Hillside walk, 26 December 2016
It's cold,going down to the mid 30F's in the early hours of the morning. And we've had another 30 mm of rain in the past week. Winter truly is here. It's also a nice time of year to be walking on the hillside because the ground is neatly compacted and the green growth is not large enough to require care in navigating with the feet. The myriad of tiny seedlings evident in many places for several weeks is beginning to look like what it will become, — notably mustard, filaries, and nettles. The Mirabilis continues to show outstanding growth on the north hillside although it remains small. The rattlesnake weed on the north hillside is flowering but with far fewer plants than usual; it's likely that many more died over the long, dry summer than usual, which means that this species may be starting again from seedlings.
This week brought one new seasonal flower, chaparral currant (Ribes malvaceum) in Canyon 5. There are many buds, but I saw just the one flower.
