July 16, 2008
If you go up high enough you'll still find wildflowers
We're getting to the end of the Bloom
Blog but as long as we still have wildflower photos
coming in we'll post them.
Suzi
Brakken took a photography trip with some friends to the
Lakes Basin a
rea last Monday in order to show
photographer Tony Mindling good spots for shooting
wildflowers. Tony took a lot of great photographs
last fall in the Indian Valley area - one ended up as
the cover shot on our Visitors Guide for this year.
We're hoping for a wildflower photo on the cover next
year so we invited him to shoot some wildflowers in
the Lakes Basin area. They took the Long Lake Trail
behind Grey Eagle Lodge. The wildflowers at the
beginning of the trail are waning but as you get closer
to Long Lake they are superb. Suzi got some shots of the
Leopard Lilies (above) which you'll find near the
creek beds along the trail and the top section of Fern
Falls (right).
Joe
Willis also took a trip to Lakes Basin area last
Friday hiking between Lily Lake (off the Gold Lake
Highway) and Halsey Falls. He took the trail called the
Fern Falls Loop which is on the right side of the Gold
Lake Highway just 1.1 miles past the Grey Eagle Lodge.
For more details on this and other Lakes Basin hikes
check out the newly revised, Feather River Country
Adventure Trails (4th edition), by To
m
DeMund.
Mountain
spiraea (above left) and monk's hood,
(above right) a member of the same family as buttercups,
larkspur, and columbine.
Pennyroyal (above right), a wild mint helps to
ward
off mosquitoes and the scarlet gilia (above
right) is a member of the phlox family and don't forget
the fireweed (below).
Joe also got a good shot of Halsey Falls
where he and his family sat for an hour watching
dippers, dragonflies and water striders.
July 11, 2008
The wildflowers are still blooming in
the higher elevations
Thanks to
Carl Raymond for the great photos.
Bucks Lakes Area has some nice displays of flowers
off of the Quincy-Oroville Highway near Grizzly
Campground. There's probably some good patches of
flowers on the Pacific Crest Trail but unfortunately
it's closed presently because of fire risk.
Here are some more shots of the
Lakes Basin area.
Isn't that a great shot of the bear? How cute can you
get.
July 2, 2008
Lakes Basin is happening with waterfalls and
wildflowers !
The
Lakes Basin area near
Graeagle is
looking quite refreshing with waterfalls and
wildflowers. Fern Falls (off the Grey
Eagle/Long Lake trail) is the photo above. You
can't see the whole cascading falls, but the top photo of
the falls flows into the bottom refreshing pool.
There are other great waterfalls in the area including:
Jamison Falls (near Johnsville), Frazier Falls (up the
Gold Lake Road), and Halsey Falls (near Grey Eagle Lodge
on the Long Lake trail). Fern Falls is little
tricky to find if you haven't been there because there
doesn't appear to be a sign. You can hear the
falls at the intersection of the Long Lake trail where
it turns left to the Lake Basin Campground.
Do a little scampering on the rocks and there it is.
If you'd like to do some interesting climbing you can
reach the pool at the bottom which is great for
swimming.
6/28/2008
Jim Wilcox (Feather River Coordinated
Resource Management) gave us this photo of aquatic polygonum, a
native plant that only recently reappeared after successful
watershed restoration in area of Red Clover Valley.
6/27/2008
More than fires, some great wildflowers
The Lakes Basin area near Graeagle should be
bursting with with wildflowers. Try the
Long Lake trail
taking off from Grey Eagle Lodge. You'll also pass a few waterfalls.
That trail was a recommendation from Tom DeMund, author of
Feather River Country Adventure Trails, who just popped in
before a book signing at Epilog Book store.
Joe Willis found a few summer flowers
(Farewell to Spring-top right, Leopard Lily-top left) on the new
Community Trail near Feather River College and some Columbine (left)
on Claremont near Quincy. You should also be able to find the
Leopard Lily and Columbine in the Lakes Basin area.
