Hillside walk, 02 July 2018
The leafy California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum ssp. foliolosum) is truly ubiquitous on the hillsides — it's just part of the background. It has fresh flowers all year, at least some. But in the past few weeks it has been brilliant. The flower heads are full and new, with no old, black flowers to see anywhere. The result is a display of solidly whitish flowers, in places simply in masses. It's the time to recognize the brilliance of this otherwise not so noticeably native flower.
The sacapellote (Acourtia microcephala) continues it's wonderful heavy blooming in multiple places. The peak has past, but it is still impressive.
This year the number of chaparral yuccas (Hesperoyucca whipplei) on the hillsides seems less than in previous years, and the flower heads are smaller. Nevertheless, a sprinkling of them has been apparent for several weeks.
Numerous flowering species that have been at their spring peak are now fading. It's also easier to walk on the hillsides, with the grasses having died and in many places, and now flattened on the ground.