As part of our ongoing investigation of the flora of the Table Mountain area, I joined Tom Chester, Keir Morse, Walt Fidler and James Dillane on a lovely excursion across the south-facing slopes that were burned in the fire this past September. This was a fortuitous choice on our part because the flora was spectacular. Our other field visits had been later in the season so this was a benefit as well. The peaks and ridges of Table Mountain loom over the quiet community of Wrightwood at the east end of the Angeles Crest Highway, with views north to the flat expanse of the Antelope Valley and south to the adjacent Blue Ridge. From the higher points the visitor can enjoy the mighty bulk of Mt. Baden-Powell in all its glory. Tom Chester's page on the flora of Table Mountain delineates the area as "the extreme northeast portion of the San Gabriel Mountains... extending from Mescal Creek on the west to Sheep Creek on the east, north of the San Andreas Fault in the Wrightwood/ Swarthout Valley, and south of the alluvial deposits in the Mojave Desert." He points out that Table Mountain is on the opposite side of the San Andreas Fault from the rest of the San Gabriel Mountains, with a different geological history and some limestone areas that are uncommon in the San Gabriels. The photo above is of a field of Linanthus breviculus and Gilia ochroleuca. An asterisk next to the common name indicates a non-native taxon.

Broad-leaved lotus
Hosackia crassifolia var. crassifolia
Fabaceae
[Named for David Hosack, 1769-1835]

Woodland spurge
Euphorbia lurida
Euphorbiaceae