6/13/2008
The wildflowers are starting in the Lakes Basin
area. (Map: go a little southwest from Graeagle finding the Gold
Lake Road which takes you to the Lakes Basin area)
View Larger Map
Joe Willis had this to say about wildflowers in the
Lakes Basin:
One
could say that we're past the height of spring in American Valley.
Th
e
Lakes Basin above 6000' is in early spring. The following
were seen yesterday (Thursday, June 12) There are Goldenrods
(to the left) of which there are many species, Solidago. There
are hundreds of fawn lilies along the trail to Spirit Rock.
Spreading phlox (lower right) may be seen along the Gold Lake
Road near the summit and there are
many
species of Penstemon (left) in the Lakes Basin
area.
Spring may be over around Quincy but it's just
getting started above 5000'. And it looks like a good one for
flowers in the Lakes Basin and high elevations generally.
There's even a book on wildflowers in the Lakes
Basin: Wildflower Walking in Lakes Basin of the Northern
Sierra by Toni Fauver.
Indian Valley also has wildflowers: Cynthia Lusk
reports:
"There
are colorful flowers growing along Hosselkus Trail
(starting near Taylorsville) including Scarlet Gilia (left)
and Arrowhead Balsamroot.
6/1/2008 Genesee-Beckwourth route is
splendid!
Jim
Wilcox, from Genesee Valley, spends most of his time
working on stream restoration projects on the
Genesee-Beckwourth route #7.
Just this morning he said,
"You
can find every wildflower in the world on this route. I wrote
down a half page of different wildflowers (lupine, mules ear,
larkspur, wild onions, paint brush, buttercups, etc) on my notebook.
The whole route is covered with wildflowers."
The Genesee-Beckwourth route takes about four hours,
approximately 75 miles one way, 3,500 to 7,000 feet elevation.
You can start from Beckwourth on Highway 70 or Taylorsville near
Greenville off of Highway 89. It's a road less traveled, a
local favorite for quietude and remote, stunning scenery.
Jim also sent a photo from Humbug Valley,
another favorite
backcountry
route, near Chester. The meadow is full of larkspur.
Mike Nellor, co-owner of Ada's Place in Quincy,
sent some photos after a little prodding. He said he
would send them if he didn't have to identify the flowers.
Many of his photos are from the Rock Creek area near Quincy
plus some dogwood just outside of Quincy on Highway 70. The
azaleas, rhubarb, iris, and pink shown below are found in a variety
of places other than Rock Creek so look around - it's a big county.
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Western Azalea |
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Indian Rhubarb |
Indian Pink |
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Wild Iris |
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Dogwood |
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Cynthia Lusk, Forest Service, has a new
report with some photos:
"Pretty yellow flowers along the road to Antelope Lake are
Arrowleaf
Balsamroot
(Balsamarhiza sagitaria)
"The Dogwood trees are in full bloom!
Good places to view the dogwoods in bloom are the Bucks
Lake area, Big Creek Road, Deanes Valley, Schneider Creek, and La
Porte Road."
Joe Willis, naturalist and teacher, gets the prize
for the most "petal peeper". His latest
report:
"The Interior rose, Rosa woodsii,
now blooming everywhere in the 3000 - 4000 range. This one on the
north slope of Claremont overlooking Quincy. Likes shade.
Yesterday I found a crop of "showy milkweed"
at a safe turnout about 1/4 mile north of the Greenville Y. I've
included a view of the whole plant as well as a closeup of the
spectacular flower."
5/22/2008
So many flowers so little time!
Richard McCutcheon just spent a few days in
Squaw Valley.
This Squaw Valley is not a ski resort but a valley in Plumas County
between Antelope Lake and Beckwourth taking roads 177 and 176. (map)
The map is pointing to Antelope Lake showing the southern road (176)
which flows into 177 ending up at Beckwourth. Squaw Valley is
between the lake and Beckwourth (near Portola). Check out a
detailed map if you're coming and/or ask for the brochure
Plumas County Backcountry Drives (Beckwourth-Antelope Lake-Indian
Valley Route)
Richard had this to say: "Squaw
Valley is so pretty now. P
icture
of the valley with Squaw Peak in the background (above left).
