Wildflower Walk Planned at Alabama Hills

Wildflower lovers will have a chance to see the spring display in the Alabama Hills, which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management’s Bishop Field Office, Friday.

Martin Oliver, BLM botanist, and Steve McLaughlin with the Bristlecone Chapter of the California Native Plant Society will lead the tour. This is one of the Bristlecone chapter’s annual wildflower walks. Participants should meet at 9:30 a.m. at the intersection of Whitney Portal and Movie Flat roads. Bring water, snacks or lunch, and standard field items.

For more information, contact Martin Oliver at (760) 872-5035 or email at martin_oliver@blm.gov

Flowers now showing include:

• Scarlet Milk-Vetch (Astragalus coccineus)
    – Low-growing deep red, fluted flower with oval, fuzzy leaves.
• Tidy tips (Layia glandulosa)
    – White flower with notched petals and yellow center.
• Desert pincushion (Chaenactis sp.)
    – White composite flower with all disk flowers, stems often reddish.
• Easter bonnets (Eriophyllum wallacei)
    – Tufted, low growing, small, yellow flower.
• Desert Paintbrush (Castilleja chromosa)
    – Showy red flower generally occurring in clumps – the color is actually from the bracts that surround the flower.
• Yellow Throats (Phacelia fremontii)
    – Pink low-growing flowers with bright yellow throats and scalloped leaves.
• Fremont Gold (Syntrichopappus fremontii)
    – Tiny yellow flower generally with five “petals” (flowers) with distinct notches.

Central California District   5152 Hillsdale Circle, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762