Having hiked up through Evey Canyon many years ago, I was anxious to reaquaint myself with this delightful area, and being unaware of its apparent closure, I set off through an oak and alder riparian woodland to go to the top of Potato Mountain which I had not been to before. Considering the lack of rainfall this year, the flora was amazing, and it was a lovely cool spring day. The thirty or so other people I passed were also either like me unaware that the city of Claremont had chosen to close this area or were scofflaws. The photo above taken from the summit shows, I think, the summits of Ontario Peak in the foreground and Cucamonga Peak to its right. Mt. Baldy would be off to the left out of the picture. Although much of the fire road going up through Evey Canyon is lined with Spanish broom, there was a great variety of native plants in bloom, but because of its relative proximity to residential areas it also has a lot of non-native plants, and the symbol * next to the common name is for such a species. It's approximately 5 miles to the top of Potato Mountain, and it can also be accessed via an 8.8 mile hike from Claremont Hills Wilderness Park. The closure and the issuance of parking tickets in the turnout (one of which was received by yours truly) is a great annoyance and unfortunately forces me in good conscience to refrain from recommending this as a hiking destination, and anyone who reads this and goes there anyway is doing so at their own risk. For reference, see Bob Muns' Evey Canyon Flora: A Checklist. Like many people I was deeply saddened to learn of Bob's recent passing at the age of 96. He was a treasure to our botanical world and a hell of a nice guy. He will be greatly missed.

Purple nightshade
Solanum xanti
Solanaceae
[Named for János Xántus, 1825-1894]

Long-beaked storksbill *
Erodium botrys
Geraniaceae

Red-stem filaree *
Erodium cicutarium
Geraniaceae

Big-leaf maple
Acer macrophyllum
Sapindaceae