Then in and around the valley are more Desert Dandelions
then I have seen in ages and some pretty sunflowers all over the
hills. Not sure what this pretty little plant (left) was that
was growing right in the middle of the road."
Richard also sent a photo of the famous snake tree
in Squaw Valley.
Quincy is starting to bloom!
Joe
Willis reports in on the Quincy area: "Our beautiful
flowers within a hundred yards of my house at the base of Claremont.
A scarlet fritillary, Fritillaria recurva, which I've sent
before. But, this was a particularly nice shot and there are
hundreds of them blooming now in shady areas on the north facing
slopes of Claremont. An orchid (right) that is often
mistaken
for pine drops, or not seen at all. on close inspection, this
spotted coral root, Corallorhize maculata, is a sp
ectacular
plant, and is a parasite. Sierra mariposa lily,
(left) Calochortus minimus, is plentiful and mixed with the
scarlet fritillary. Some specimens are almost pure white, but most
are baby blue. Very nice-looking flower. "
"The
photo to the right is one of perhaps 20 genera of the sunflower
family that look more or less alike except to experts. This one
caught my eye because of the bug. They're along the roadsides
everywhere in the county now. A Brodiaea, probably one
called "blue dicks." It's a lily, and there are a dozen or so
species
of it in the county. Some blue, some yellow, some white. More recent
field guides have brodiaea separ
ated
into three diffeent genera. I can't keep up! The lilac is
from my front yard. Surprisingly, they are in the olive family. When
the flowers wilt and the seed pods develop, it's not so hard to see
the connection with the olive family."
Don't forget the Snow Plant!
Cynthia Lusk said she's seen a lot of snow plants in areas
where the snow is just leaving. This one was found on the
Antelope Taylor Trail.
5/16/2008
Feather River Canyon, the Cascades, and Indian
Creek
View Map
Karen Kleven went down the canyon last Sunday: "The
monkey flowers are fantastic from Belden south past the
tunnels for a few miles. How can such lovely flowers grow
out of those rocks? If you're coming from the south you'll
start seeing the monkey flowers a few miles past Pulga. There
still should be lots of lupine and great displays of those
white deer brush flowers. "
"On my way down the canyon I stopped at Belden
Town to see if they were open for business. Good news:
the bar and restaurant are open plus they're renting several cabins
and RV spaces. The outdoor patio for the restaurant sits right
above the river offering a lovely view. "
Keddie Cascades: Call 530-283-6345 for
directions
Joe Willis: We took a family hike along the
Keddie Cascades Trail and the flowers were impressive. Lots and
lots of red larkspur. A pair of geese with five goslings
swimming alongside were a special added treat. We also met several
groups of friends along the trail.
Photo to the left is a catchfly, sometimes called a pink, a
same family as carnations. Indian rhubarb (to the
right), or umbrella plant, Darmera peltata, these were plentiful in
the river which means we'll have lots
of great color when the leaves turn red in the fall.
There
were also lots of lupine, buttercup, miner's lettuce, ferns and
mosses, and the trees are more gorgeous every day. Oh, and the
poison oak was actually quite pretty, if you're not paranoid.
Cascade falls are on upper right.
Indian Creek: Take Highway 89 off of Highway
70 towards Greenville and Lake Almanor. Lots of dogwood on the
far side of Indian Creek. Need to go slow or stop yo
ur
car to get the full effect.
Chester area: Some of the meadows have
a nice display of yellow flowers and some lupine as you're
going north on Highway 89 and on Highway 36 towards Lassen Park
( now open all the way through).
5/9/2008
Hurray! The monkey flowers are out in the Feather
River Canyon!
Richard from Taylorsville spent last Wednesday in
the Feather River Canyon checking out the wildflowers.
Richard:
"I took the photo of the poppies at Jarbo, and the lupine just above Rock Creek
Dam and the orange flowers (monkey
flowers) at Pulga and the geese in the water behind Rock Creek
Dam."
"Always be on the look out for little goslings,
they have hatched now and are a pretty sight to see in the feather
river."
