High Sierra Topix

I am a maverick quoting MACHINE right now with these conditions reports sticky threads.

Here's the skinny, from maverick's post last year:

maverick wrote:This thread is for members to report any impressive wildflower sightings while in the Sierra. The next couple of [months] will bring in this years very short wildflowers season, especially short because of the drought.

Please describe the location as accurately as possible, and include dates, and the conditions of the wildflowers, not peaking (1-2 week away), peaking, or past peak.

Also include the types of flowers, or at least the colors of the flowers, and whether it was a whole garden mixture of lupines, tiger lilies, and Indian Paintbrush's or a carpet of Shooting Stars.

Actually a report for just off northern butt end of the Sierra where the gas comes out.

May 23 noted lots of emerging big arrowhead balsamwood flowers along highway SR89 volcanic slopes at south end of Lassen Volcanic NP. Also greater numbers of rising mule ears leaves that will give rise to flowers by mid June. Below snowlines only usual early summer species like snowplant, manzanita, shooting star, water buttercup, violets. Now here is the main tip. May 23 along SR89 for a mile plus north of the Devastated Area were more snowplant than I've ever seen elsewhere in California and I've seen a whole lot. Lots more were just rising. In 3 spots counted over 20 plants densely within areas of about 2 feet in circumference.

http://www.davidsenesac.com/Spring_2015 ... 015-1.html

June 12>14 visited Desolation Wilderness areas from Wright's Lake at 6950 to Island Lake at 8100. Glacial granitoid landscapes both bedrock and talus with considerable seepage from talus and north facing snow fields. Soggy flats about Wright's full of usual early season greenery with camas lilies and California buttercup. Lots of rising green corn lily and ferns. Along forest trail usual arrowhead senicio, mountain pride penstemon, paintbrush, and scattered others. Where Twin Lakes Trail reaches open granite bedrock slabs at 7750 at stream divide, impressively abundant, calyptridium monospermum in sand flats at peak. In lakes basin in the many soggy draining areas and turf, red mountain heather, white heather, alpine laurel, buttercups, lesser star tulip common and near peak. Also red elderberry and spreading phlox about the considerable small talus. These early season species ought to continue to be prominent through the next couple weeks while the list of mid summer species begin to show.

David
http://www.davidsenesac.com/Spring_2015 ... 2015-1.htm

Wild flowers are peaking on Sand Hill trail to Five Lakes Basin. Use Grouse Ridge or Carr Lake trailheads.

Hi Howardpa,

Welcome to HST! Thank you for your report, by any chance would you have some pictures? When you get the time an intro would be appreciated: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9329

Hi! Deena here. The wildflowers are blooming like crazy up the South Fork of Big Pine Creek! I was up on July 5th.....

May thru late July has had one of the wettest thunderstorm summer periods over the last couple decades. However March and April were very dry that caused the thin snow pack to melt out early especially on sunnier slopes and start the clock ticking on many species. Generally species are less synchronized in their blooming periods. In any case noticeably less numbers of plants than in better years. For example less Lemon's and Pierson's paintbrush in timberline turf meadows. And in areas east of the crest and north of Bishop worse than the summer of 2014.

Was in Fish Creek July 4 thru 11 at areas mostly above 9.8k. Mid summer timberline wildflowers were at peak as hoped that were 3 to 4 weeks earlier than during summers after an average winter. That includes tall growths in usual lush seeps. Still a fair amount of red heather above 10k. Unfortunately I was not able to work as many flowers into my landscape images mainly because our trip was dominated by foul weather.

July 18 worked volcanic geology landscapes near Carson Pass at elevations between 8.5k and 9k. Later main succession summer species like corn lily, pennyroyal, and rockfringe were at or a week after peak while many other species likely peaked between the end of June and first week of July. In any case a surprisingly strong showing generally in what are usually the best wildflowers landscapes in the range. In particular found one area with the greatest expanse of rockfringe I've yet come across.



http://www.davidsenesac.com/Summer_2015 ... 4x1vsl.jpg

July 24 and 25 worked some east of crest areas of Mono County which after average winters would be the main peak however most species had long gone to seed probably early July just like I found at similar elevations down south at Fish Creek. Still fair numbers of plants in bloom like alpine goldenrod and swamp onion but generally even those plants were looking dry and near the end of their cycle.

All this is setting up one of the driest August summers in my lifetime with rapidly drying vegetation including large areas of grassy turf browning like one usually sees in September. Another aesthetic hit is the lack of snow adorning usually high northern exposures, looking much more like mid September. For this photographer unappealing enough that I may not make any more road trips till dwarf bilberry and arctic willow start turning color late in August.