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Hello, and welcome to the Plumas County
"Bloom Blog" and waterfalls viewing page. Our goal is to keep
wildflower/waterfall enthusiasts informed about where specific
wildflowers and waterfalls can be found from February through July.
Please send us
up to date information with locations and/or
photos. Let us know if our plant identification is
incorrect.
May 31, 2010
Joe Willis writes to us:
 The
Choke Cherry (right) is blooming in many places,
looking somewhat like white lilacs at 55 mph, but
clearly in the rose family when viewed close up. Bitter
Cherry can also be seen along the highway, but is not so
noticeable at speed because the flowers are spread
around individually rather than in large, hanging
clusters.
 Also
common now are the Balsam Root, (left) often
confused with Mule Ears, but distinguished by having
several leaves along the length of each stem rather than
having all the leaves grow out from the base of the
plant.
 Finally,
the only thing to rival the beautiful, large patches of
Blue Lupine are the large patches of Field Clover
(right). I saw several patches that must have been
several hundred square feet in area and were being
visited by lots of bees and other insects. And then the
rain came. By the way, Saturday's post of my flowers
looked nice, but there's a little mix-up on the labeling
of Fleabane and Pineapple Weed.
May 25, 2010
The Bloom Blog was mentioned in Sunset Magazine!
 Pick
up your June 2010 Issue of Sunset Magazine and check out
the article on Sierra City and The Lakes Basin Area. The
article states that early June is the beginning for
wildflowers for that area, but not this year- I would
give it until the end of June because there is still 2
feet of snow! This has been such a chilly spring so far
that the snow has yet to melt. We are patiently waiting,
and there are clearly other parts of the county that are
blooming in full force!
May 22, 2010
Wildflowers are "Springing"
up all over!
Joe "on the go" Willis has been seeking out
spectacular colors and
species of wildflowers. Poppies, Lupines and Bush
Monkeyflower are just about everywhere, and are easy to
spot. Joe says he has been
fielding lots of inquiries about the Bush Monkeyflower.
He has a good close-up of this flower on his website in
the May 4th entry on his
blog. The Old Highway near Keddie revealed
Checker Bloom
 (photo
at right).
Much less common but blooming now is the Canyon Azalea.
They are white and give off a wonderful aroma.
Red Larkspur, Buttercups and Balsamroot are the most
noticeable while driving.
All the photos were taken at the Keddie Wye
(seven miles north of Quincy on Hwy. 89) or at
turnouts within a half mile north of the Wye.
Blue-eyed Grass
Sulfur Pea
Fleabane
Pineapple Weed
May 19, 2010
Jeff Titcomb writes to us:
 The
wild flowers are beginning to bloom along the
highways through and around Greenville.
Better than that though is the amount of trees
in bloom from the pale pink apple blossoms to
the yellow of the maples.
The white pears are in full swing, but won't
last long.
Lilacs are out in force, but in the early stages
just yet.
 Many
Wild Iris (left) are in bloom and others
in deep purple, yellow and red.
The Lupine (right) and dogwoods are going
crazy in the canyons to and from the Lake
Almanor/Greenville area.
Here are some pictures from this morning.
P.S. Tons and tons of daffodils are still blooming at Plumas Pines area
in Prattville on the lakeside.
Also, we have heard from people who commute
from Graeagle to Quincy that bright purple
Lupine are blooming up and down Hwy 70.
May 13, 2010
Joe Willis writes to us:
 Three
flowers got my attention yesterday just north of Indian
Falls where I photographed Showy Phlox last week.
The Heartleaf Milkweed (left) is starting to bloom
and their intricate flowers a beautiful and will soon be
attracting colorful butterflies and bee tles.
The Scarlet Fritillary (right) was bright and
beautiful even though
 this
one appeared to have been beaten down by the recent
snow.
