Hillside walk, 01 January 2018
New Year's Day is here! Today's hillside walk began at 8:15 a.m., which is, I think, the same time that the Rose Parade begins in Pasadena. While I could hear plenty from it, it wasn't necessarily distinct. I did hear singing when the music on a float was amplified. I occasionally heard drums beating, but didn't hear the music from the band. While the sound was obvious on the open hillside, it disappeared almost entirely when I retreated into a canyon, e.g. Canyon 8.
On the hillsides it really is spring without rain, at least in a small way. On the way in to Canyon 8 the wild cucumber (Marah macrocarpa) has a few flowers. Along Lida Street the California fuchsia (Ribes speciosum) has some bright red flowers. In Canyon 5, two-color everlasting (Pseudognaphalium biolettii) has a few flowers. And the mulefat (Baccharis salicifolia) along Lida Street and in Lower Canyon 3 may be at its peak, albeit less that in a more usual rainy season.
Despite no rain, some species have plenty of buds in anticipation of the spring. These include lemonade berry (Rhus integrifolia) and skunkbush (Rhus aromatica).
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Wishbone bush |
Wild cucumber |
California coffeeberry |
Chaparral currant |
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Two color everlasting |
Lemonade berry |
Fuchsia-flowered gooseberry |
Mulefat |
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Bush monkey flower |