התצפיות של conifernerd

Cottonwood trees have a bad rapport. They are either tearing your house’s foundation apart, or driving your allergies nuts. They spring out of the ground looking like cute baby quacking aspen, but don’t be fooled. A 60’ giant is about to appear in as little as a decade. So massive that it’s seeds rain down mimicking snow, or a cotton field, or the like the toxic air in the “upside down.” As if that wasn’t an aggressive approach at reproduction, they also madly reproduce by cloning themselves. They can also harness mass amounts of water in their root systems, so much that LA DWP has purposefully cut cottonwood groves down and poisoned their roots. I’ll always smile when I see a cottonwood. They represent aggressive beauty in the high desert and celebrate the legacy of the Owens Valley’s wilderness.

“Moss! ...oh wait, Lichen!! .... wait ...a Rose Bush??” Haha we’ve all had this odd brainstorm when we come across a Rock Spiraea for the first time. The Ancient Bristlecone Forest is the perfect place to see these incredible plants up close. Their silly mushroom shaped flowers and woody underside are captivatingly fun. In some places, huge circular mats of single Spiraeas grow up to 5’ across! But most you see alongside the trail never get more than a 6” across. Yes- this dramatic difference in size has to do with age. The bigger, the older. So why do so few achieve a significant size and age? I think they take advice from their ancient neighbors: location, location, location.

I remember the first time I came across a Desert Peach: I was on horseback (somewhere in the steeps near Big Pine), and this enormous radiant pink bush could be seen from a mile away. I’m not a biblical man, but “Moses and the Burning Bush” come to mind. For a short time, these relatively boring desert shrubs become a gloriously decadent display of thousands of flowers. They vary in color richness from shrub to shrub, displayed here with a summer storm over Mono Lake in the background.

Wicked, thorny, and uninviting- these thistles appear to be waiting to ensnare you with their devilish charm...sure enough! I visited this bloom several times, intrigued by their incredible large crimson pink flowers and ire silver-green leaves, hoping to catch a hummingbird in pollinating action (but no such luck). These are true characters, unique and painfully charming.

One of my absolute favorite wildflowers! I was thrilled to find this massive grove of them, roadside on HW 395. They can reach a surprising 5’ in height, and look like a recently erupted firework. After peek blooming ended, this grove looked like a messy hay-straw graveyard. Hope to see this bloom next year...

Okay- so if you love Bee Plants like me, you’ve seen them in relatively small sizes (maxing out at 2’ in height). But these incredible plume-like plants break the norm reaching up to 5.5’ tall. Is this a subspecies? Or a lucky Bee Plant with the right conditions to grow tall?

This has become my favorite wild flower of Summer 2019- it’s delicate and beautiful, yet silly and playful. They mock desert plumes- while keeping it authentic with their goofy seed pods. These specimens were up to 5.5’ tall. I can’t wait to find a pink one!

Stunning Colors! Metallic teal blue shines from peacock-like black spots. This butterfly was about 1" in size.

Overhead dark clouds threatened snow, this delicate little-one was seeking a place for shelter in low lying plants.

Gorgeous sighting! This moth reminds me of a fabulous fur coat.

Spotted climbing rock exterior of Schulman Grove visitor center.

I returned to the same spot searching for another specimen. I haven't found anymore alive, but I did find five wings laying on the ground. There were several eager squirrels running by, I assume these moths are a tasty treat ...except for the wings of course.