BUENA VISTA TRAIL WILDFLOWER WALK
mid March to early April
[THIS WALK NOT YET EDITED]
Description: Counter-clockwise on Buena Vista Trail from West Climb Trail in Hillside to Hollow Reserve (Ussery or Hillside trailheads). Full loop requires trail-only access through private land. Difficulty: 2-3 miles roundtrip, 130 feet elevation gain. Avoid when muddy!
Special plants for this trail include a large population of Aase’s onion (Allium aaseae) on the upper south-facing slopes. This is also the best trail for our only native true primrose, Cusick’s primrose (Primula cusickiana), which is one of the earliest flowers to bloom locally. A few small patches can be spotted in late winter/early spring on upper north-facing slopes.
Plants listed in approximate order of encounter within category. * indicates native species
WILDFLOWERS POTENTIALLY IN BLOOM
- *Woolly-pod milkvetch (Astragalus purshii var. glareosus)
- Spring whitlow-grass (Draba verna) – tiny white flowers with notched petals, non-native
- Jagged chickweed (Holosteum umbellata) – inconspicuous non-native
- Stork- or cranesbill, filaree (Erodium cicutarium) – non-native
- Desert alyssum(Alyssum desertorum) – widespread non-native
- Clasping pepperweed (Lepidium perfoliatum) – non-native
- *Bulbous or pink woodlandstar/prairiestar (Lithophragma glabrum, previously L. bulbiferum)
- *Narrowleaf or Great Basin biscuitroot (Lomatium simplex, previously included in L. triternatum, nine-leaf biscuitroot)
- *Prickly-leaf phlox (Phlox aculeata)
- *Arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata)
- *Aase’s onion(Allium aaseae) – rare regional endemic, locally abundant on this trail
- *Dwarf or low pussytoes (Antennaria dimorpha)
- *Sagebrush buttercup (Ranunculus glaberrimus) – can begin blooming in February
- *Foothill or peak saxifrage (Micranthes/Saxifraga nidifica)
- *Cusick’s or Wilcox’s primrose (Primula cusickiana var. cusickiana) – localized and rare
- *Tansymustard (Descurainia sp.) – native species difficult to distinguish, taxonomy in flux
TREES AND SHRUBS (not in bloom)
- Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) – non-native tree
- *Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subsp. tridentata)
- *Rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria [formerly Chrysothamnus] nauseosa) — var. hololeuca is the more common larger variety; the smaller, more spindly var. oreophila is mostly on plateaus
SIGNIFICANT NOXIOUS WEEDS (not in bloom, but evident)
- Feral or Cereal Rye(Secale cereale)
- Rush skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea)
- Medusahead grass (Taeniatherum/Elymus caput-medusae)
- Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) — other annual Bromus also present
- St. Johnswort, Klamathweed(Hypericum perforatum)
PRIMARY BUNCHGRASSES (mostly not in bloom, but evident)
- *Threeawn grass (Aristida purpurea var. longiseta)
- *Squirreltail grass(Elymus elymoides, formerly Sitanion hystrix)
- *Bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata, alternatively in Agropyron or Elymus)
- Bulbous bluegrass (Poa bulbosa) – weedy non-native
- *Sandberg bluegrass(Poa secunda)