Typically in June we are in the Sierra high country. With the record high snow fall and slow melt out, we have chosen to focus most of our time on the other side of the Owen's Valley. We have spent enough time in the Sierra to enjoy the snow, cross some sketchy snow bridges and look at avalanche debris, but haven't felt the need to do anything heroic. The high country needs some time to melt and dry out. Fortunately, there are plenty of flowers in the dry mountains. These trips were inspired by an email from our friend Hikin' Bill. He sent out photos of some beautiful cactus, and we decided to investigate. Lots of new to us flowers awaited. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Whites and Inyos.
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Mojave kingcup cactus, Echinocereus mojavensis
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| Rose penstemon, Penstemon floridus |
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| As you can tell, I like these a whole bunch. |
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| Acton brittlebush, Encelia actonii |
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| Searl's prairie clover, Dalea seaarlsiae |
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| I had no idea this flower even existed, and we didn't see them most hikes. |
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| Thick stemmed caulanthus, Caulanthus crassicaulis |
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| Note the thick stem, like desert candles. |
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| Yes, these were one of my favorites. So different. |
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| Prince's plume, Stanleya elata |
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| Stansbury's cliffrose, Purshia stansburyana |
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| Mojave fishook cactus, Sclerocactus polyancistrus |
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| Our typical hiking scene, Juniper Peak. |
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Mojave kingcup cactus, Echinocereus mojavensis
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| Ok, I really like these too. |
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| Grizzlybear pricklypear, Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea |
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| Bob is hiking in the brush with Waucoba and Andrews in the background. |
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| White layia, Layia glandulosa |
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| Chuckwalla, Sauromalus ater |
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| Pinyon Mariposa, Calochortus bruneaunis |
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| Cushion Buckwheat, Eriogonum ovalifolium |
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| Clustered broomrape, Aphyllon fasciculatum |
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| Cold desert phlox, Phlox stansburyi |
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| We found 11 ancient native house rings and there may be more. |
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| Crested onion, Allium atrorubens |
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| Parish's larkspur, Delphinium parishii ssp. parishii |
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| Desert paintbrush, Castilleja chromosa |
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| Grizzlybear pricklypear, Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea |
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| Pinyon mariposa, Calochortus bruneaunis |
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| Yes, normally these are white, but what a color morph. |
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| Red mariposa, Calochortus kennedyi var. kennedyi |
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| Lilac sunbonnet, Langloisia setosissima ssp. punctata |
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| Calico cactus, Echinocereus engelmannii |
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| Ok, I liked these a lot too. |
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| Death Valley phacelia, Phacelia vallis-mortae |
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| Rose heath, Chaetopappa ericoides |
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| A view of the Sierra. Still plenty of snow up high. |
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| Rayless shaggy fleabane, Erigeron aphanactis |
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| Eureka Sand Dunes |
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| Bitter root, Lewisia rediviva |
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| We did bag a few peaklets during our hikes. |
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| The view from up high is mighty nice. |
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| White Mountain is actually white with its snow covering. |
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| Royal penstemon, Penstemon speciosus |
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| Grizzlybear pricklypear, Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea |
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| Erigeron species, these are tricky. |
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| Cushion Buckwheat, Eriogonum ovalifolium |
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| Lewis' flax, Linum lewisii |
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| Fineleaf hymenopappus, Hymenopappus filifolius var. nanus |
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| Rose heath, Chaetopappa ericoides |
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| Fendler's sandmat, Euphorbia fendleri |
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| Desert snowberry, Symphoricarpos longiflorus |
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| Parry's Monkeyflower, Diplacus parryi |
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| Desert paintbrush, Castilleja chromosa |
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| Wishbone bush, Mirabilis laevis |
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| Wooly Marigold, Baileya pleniradiata |
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| Mojave indigobush, Psorothamnus arborescens |
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| Mojave sandwort, Eremogone macradenia |
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| Beavertail cactus, Opuntia basilaris |
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| Clustered broomrape, Aphyllon fasciculatum |
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| Yellow eyed lupine, Lupinus flavoculatus |
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| Pink allumroot, Heuchera rubescens |
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| Booth's evening primrose, Eremothera boothii |
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| Skunky monkeyflower, Diplacus mephiticus |
This cabin was completely unexpected. Most cabins in the area are associated with mining, none of that here. Other times we have found cabins on old stage lines, or for ranching. Neither of those seem to fit either. Another guess was cutting trees for charcoal, but the Veedol motor oil company didn't come into existence until 1918, and that seems too late. So, my best guess is a mine we don't know of. This cabin had a stove, so it was used for more than just a very temporary shelter. A mystery.
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| Desert Lantern, Oenothera deltoides |
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| Heartleaf jewelflower, Streptanthus cordatus |
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| Tufted townsendia, Townsendia scapigera |
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| Badger flat threadplant, Nemacladus inyoensis. Rare and among the smallest flowers around |
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| Yes, they are very small. |
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| King's bird's beak, Cordylanthus kingii |
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| This is an old paintbrush. |
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| Utah juniper, Juniperus osteosperma |
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| Heartleaf jewelflower, Steptanthus cordatus |
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| Torrey's milkvetch, Astragalus calycosus |
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| Beautiful, but not the place to be when it is hot. |
We even saw some petroglyphs.
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| Most of these were very old. |
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| Desert collared lizard, Crotaphytus bicinctores |
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| Fossil worm tracks |
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| Pinyon mariposa, Calochortus buneaunis |
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| Pinyon mariposa and native bee pollinator |
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| Inyo Frasera, Frasera puberulenta |
On several hikes we heard vireo singing. As both plumbeous and gray are possible we would track them down and get a good look. One time we were lucky and had Gray Vireo. This is the much rarer of the two. Even better, we were able to watch the parents feed a fledgling just out of the nest. Very, very nice!
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| Gray Vireo fledgling, Vireo vicinior |
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| Adult, with lunch for the fledgling |
A few photos of snow hiking this spring. The first is Bob crossing the sketchy snow bridge. Next is the avalanche debris in Tyee Lake. Yes, it is well on its way to being a meadow. And finally Lower Lamarck. What appears to be open water is ice. It melted and then froze over again. Happy spring.
