Phacelia sp.

We’ve been doing surveys for TESW (Threatened, Endangered, Sensitive, and Watch plant species) along proposed OHV routes in the high desert, north of Big Bear Lake.  There’s a lot blooming, and some hillsides have even taken on a yellow hue.  Sensitive species in the area include Mojave paintbrush (Castilleja plagiotoma, SBNF Sensitive) and Lemmon’s syntrichopappus (Syntrichopappus lemmonii, SBNF Watch, middle).  We also did survey work at a mining claim nearer to the desert side of the forest.

 In late March we attended a bryophyte foray near Santa Cruz, CA.  (My point-and-shoot isn’t so well-equipped to take great pictures of mosses, especially in dim light, but I had a little better luck with wild ginger, Asarum caudatum, top).  It was a wonderful opportunity to talk with some big names in the moss, liverwort, and hornwort worlds, and a good introduction to bryophyte keys.

Additional survey work this month will focus on mining claims and proposed OHV routes.  We’ll also be attending a Poaceae workshop at Rancho Santa Botanic Garden.