Thanks to Jim Duggan for giving me excellent directions to a locality where I could look for leopard lilies, a species I have never seen before and which is very rare in southern California. I have as a result achieved this year my trifecta of the large lily species, parryi, humboldtii and pardalinum. I had to drive a total of almost 400 miles and hike six miles to find this species, and I didn't see many, but a few were all I needed. The Noble Canyon National Recreation trail has its lower end on Pine Creek Road in Pine Valley, and the other end is at the Penny Pines trailhead along the Sunrise Highway. The trail length is 10 miles, although you can shave about a mile off it by driving further along Pine Creek Road to a dirt parking lot. The trail was pretty dry and most species were done or almost done for this year, and I only went about 1/2 mile beyond where the trail crosses the creek. It was a hot, sunny day and I was pretty bushed and my feet sore when I got back to the car, but very happy to have found a species that was high on my wants list. Next year I'd like to arrange a car shuttle and do the entire trail sometime in the spring when there should be many more things blooming there. The symbol ^ is for a taxon that was new to me when I photographed it on this field trip. Thanks to Hartmut Wisch and Bob Allen for help with critter id's. |
