Above: Croton steiger and the hills of the AV Poppy Reserve
I went to the Antelope Poppy Reserve last week (before Hilary) and it was dry. All the flower fields from last Spring had turned golden-brown but there were still many late bloomers mixed in. As long as there’s enough rain in winter, there seems to always be something blooming in LA County.
Above: Eriogonum roseum (pink) and Eriogonum angulosum (blue)
I saw two Buckwheats at peak bloom: Wand Buckwheat (Eriogonum roseum, Polygonaceae) and Anglestem Buckwheat (Eriogonum angulosum, Polygonaceae). We have roughly 68 different taxa of Eriogonum in LA County and most are hard to ID. These two plants are a great example. Both have fuzzy stems, pink flowers, and grow about knee high. I couldn’t tell them apart in the field. I did my best with the Jepson key but ultimately had to reach out to more experienced plant people on iNat. Jordan Collins and James Bailey helped me with the Eriogonum roseum ID. David Gowen helped me out with the Eriogonum angulosum. The main difference I see now is Eriogonum roseum has its flowers right up on the main stem (sessile) while Eriogonum angulosum has a pedicel leading to its flower clusters.
Above: Trichostema lanceolatum
Next up was Vinegar Weed (Trichostema lanceolatum, Lamiaceae). This is a late blooming, low growing herb that really does stink of vinegar. Being smelly is common for Lamiaceae plants but Vinegar Weed smells just terrible in comparison to its close relative, Wooly Blue Curls (Trichostema lanatum, Lamiaceae), which smells like berries to me. The plant likes disturbed areas and I generally see it growing on roadsides. Turkey Mullein (Croton steiger, Euphorbiaceae) is the plant in the foreground of the Vinegar weed environmental shot, its another common ruderal. There is a "Mullein"that can be used medicinally but Turkey Mullein is not it and potentially poisonous due to being in Euphorbiaceae.
Above: Asclepias erosa
I saw Desert Milkweed (Asclepias erosa, Apocynaceae) growing in a ditch on the side of the highway and had to pull over. Ive seen it many times in the Eastern Mojave but this was my first time seeing it in LA County. As a milkweed, it is host to the Monarchs and has the characteristic white sap that give the plant its common name. Milkweed nectar is also very important for many insects in the area. Over 100 species of native bees have been found on Asclepias flowers in the deserts of North America, including many that double as pollinators of important commercial crops.
Above: Holocarpha heermanii (Blue), Deinandra fasciculata (Pink), and Heterotheca sessiliflora ssp echiodes.
Many Asteraceae plants bloom late and I found a few. First up is Heerman’s Tarweed (Holocarpha heermanii, Asteraceae). This plant is most common in California’s Central valley and only occurs in LA County in two spots. The field here was covered in the plant and it smelled unique, kind of like cinnamon sugar cookies but different. Kellogg's Tarweed (Deinandra kelloggii, Asteraceae) is another “Tarweed” that I seem to have caught a bit late. There are more D. kelloggii populations in LA County than Heerman’s Tarweed but its still not a common sight. The last plant is Bristly Golden Aster (Heterotheca sessiliflora ssp echiodes, Asteraceae). This is one of three H. sessiliflora subspecies that occur in LA County. Two are unlisted while ssp sessiliflora is ranked 1B.1.
And that was basically my trip out there. Late blooming plants and big skies at the Antelope Poppy Reserve in August.