Quincy to Grass Valley, Part 4

 Regarding last Wednesday's trip to Grass Valley, this set takes us as far as North San Juan, so I guess there will have to be one more.  I'm better at narrative in the morning, so here's hoping I get off to a good start.  The details of our trip are fresh in my mind, and I'm looking forward to sharing.  The top photo in this post is of KitKitDizze, which is probably spelled a hundred different ways.  This aromatic member of the rose family covers a lot of the forest floor in the Transition or Ponderosa Pine belt only as far North as Sierra County, so I don't get to see it often.  More tomorrow....

Finally, finishing up, Tuesday afternoon, writing about our trip to Grass Valley.  The stretch of Highway 49 between Goodyear's Bar and Camptonville has many appealing turnouts with a variety of habitats from gushing, moss-covered waterfalls to dry, decomposed granite.  At one such place I spotted daisies and decided to stop and check for spiders.  The very first one I turned over was providing cover for a Goldenrod Crab Spider.

Across the road in a shady area there were a few Mountain Violets, Viola purpurea.

Only when I got low and close to the violets did I notice a few Golden Brodiaea, now more often called Pretty Face.  And the scientific name has been changed from Brodiaea to Tritelia ixioides. Also, it's been moved from Family Liliaceae to Themidaceae.  The lilies give botanists a lot of trouble.  Or is it better to say botanists studying lilies give each other a lot of trouble.  I try to keep up without getting too attached to he process.  Note the purple anthers.  A very pretty flower.  Pretty Face seems like a good name.

I always love to see Diamond Clarkia, Clarkia rhomboides.  I photographed some slightly dry-looking specimens at Oakland Camp recently, but the much more humid canyon of the Yuba has kept these specimens looking healthier.

A California Sister butterfly was calm enough to post for close-ups.

An amazing-looking Penstemon caught my eye while I was driving 55 mph.  Had to turn around and come back for photos.  This is either the Showy Penstemon or the Gay Penstemon.  Either way, the genus is Penstemon.  It was a bit windy, so I feel lucky to have gotten this sharp shot straight down the tube.  Be sure to click on the photo for a close-up view.  Makes you want to be a bee.

The Dwarf Monkeyflower, Mimulus nanus, was hanging on to various rocks and loose granite gravel.  Very bright red color hard to photograph.  You can see the similarity of the flowers to the Penstemon.  Formerly both were in the Family Scrophulariaceae, but now have been separated.  Depends on how old your field guide is.

A great crop of Yarrow, among many other things, was growing in a neglected lot on the edge of North San Juan.  They should neglect more lots.  A very nice display of wildflowers.

Amongst a thicket of Yarrow, various pea vines, and Morning Glories, there were a few Damselflies known as Bluets.  I had to take a dozen shots before I could get one this focused. 

A few blooming Brewer's Angelica, Angelica breweri, were attracting quite a variety of insects.  I took this photo to capture the Yellow Jacket, but only saw the Ladybug nymph after I showed it on my monitor.  Some vetch in the background complements the yellow on the insect.

I watched this Convergent Ladybird Beetle for quite a while as it crawled around and around the cluster of Vetch blossoms and the stem below.  Finally got this shot of it on the peak.  I loved the color combination of bug and flower.

Finally, a nice patch of fresh-looking Orchard Morning Glory, called Bindweed by those who don't like it.  Now I'm going to move on to some stories closer to Quincy.  My few remaining photos from the Grass Valley trip will show up now and then as parts of other ecological stories.