Rancho Cañada del Oro Bald Peaks - 4/9/2021

Ah yes, this is the right time to do a loop that includes Bald Peaks. Last year I was up there on 4/10, and both then and now the peaks were in full bloom. Mainly poppies, goldfields and popcorn flower, some miniature lupine, checkerblooms, and way too much Vicia villosa. As with other places this year, the flowers weren't dense, but there were still a lot of them, very satisfying with a backdrop of bright green leafing Oaks.

This time, I didn't do Mayfair Ranch, just went in on Longwall Canyon, and that was great, since you still get to go past the serpentine spot. The upper part of Longwall Canyon is so lovely, you'd hardly realize you were going uphill for 2 miles. Somewhere along the way was a wonderful patch of Buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus) in full bloom, and of course there was a lot else to encounter along the way.

Very few humans, which was lovely, but also far fewer butterflies than expected, given all those flowers. It was on the cool side, and windy up there, maybe that kept them hunkered down, or elsewhere.

Posted on April 10, 2021 02:45 AM by newtpatrol newtpatrol

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