I went walking today with a friend in the Angeles National Forest to look for the Humboldt lilies that bloom every year in June. My friend was afraid we might be too late, but the lilies did not disappoint. We saw many other flowers, butterflies, and lizards. Our talking probably kept the bears away – I think they were spying on us as we chatted away, stopping frequently for me to take pictures.
Tiger swallowtail on Humboldt lily (Lilium humboldtii ssp. ocellatum)
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Abundant poison oak kept me from getting close to most of the lilies.
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Humboldt lilies on moist, densely vegetated riparian slope.
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More lilies – I just couldn’t get enough of them!
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Both the So. Cal. location and the lighter margin on the outer spots mark this as subspecies ocellatum.
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Giant ryegrass (Leymus condensatus) blooming in a somewhat drier area.
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Heart-leafed penstemon (Keckiella cordifolia) added more heat to the cool, green vegetation.
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Lanceleaf liveforever (Dudleya lanceolata) were also in bloom.
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First I spotted the leaf and then saw the flowers of scarlet larkspur (Delphinium cardinale).
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Small butterfly, possibly Calcedon variable checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona), on cliff aster (Malacothrix saxatilis).
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Orange colors on the underneath side of this butterfly’s wings match its orange antennae.
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Cardinal catchfly (Silene lacinata) add even more red to our colorful hike.
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Out in the open, buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), deerweed (Lotus scoparius), and sagebrush (Artemisia californica) bring back the more subdued colors of coastal sage scrub.
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We also saw soap plant (Chlorogalum pomeridianum var. pomeridianum), though it was too dark to get a decent picture. Punchbowl godetia (Clarkia bottae), poison oak (Toxicodendron diversiloba), white sage (Salvia apiana), black sage (Salvia mellifera), and more things than I can mention here, were abundant.
Wow – amazing flowers! What a great hike! Great to see Southern Californa floraThanks for the heart leafed penstemon, Keckiella cordifolia ID – I have that in my garden and had forgotten what it was! The orange butterfly is almost certainly a chalcedon checkerspot – we get them in both dark and orange variations – I think the dark one is the same species, but am not 100% sure.
Love the lilies! I don't know whether we have any growing in the wild, but they were abundant at Tilden Park, where I went last Thursday. <br /><br />I'm always suprised and glad to see some blooms on a summer hike, and this year seems to be great for that.
Thanks cmouse and tmouse. It was a really nice hike. Thanks for the butterfly confirmation, cmouse. I think the lilies were very special but I was so surprised to see the red larkspur.
Thank you for the close-up and scenic shots of the local natives. It outs them in context both in relation to one another and with respect to season. It's just the sort of detail which helps me plan (and edit!) my own evolving garden. The grasses, and the company they keep, are of growing interest to me (unintended pun, I swear!)<br />And…while I rarely leave a comment, I do drop in on
Dear Anonymous,<br />Thanks so much for your comment. It is nice to know that you are getting something out of these posts.