Finally, the Sulfur Pea (left) is suddenly common
all over the hillside. The latter is a little blurry as
I was hanging onto a branch for dear life so I wouldn't
fall into the road.
May 11, 2010
Jeff Titcomb of Greenville took a drive up to Round
Valley Lake, above Greenville, looking for flowers and
waterfalls. He had plenty of luck with sightings of Snow
Plants, Dogwood, Manzanita and Squaw Carpet.
Snow Plants (left)
Dogwood
(Right)
Waterfalls at Round Valley Lake (left)
May 10, 2010
Joe Willis writes to us:
 Here
are some that are common in the Feather River Canyon now
and most are moving quickly up to our elevation. When
this current storm passes, there should be another burst
of species blooming at the 3,000 - 4,000' range.
This specimen of Harlequin Lupine (left) was just
beginning to bloom. Soon, they will be amazing as the
entire stem will sprout multi-colored flowers. The wild
mustard (wall flower) and radish are plentiful now,
too.
Hansen's Delphinium (left)
Foothill Poppy (right)
Pentstemon (left)
Indian Paintbrush (right)
May 7, 2010
Meet Grady!
We would like to introduce you to our brand new
four-legged reporter, Grady. Mike and Valerie
Nellor of Quincy adopted him from
High
Sierra Animal Rescue in Portola only two weeks ago!
 According
to Mike "Grady is my new Wildflower Retriever.
He is a natural, he found the Mules Ear right off
the bat. What a guy!"
Photo of Grady on the right "hard at work on the job."
Also on their journey, they found shooters and
delphiniums out at Oakland Camp (follow Quincy
Junction road north from the stoplight by Safeway and
Quincy High School). We will look
forward to getting more reports from Mike and his new
pal as he grows into a 'big dog'.
Delphinium 
Shooters at right
May 5, 2010
Feliz Cinco De Mayo!!
Joe Willis writes to us:
 A
pretty good flower day. On the way out of
town, I saw a large patch of Butter 'n
Eggs (pictured right) in front of Papa's
donuts. It's in the same family as
Monkeyflower and Snapdragons.
 Then,
on the way home from Greenville, just north
of Indian Falls, I saw a great patch of
Showy Phlox (pictured left).
Unfortunately, it was on a dirt bank in a
place with no safe turnout. So, I went on
to Indian Falls and turned around. On the
way back, there's a good little turnout high
above the river just upstream from the
falls. From there, I carefully walked back
to the phlox which were on the left (west)
side of the road. When I got to the phlox,
I saw lots of other interesting flowers.
 Starflower
(pictured right) was plentiful, but not
noticeable from a moving car. Also, the
heartleaf milkweed had prominent purple
buds. Even though the flowers were not yet
open, they are quite pretty at this stage.
Soon the monarch butterflies will ap pear.
They sometimes arrive before blooming and
try to pry the flowers open.
Also near the phlox
was the delicate little Spanish Clover
(left). So, I stopped for one, bright
pink flower and found three others. And, I
didn't get run over. Be really careful if
you stop here.
May 4, 2010
Joe Willis writes to us:
 The
"grass pink" (pictured left) is in the carnation
family. It's not a native, but has become successfully
naturalized throughout the foothills and is making its
way up the canyon, a little further every
year.
The red larkspur (pictured right) is fully
blooming now. A week ago, the blossoms were still
somewhat closed. It's in the buttercup family, along
with columbine and Monks Hood, which I find
fascinating.
 The
stonecrop (pictured left) is also known by its
scientific name,
Sedum, and is often stolen from the wilds and
planted in rock gardens. It is also cultivated in
nurseries.
Wallflower (pictured right) is all over the place
and quite visible at 55 mph.
It's in the mustard family. As for the blue lupine,
there are several species in the canyon, some being
bushy perennials. In some areas they have formed broad
carpets hundreds of feet long, rivaling the displays on
Table Mountain a month ago.