" Drive slowly by the dams here there are
many geese. Momma goose has a habit to get her little ones toooo
close to the road, so be careful."
Jim Wilcox is our "petal peeper" on the east
side in the Little Last Chance area where he's been doing
stream restoration work. To get there you can go to Antelope
Lake and take 176 south towards Beckwourth. He says the
soil in this area doesn't hold moisture well therefore because of
the light spring rains the flowers aren't as plentiful as in other
years but they're still there. A few are shown below:
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Wooly Sunflower |
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Long-leafed Phlox |
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White red clover |
5/5/2008
Spring seems to finally be here!!
Wildflowers and waterfalls in Northern California -
Feather River Canyon and Beyond
Report from Cynthia Lusk, Forest Service:
"Lots of flowers are in full bloom, in the Feather River Canyon
right now!"
"Purple Lupine is very colorful, right along Hwy 70."
"These photos were taken along the Chamber
Creek Trail (which has 7-8 logs across the trail right now, but
we will be cleared soon...". (The trail is
6 1/2 miles south of Belden or 35 1/2 miles from Quincy in the
Feather River Canyon).
"Many
wildflowers along Chamb
er
Creek Trail:
Sticky Monkey Flower, Indian Paintbrush, Lupine,
Larkspur, dogwood (left), and another 4-5 I don't know the names of"
(ground iris-below left)
"Chambers Creek waterfall, 3 miles up
Chambers Creek Trail, Mt. Hough Ranger District."
Joe Willis, teacher and naturalist:
"Things are happening along Indian Creek next to Hwy 89 and
on the Mt. Hough Road. I drove up to around 5000' and got a
few good flower shots. "
Indian Creek:
"Arrowleaf
balsamroot (left), often mistaken for mule ears, Balsamorhiza
sagittata, flowering along Hwy 89, midway between Greenville Y and
Crescent Mills.
Showy phlox, Phlox speciosa (right), hard to spot unless you get out
and walk. These were near the aforementioned balsamroot."
Other wildflower spots in Plumas County
Indian
paintbrush at around 5000' on Mt. Hough, Castilleja sp., there are
many species. 027, buck brush, Ceanothus cuneatus, blooming well at
4000-5000', and already going to seed in lower canyon.
Horsetails (right), sterile fronds, not a flowering plant, a fern
ally, relic of the dinosaur age, and beautiful, AKA scouring rush,
Equisetum sp., these are coming up alongside the path from parking
lot to upper campus at FRC.
Gooseberry
(left), taken on the FRC nature trail and a dandelion (upper left),
justifying its existence by supporting a lustrous copper butterfly,
taken in American Valley.
Spring seems to finally be here. Joe
5/2/2008
Wildflowers in the Feather River Canyon:
Visitors coming up the canyon say it looks lovely right now.
They especially like the lupine that are everywhere.
4/27/2008
Wildflowers
in the Feather River Canyon: "I can't give you names but things
are finally popping out. The Lupine are everywhere, all the way up
to Twain. The rest are coming up the canyon slowly, " says Pete
Dryer of Northwest Management.
Lupine and poppies (upper left)
Lupine and paintbrush (upper right)
Milkweed? (below)
Rock Penstemon (right)
I went hiking by Keddie Cascade with my
dad, Joe Willis, and he let me use his camera for the attached
photos. The tiny blue and white one is some kind of monkey flower
or relative, the yellow one with a fly on it is buttercup.
The reddish ones with spurs are larkspur which dad says is in
the same family as buttercups. The purplish one is shooting star.
I am in 8th grade at Plumas Charter School. Sincerely, Ryan
Willis
Call the Visitors Bureau (800-326-2247) for
directions to the Keddie Cascades.
Waterfall
near Greenville: Not many wildflowers in this area yet but the
waterfall is quite nice. Karen Kleven actually saw a kayak go over
the falls and come out the other end. It's a leisurely walk down a
well marked trail. To get there take Highway 70 towards Quincy
and turn off on Highway 89 (about 10 miles from Quincy) towards
Greenville for about 2 miles. Look out for the turn-off to
Indian Falls on the river side where you will see a good size turn
out. Drive a few minutes down to a parking lot. The
trail is right there with some nice signage.
