific Name	Peterson Refs.	Where Seen
Sagebrush	-------	Artemisia californica	K87	Top of SR
Blue dicks	Blue	Dichelostemma pulchelum	352	Top of Shell Ridge (SR)
Blue Headed Gilia	Blue	Gilia capitata	360	Several on Ridge Top
Blue-eyed grass	Blue	Sisyrinchium bellum	350	Near Bramhall Pond
Wally baskets	Blue	Triteleia laxa	352	All over lower hills
California Poppies	Orange	Eschscholzia californica	224	Spread around
Red Owl’s clover	Pink	Orthocarpus purpurascens	240	One on top of SR
Tom Cat Clover	Pink	Trifolium tridentatum	320	Roadsides
Vetch, Winter	Pink	Vicia villosa	326	All over—yet to bloom
Arroyo Lupine	Purple	Lupinus succulentus	376	Top of SR
Chinese Houses	Purple	Collinsia heterophylla	234	Top of SR
Filaree—storksbill	Purple	Erodium moschatum	286	Roadsides
Geranium	Purple	Geranium dissectum	284	Roadsides
Larkspur	Purple	Delphinium decorum	356	Ridge Top Trail
Mint	Purple	Mentha arvensis	314	Ridge Top Trail-yet to bloom
Salsify, Common	Purple	Tragopogon porrifolius	384	Roadsides
Milk Thistle	Red	Silybum marianum	330	Back of Fossil Hill
Coast Paintbrush	Red?	Castilleja affinis	242	Top of SR
Bedstraw	White	Galium aparine	100	Ridge Top Trail
Miner’s lettuce	White	Montia perfoliata	294	Millions of blooms
Nemophylla, Meadow	White	Nemophila pedunculata	74	Almost gone by now
Peppergrass	White	Lempidium campestre	24	Roadsides
Poison Oak	White	Toxicodendron diversilobum	K112	Top of SR
Shepherd's Needle	White	Scandix pecten-veneris	66	Trailsides
Shepherd’s purse	White	Capsella bursa-pastoris	26	Roadsides
Wavy leaf Soap Plant	White	Chlorogalum pomeridianum	12	All over
Woodland Star	White	Lithophragma affine	88	Top of SR
Yarrow, Common	White	Achillea millefolium	108	Ridge Top Trail
Buttercups	Yellow	Ranunculus eschscholtzii	154	Spread around
Common Sow Thistle	Yellow	Sonchus oleraceus	218	Top of SR
Fiddleneck	Yellow	Amsinckia intermedia	226	Top of SR
Lotus, Birdsfoot	Yellow	Lotus corniculatus	180	Roadsides
Mule Ears, Green	Yellow	Wyethia glabra	184	Top of SR
Mustard	Yellow	Brassica geniculata	140	Spread around
Pineapple Weed	Yellow	Matricaria matricarioides	210	Middle of all roads
Telegraph Weed	Yellow	Heterotheca grandiflora	214	Ridge Top Trail

(1) Peterson's "Pacific States Wildflowers"
(2) Keater, "Plants of the East Bay Parks