| MASON VALLEY, ANZA-BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK OCTOBER 2021 PAGE ONE |
| Photographs by Michael Charters |
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After a year and a half of self-imposed pandemic restrictions on my field trips and other excursions, I was worried that maybe it was time to put away my botany boots, so I decided to find out. The answer was that it wasn't time and I drove down to the Mason Valley area of Anza-Borrego, a distance of about 150 miles, to meet up with old friend Tom Chester who I hadn't botanized with in three and a half years, and new friend Don Rideout. Tom had told me that this was an area that would be worth exploring because it had received some monsoonal rain last August. I certainly didn't expect and I was completely amazed to see another old friend show up, Walt Fidler, who is always an invaluable asset to any botanical exploration. We worked our way up the valley, particularly along the base of a north-facing slope that showed signs of having received some rainfall recently. There had also been a fire there last year and that contributed to the growth of many taxa. Considering that it was late October, this area had a good deal more than would be expected, and it was great to be out there again on a beautiful fall day with no one else around except the four of us, temperatures in the 60s, brownies and cookies to be shared, flowers to be enjoyed, and as always on these outings good fellowship. We are definitely interested in going back there in the sping to see what winter rains might produce. |
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Chinchweed Pectis papposa var. papposa Asteraceae |
Apricot mallow Sphaeralcea ambigua var. ambigua Malvaceae |
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Cooper's boxthorn Lycium cooperi Solanaceae [Named for James Graham Cooper, 1830-1902] |
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| Desert agave Agave deserti var. deserti Agavaceae |
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Creosote bush Larrea tridentata Zygophyllaceae [Named for Juan Antonio Hernandez de Larrea, 1731-1803] |
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Small wirelettuce Stephanomeria exigua ssp. exigua Asteraceae |
Coyote melon Cucurbita palmata Cucurbitaceae |
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Desert sand-verbena Abronia villosa var. villosa Nyctaginaceae |
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Big galleta grass Hilaria rigida Poaceae [Named for August François César Provençal de Saint-Hilaire, 1779-1853] |
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California wild buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium Polygonaceae |
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South-facing slope covered with jumping cholla (Opuntia bigelovii), California barrel cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus), |
| PHOTO GALLERIES INDEX |
CALFLORA.NET | PAGE TWO OF THREE |
| CALIFORNIA PLANT NAMES: LATIN AND GREEK MEANINGS AND DERIVATIONS | ||
| VIRGINIA PLANT NAMES: LATIN AND GREEK MEANINGS AND DERIVATIONS | ||
Copyright © 2021 by Michael L. Charters.
The photographs contained on these web pages may not be reproduced without the express consent of the author.
Comments and/or questions may be addressed to: mmlcharters[at]calflora.net.