4/24/2008
Falls and flowers galore!
The
Feather River Canyon has some great treats between Pulga and
Belden.
Karen Kleven, a Quincy resident, had this to
say about her trip last weekend through the canyon: "It
definitely felt like spring unfolding. There were so many
shades of green from the dark green conifers to the chartreuse
foliage just appearing on the maples. My favorite flower was
the gigantic lupine (photo by Martin Oberg) amidst the
smaller lupine. Near Cresta Dam on the river side a large
dogwood was in bloom."
Cynthia
Lusk, another outstanding "petal
peeper" who works for the Forest Service, is actually paid to
cruise around the forest. We're glad she likes to take photos
while she's out and about. She sent us a nice photo of
scarlet fritillary (left) embedded in rocks in the canyon plus a
purple flower (right) which we need help identifying. But best
of all we
have a new waterfall (right) to share with you off the
Tobin Trail (the trail is on the same side of road as the
Tobin Resort).
Martin Oberg, from Fernley, spent two days checking
out the flowers in the canyon with his wife. They stayed in Quincy
taking day trips down the canyon. When asked what he thought
he said:
"It was definitely worth the trip because
there was plenty to see. Lots of pull outs and some waterfalls
were visible from the road. But don't go to Table Mountain
because it's over. I didn't get any photos of paintbrush." He
took over 50 photos kindly stopping by the Visitors Bureau on his
way home to share them with us. Three of his photos are below.
The higher elevations in the Lakes Basin area are
still snowed in but Cynthia Lusk got this beautiful photo of Frazier
Falls. To get there presently you'll need skis or a snowmobile
but it will be open soon for hiking and biking.
4/15/2008
The Feather River Canyon is starting to blossom
Pete
Dryer, who manages the public campgrounds in the canyon, sent
us some new photos of the lower canyon. Before we had
poppies in buds and now we have full blossoms (right) plus some
lupine (left).
Also let's not forget the redbud (right) which was the first to bloom
and is still holding strong plus the first signs of dogwood (left)
blossoms.
Joe Willis spent last weekend exploring Table
Mountain and the Feather River Canyon for new signs of
wildflowers. His report is below:
"Although
Table Mountain is starting to get brown, some late bloomers
are just now emerging. Many fo
lks
seem attached to trying to catch the mountain at its peak which is
understandable, but there is much to be gained by continuing to
return...taking a closer look. "
The buttercup (left) and the bitterroot (right) from the
forget-me-not family were blooming at Table Mountain.
Going up the Feather River Canyon out of
Oroville Joe says, "You won't see many flowers besides lupine and
redbud while going 55 mph, but if you stop by any tributary and walk
around you will discover many flowers, ferns, and small creatures."
One
of these tributaries is Rush Creek (which was described in the
waterfall section as Rock Creek) but Jo
e insists that it's not Rock
but Rush. But anyway it's just beyond the tunnels (left) - look for
the railroad
trestle on the left and park there. While walking up the
cascades Joe found some bush monkey flowers (below) and
wall flowers (right).
"They're (monkey flower and wall flower) just starting to bloom in the lower canyon.
In a few more weeks, watch for them along the cliffs coming toward
Quincy from the Greenville "Y".
4/11/2008
A few flowers around Quincy
Joe Willis, naturalist and teacher, and a prolific
"petal peeper" has some flower updates around the Quincy area. Joe
is very much into the whole process not just the bloom.
"Here are a few oddball signs of spring around
Quincy. Mostly along the Keddie Cascades Trail "about 5 miles
northwest of Quincy.
New
lupine leaves catching dew drops (left). Big Leaf Maple
bud (right)
Sierra violet (but it's yellow!) being pollinated by hover fly
(below right).
Sierra violet (below left)
There were many red larkspur plants in foliage
but
no buds
yet. In another couple of weeks they should be great along the
trail.
Currently, on Claremont all around the Boyle Ravine
there are clusters of fawn lily.
