McDonald Peak Botanical Area

Darry, Sabin, Rich, Mary, and… could it be. Yes, there he was – John! headed up Mt Ashland on FS 20 past the turnoff to Grouse Gap ready for rare flowers and incredible views. The day was lovely and cool up there, with an increasing high cloud cover very much welcomed on the exposed flank of the Siskiyou Crest.

The hike is only about 1-1/2 miles to the top of knobby McDonald Peak but it still took us about and an hour and a half and we oohed and awwed our way up on the Split Rock ridge trail.

Many of the flowers we saw were in entrancing miniature to adapt to that high, harsh alpine habitat. There was LOTS of discussion since as these increasingly experienced wildflower enthusiasts want credible explanations of ID and do not hesitate to express different opinions (so fun). Lots of flowers that are not easy to identify (not so fun).

Respectfully submitted,
Flower Floozy Liz

Flower names with asterisks are new to us for this year of WWs.

Alice’s fleabane*
Ballhead sandwort*
Biscuitroot lomatium (not Sweet Cecily)
Cobwebby paintbrush*
Elegant mariposa lily/Elegant cat’s ears
Mt Ashland lupine* (Rare – only found on Mt Ashland)
Jessica sticktight* (not Forget-me-not after all) but in borage family
Lewis Flax*
Low Jacob’s Ladder* (not the Toyal)
Narrow-leaf Blue-eyed Mary
Monument plant Frasera speciosa
Pussy paws
Rosy pussy toes*

Scarlet gilia*
Scouler’s woolyweed* (not Scouler’s hawksbeard)
Silverleaf phacelia
Sulfur buckwheat
Ternate wild buckwheat*
Wavyleaf paintbrush*
Western pasque flower*
Western wallflower*

Shrubs and groundcover
Bitter cherry
California mountain ash*
Pinemat manzanita/Arctostaphyllus
Sticky current
Western serviceberry
(Couple of others still in process)

Hike Leader: Liz