The first Saturday of February was nasty, no doubt about it, raining with a North wind. Jean and I were not at all surprised when hikers failed to appear. Regardless, we went down into the canyon to witness the subtle changes. There were lots of rosettes popping up. It can be difficult to identify a plant by the clump of new leaves, but we made an educated guess at a couple and will confirm later when they bloom. Despite being a perfect spring day on March 1st, we had no hikers again. The changes from February to March were pretty significant. I took these photographs of some of our observations.
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Engelmann's daisy (Engelmannia persistenia) rosette found near the steps.
When in bloom, the entire plant can create a yellow dye. |
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| Barbara's buttons (Marshallia caespitosa) is seen popping out near the steps. |
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| Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium augustifolium) is in the Iris family, not a grass at all. |
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| Lots of Dutchman's breeches (Thamnosma texana) can be seen along the trail. |
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| Plenty of sweet smelling Agarita (Berberis trifoliolata) is all over the canyon. |
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| An occasional Four-nerve daisy (Tetraneuris scaposa) can be seen flowering in the canyon. |
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| Star moss is among the many mosses in the canyon from the spring rains. |
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| Lindheimer's silktassel tree (Garrya ovata ssp. lindheimeri) is in bloom. |
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| Missouri primrose (Enothera missouriensis) will soon have large yellow flowers. |
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| Damianita (Chrysactinia mexicana) later will have small yellow flowers. |
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| Golden pucoon (Lithospermum incisum) is a new one for me, but Jean is familiar with it. |
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| The adult Twisted-leaf yucca with a slight leaf twist. |
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| This is what a juvenile Twisted-leaf yucca looks like before the leaves twist. |
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Lots of Lady beetles are back!
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April 7th will be the next Madrone Canyon hike, and we'd love to show you around!
Paula
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