Also, manzanita are blooming on the mountains
all around Quincy.
4/9/2008
Latest on the Feather River Canyon from Feather Publishing
The local newspaper just printed an
article
entitled: "Wet and Wild: Tour features waterfalls and
wildflowers" by Delaine Fragnoli who spent the day with her
family exploring the canyon and Table Mountain last weekend.
Here are a few excerpts:
"We began spotting wildflowers as we neared Pulga: a
bunch of poppies here, some bush lupine there, and a profusion of
western redbud. ..We arrived at Table Mountain, where we enjoyed a
picnic lunch...The hike to the Table Mountain waterfall proved
pleasant , but the waterfall itself was a bit disappointing (not
much more than a trickle). We headed back to the canyon along
Cherokee Road. By the time we reached Rock Creek Cascades,
we had counted almost two-dozen different kinds of flowers or
blooming plants and nearly as many trickles, cascades and
waterfalls."
Tomorrow we'll have some more photos of the Quincy
area where a few flowers are starting to unfold.
4/7/2008
Waterfalls and redbud in the canyon - still snow
on the peaks
Yesterday a man from San Francisco dropped into
the Visitors Bureau asking for information about the best
places to check out wildflowers in the Feather River
Canyon. We told him that about 50 miles down the canyon
the redbud was quite nice but no big displays closer to Quincy as of
yet. It won't be long until the monkey flowers start hanging
from the rocks, but not yet.
He was also interested in finding some new
waterfalls so we sent him to the one up the dirt road across
from Shady Rest stop in the canyon. On this trip he had
tried to go to Frazier Falls near Graeagle but found
the road blocked by snow. Just a reminder that the higher
elevations in our area are still covered with snow so if you're
coming up you can find spring and winter activities - hiking
in the Feather River Canyon and skiing in the Bucks Lake, Lakes
Basin, and Chester area.
On his way up he had stopped at Table Mountain
but wasn't that impressed. He said, " I'm used to tall
flowers. They were all so tiny." I guess the beauty is
in the eye of the beholder.
4/1/2008
Pete
Dryer: "The Redbud were West
of Pulga, just below Canyon View a week ago. Now they are all the
way down to the Canyon floor and go East of the Cal Trans station.
The Redbud (attached) is, again, just below Canyon
View.
You will excuse my plant identity. I am guessing at some of the
species." Pete thinks the photo on the right is sandwort.
Richard McCutcheon, a tireless petal peeper had this to say
about the Feather River Canyon: "Flowers (below) and the redbud
(right) along the
highway was just over the Pulga Bridge at Four Tree Rd. The
pretty fall (below) and mossy rock are right at the entrance to Four
Tree Rd. The larger fall (below) is at Tobin. "
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Indian Paint Brush |
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Poppies |
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Falls near Four Trees
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Falls near Tobin |
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Last
Chance Creek outside of Taylorsville toward Antelope Lake is
starting to show a little color. Jim Wilcox, director for a
stream restoration program in Plumas County, got these photos last
week near Last Chance Creek. He kindly keyed them out to be
Fern Leaf Lomatum.
3/31/2008
From
Karen Rodriguez who spent some time at Table Mountain
last week: "Table Mountain was
wonderful and we can tell its going to get better soon. Here are
some pictures of the area. The first 3 white small white flowers we
haven't been able to id. And the calochortus lily we
don't know which one it is. Maybe you could help us with that. I
think we counted around 42 species we saw. The
shooting
stars are from
the Cherokee Cemetery. CSU Chico has a book of table mt. flowers but
its limited and found a site with pictures but its also limited.
http://www.butte.edu/instruction/biol/Butte_flowers/main.html
If you know those flowers, let me kno
w.
Try and get there soon, you'll love it."
3/27/2008
Signs of spring from Joe Willis, naturalist
and science teacher, and a dedicated petal peeper.
Photographs were taken near the Greenville "Y" or at the Highway
89/70 intersection about 10 miles from Quincy.
