Milkweeds and Miscellany

 Now that the Milkweed family, Asclepiadaceae, has been combined with the Dogbane family, Apocynaceae, I loosely call all of them Milkweeds even though the Dogbane family name prevails. Thee are five local species that I follow every spring and early summer, and the first to bloom is always the Purple or Heartleaf Milkweed, Asclepias cordifolia, above and below. I find the flower shape of the Asclepias species amazingly beautiful.

 Usually the second Asclepias to bloom around these parts is A. fascicularis, (below) and the several patches I follow are just beginning to show buds. You can see in this photo how it gets its common name. The flowers are built along the same lines as the above A. cordifolia, but are tiny in comparison, approximately 1/4" in diameter. A hand lens needed to fully appreciate.

 A third local Asclepias is the Showy Milkweed, A. speciosa, a favorite haunt of the Monarch Butterfly and my favorite local bug, the Red Milkweed Beetle. More about those when they arrive in a few weeks.

 The Indian Hemp (above) is showing some leaves and bright purple stems, but is a long way from blooming.  More about its natural history and spectacular insect visitors when they bloom and reach heights of 3 to 5 feel. One insect visitor I am always excited to see is the Thread-waisted Wasp. The Hemp is Apocynum cannabinum. SpellCheck is constantly making me nervous by underling many oif these words in red, including waisted, but so far, I don't think I've made any errors.

 Another in the Hemp group is Apocynum androsaemifolium. I'm surprised that wasn't doubly underlined in red! This one is commonly known as Bitter Dogbane , Spreading Dogbane, or Fly-trap Dogbane. You might deduce from the common names that this plant is not well-liked. It is one of my favorites because it's a kind of bug magnet. For a sample of the drama I've seen on these plants, go to my June, 2016 blog post by Googling "Crab spider and Checkerspot on Dogbane. That old photo shows the drama taking place on the flowers of a Labrador Tea bush, but I've seen the same drama many times on the Dogbane along the so-called Mt. Hough Trail. Thanks to the so-called Trail Stewardship, one of the best patches of this Dogbane in the area has been decimated by a bicycle freeway.

 In the miscellany category and a few other first (for me) of the season blooms. The Salsify (above) is also known as Goat's Beard or Tragopogon dubius. 

 There are many local species of Arnica (above) and I have not yet learned to tell them apart. They and the Salsify are in the Aster Family, Asteraceae, formerly known as the Compositae.

Last, but not least, is Wild Hyacinth, formerly known as a Lily in the Liliacae, but now in the Family Themadaceae and specifically, Dichelostemma multiflprum. There are many species of Lily-like flowers that were once in the Family Liliaceae but are now in several other families. Also, there are other plants, such as in the genus Camassia that are known as Wild Hyacinth.  If not their names, enjoy their beauty.