Friends, I promise: Soon, my semester will be over, and I’ll be free to write long rambling posts about the garden again. Oh, I can’t wait! The garden is calling me powerfully, but for a time yet I must resist and stay at my computer, only emerging to take walks for my mental and physical health. I’m presenting my capstone project titled “Facilitating Native Bee Populations in the Urban Bay Area,” on Friday, and I am hastily editing and refining (and biting my nails).
Meanwhile, I wanted to show you this pretty little flower that is only in bloom for a short while each year, in a very narrow endemic range. Isn’t it sweet? This is the Mount Diablo Fairy Lantern, Latin name Calochortus pulchellus, and I’ve only seen it on one other trail, and that many years ago.
Calochortus is an interesting genus, with several fascinating local species. To learn more about it, you can’t beat this article in Bay Nature, published in 2015. The entire story is cool, from the way they were ‘discovered’ (by Douglas, of “Douglas fir” and “Douglas iris” fame), to the way they grow, to the places in which they grow. I thought you too might want to learn more about these pretty little ephemerals!
Side note: Tom, the kids, and I have all had our Covid vaccinations, and it feels like freedom. I am looking forward to in-person garden tours, in-person plant sales, and hugs from all gardeners in a 20 mile vicinity!
Another side note: A month ago Tom and I decided to section hike to the top of Mt Diablo (the western side) from our house, over the course of several weekends. This can be done because there are roads going to the summit on the west side, so we just had to figure out where/at which points to hit a road where we could stop and start again. It took us a few weekends, about 14 miles up (and 14 miles back down), and a gain of about 4300 feet in elevation. It was a fun project to figure out how to get up there from here. Now we want to hike the east side, but there are no roads there except the one at the staging area, so we’ll have to do about 10 miles (round trip) and 3600 feet of elevation in one day. So that’s a summer goal!