"Here
are four signs of spring, although not strictly confined to
"petals." The tree frogs are out in force and cannot be ignored when
looking for wildflowers. They are the Pacific Tree Frog, AKA Hyla
regilla, although some herpetologists now call it Pseudacris regilla,
believing it more closely related to the "chorus" frogs back east
than to the true tree frogs.
Then
there's the beautiful big millipede, Spirobolus sp., which one can
smell, like a sweet cyanide, among the aromas of many new flowers
and cherry bark, and a more advanced stage of "pussy willows", Salix
sp., in which you can plainly see these "buds" have turned into
flowers. This is the same willow I photographed back on Feb. 18 at
the beginning of the blog.
The little white flower, only 1/4" across, is the beautiful, but
hard to spot, spring whitlow grass, Draba verna. It has four petals
(like all members of the mustard family, Cruciferae (crucifix), but
the petals are deeply cleft so it appears to have eight. These were
photographed by the Greenville "Y".
Others to be watching for in the canyon would include fawn lily and
other lilies, various brodiaeas, also lilies, watercress (a
mustard), and of course the many ferns. I'd recommend getting a
pocket guide to the ferns at B&N before heading up the canyon. If
you explore stream sides and shady sides of cliffs, you can find at
least a dozen species now very lush. Various hardwoods are budding -
oaks, maple, alder, willow, cottonwoods, and many of them fully
flower before the leaves turn large and green so it's a great time
to examine these flowers, most ot the trees having separate male
(catkins) flowers and female ("cones") flowers. Those on the black
oak, big leaf maple and alder being particularly prominent."
Table Mountain: Pam Beck and her family (from
Greenville) spent Easter Sunday at Table Mountain walking in the
fields of flowers and finding their favorite spot near the waterfall
to have lunch. She said it was like a painting but did notice
less purple flowers and no sign of the white flowers by the creek.
Maybe they'll still appear. Usually her kids can go wading in
the creek but this year it was freezing. Her daughter may send
some photos.
3/21/2008
Feather
River Canyon: Redbud
Pete Dryer, from Northwest Park
Management, promised us some photos on his trips through the
Feather River Canyon so here we go. The first sign of
spring is the Western Redbud near the beginning of the canyon
about one mile after the Grandview Restaurant (closed for business).
The pinkish -red flowers are set off by the green of the evergreens.
Even though we're not located in the valley this spring photo,
taken near Marysville, was
too nice to pass up.
Pussy
willows are popping out all over the county. Richard
McCutcheon, from Taylorsville, sent this photo from around
Taylorsville.
3/14/2008
Last Monday Karen Kleven from Quincy
traveled home via Table Mountain and the Feather River Canyon
checking out wildflower and waterfalls. Try the
self-guided tour page
for more details about Table Mountain and the Feather River
Canyon.
"Table Mountain isn't at its peak (which is usually the first
and second week of April) but it's still pretty nice. Lots of
frying pan poppies, buttercups and lupine and some cute red flowers
by the creek bed. I walked up the creek from the big oak tree
and found the waterfall after an easy hike of about twenty minutes.
I really like this place."
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Frying pans and lupine |
Waterfall at Table Mountain |
Creek leading to waterfall |
"After leaving Table Mountain I headed up the
Feather River Canyon carefully watching for wildflowers and
waterfalls. These are the best falls (below) I found
but I know there are more. Each one was so different and
spectacular in its own way. The Redbud was just starting to
bloom between Pulga and Grandview but the latest report
(today ) from Richard McCutcheon was that it was looking very
good. Hopefully we'll have some photos for next week."
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Shady Rest Falls |
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Rock Creek
Cascades |
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Jackass Falls |
2/19/2008
Photos from Joe Willis taken last weekend at Table Mountain
off of Highway 70 near Oroville. How to get there: From
Oroville going north take Table Mountain Blvd. or if
you're going south take Cherokee Road. Check
out the Oroville Chamber of Commerce for more detailed
information under What's New
Table Mountain
Wildflower Information.
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Buttercups, lupine |
Walk to the waterfall |
Frying Pan |
Dwarf Monkey Flower |
Plumas County has pussy willows - not real showy but the
first sign of spring.
