By Carol Witham
There are lots of great places to view wildflowers. I can
think of a dozen or so within an hour (or two) drive from my
home. Most are highly dependent upon both rainfall patterns and
early spring temperatures. Too little rain or too hot too early
and you get too few flowers. Not so at Dales in northern Tehama
County! This area has had consistently spectacular wildflower
displays in each of the past ten years I have been going there.
Situated on a volcanic mudflow plateau to the northeast of
Red Bluff, Dales has shallow soils underlain by impermeable
rock. As in vernal pool landscapes, rainwater perches above the
impermeable layer and slowly evaporates in the spring. Because
non-native annual grasses generally cannot grow in saturated
soils, the native wildflowers are released from competition and
bloom in profusion. Greatest of all, the plateau blooms
continuously during March and April and each week the dominant
species on display change!
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Spring begins early March as soft, pale shades of yellow, cream and rose.
Here Yellow Carpet (Blennosperma nanum) and
Meadowfoam (Limnanthes douglasii var. rosea) dominate a swale. |
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As March ends, the
pale shades give way to sharper and brighter colors.
And, as the flats begin to bloom, one can see that the
greenery evident earlier in the season wasn't grass at
all! |
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As April begins, the
plain becomes a solid sea of bright yellow-gold. Here
the shallow soils remain saturated for much of the
winter which excludes the non-native annual grasses so
common elsewhere. |
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In a riot of yellow,
California Goldfields (Lasthenia californica) and
Tidy-tips (Layia fremontii) bloom syncronously
over thousands of acres. Native specialist bees gather
pollen to feed their small broods. |
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By late April, the
yellow flowers begin to wither and set seed. Only then
do you notice the layer of pale lilac flowers below the
vibrant gold. |
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The goldfields and tidy-tips are quickly replaced by
the pale lilac of Vernal
Pool Brodiaea (Brodiaea minor). There are so many
of these Brodiaea that one wonders how so many bulbs are
hidden in the shallow soils. |
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By early May, most of
the showier blooms are long gone. The seeding annuals
and the sparse grasses are both beginning to brown. But,
if you look closely you see a light mist of purple and
pink hovering about a foot above the ground. |
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The purple and pink turn out to be even more Brodiaeas! And mixed in the
drying vegetation are other late bloomers such as Navarretia,
Clarkia, and Calochortus. |
The Brodiaeas
The shallow soils at Dales are just filled with bulbs! In
addition to the Brodiaea, several species of Dichelostemma and Triteleia also occur here. The three species below
put on particularly dense displays.
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Vernal Pool Brodiaea (Brodiaea
minor) is low growing and pale lilac. It has a
conspicuous constriction in the flower tube just above
the ovary and short upright stamenoides. |
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Elegant Brodiaea or
Harvest Brodiaea (Brodiaea elegans ssp. elegans) is taller and has purple flowers. The flower is
funnel-shaped and the stamenoides are pressed against
the petals. |
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California Brodiaea (Brodiaea
californica var. californica) is a tall plant
with large pale pink flowers. The stamenoides are long
with wavy margins and are pressed up against the
stamens. |
So if you happen to find yourself in northern Tehama County
any time during the spring, take a brief detour to the mudflow
plateau just above the tiny community of Dales.
About the Photographer
CAROL WITHAM is a life member of CNPS. She is an active
volunteer within the Sacramento Valley Chapter and at the state
organization level. One of her favorite activities is sharing
a special place with others through a field trip, slide show
or
education program. Carol can be reached at cwitham ncal.net.
Photos and text © 2000 Carol
Witham. All rights reserved.
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Dedicated to the Preservation of California Native Flora