 I
also saw some beautiful white larkspur (Hansen's
Delphinium), Deadly Nightshade, and wild irises. The
Death Camas (left) here is clearer than the photo of
it I sent last week.
There are several common, white lilies around here that
can be confused with this one. Some are edible, but
don't fool around without expert help. These were
growing on Old Highway around 1/4 mile off the southern
entrance to Hwy 70.
 The
Madia (pictured right) is a beautiful composite
(sunflower family). Lots of yellow composites look
alike to the amateur, but this one is very distinct due
to each "petal" (i.e. ray flower) is 3-lobed, and there
is lots of rusty red/lavender around the disk flowers in
the center. These were growing between Rich Bar and
Woody's in several places.
 Only
a few of the flowers are obvious while driving 55. I
strongly recommend stopping at every safe turnoff and
walking around, especially the ones near waterfalls and
creeks. Watch out for traffic! The waterfalls were
great! Bear Creek Falls (pictured left), is
accessible from a 10-minute walk up a gated dirt road
directly across from the rest stop by the tunnels.
April 29, 2010
 Although
we had some tumultuous weather this past week, the
flowers near Indian and Spanish Creeks and the Feather
River are starting to bloom. Joe Willis captured several
blooms near the Greenville Y and Hwy 89.
The Indian Rhubarb, (pictured left) is always
quite photogenic when it blooms and then of course again
during fall color.
April 26, 2010
Joe Willis Writes to us:
I sent some Friday from some roadside stops near the
Greenville Y. Here are
some from our neighborhood in Quincy as well as up Boyle
Ravine (map below). The "swampy buttercup" is growing
abundantly across the road from the Quincy High
 School
tennis courts. I can't remember what species it is.
Henbit (pictured left) is short for "Henbit Dead
Nettle" a member of the mint family abundant in the
fields of American Valley. On my hike up Boyle Ravine,
I saw leaves of many kinds of lilies that will bloom
soon - fritillary, Solomon's Seal, and various
Calochortus (Mariposa Lilies). The fruit trees
in our neighborhood are blooming beautifully. I saved
the bugs and other animal shots for my blog,
blackoaknaturalist.
View Larger Map
April 22, 2010
Joe Willis Writes to us:
 Lots
of new flowers arrived along my route from Quincy to
Greenville. The Currant bushes (pictured right)
are blooming all around the Greenville Y on the roadside
cliffs and along the trail down to the raft-launching
spot where the rivers join.
Buttercups are blooming everywhere. This patch was in a
field along Stampfli Lane.
 The
Shooting Star, pictured earlier, are now peaking and are
quite common along Old Highway near Keddie. They won't
be around much longer. A second species of yellow
violet has arrived, Last week I photographed the Fan
Violet with lacy, fern-like leaves. This new one has
oval shaped, smooth-edged leaves and is the Pine
Violet (pictured left).
The Manzanita are in full bloom everywhere. The
blue Lupine are coming out along the highway and this
one was at the Greenville Y. Another new arrival is the
White Stickseed, in the same family as Forget-Me-Not's.
These were at the Y, also.
The Cinquefoil are about to burst. I think they'll
bloom this weekend and they are plentiful near the
rivers along this route. A yellow, rose-like flower
with marijuana-like leaves.
The tiny Blue-eyed Mary (pictured right), is hard
to spot until you get used to looking for it. The
flowers are only about 1/4" wide, but are quite pretty.
They're in the same family as Monkey-Flower which will
also arrive soon. This weekend should bring out more
species. A good first day to roam the woods and
roadsides would be Saturday.
April 20, 2010
Jeff Titcomb of Greenville writes to us:
I 
am sending you the daffodils because Mrs. Carol
Kingdon planted tens of thousands of daffodils
around the Indian Valley from Taylorsville up North
Valley Road around the valley. She planted them at
crossroads and intersections and all along the
roadside. They are all in full bloom and will be
gone soon.
 The
trees in town are just starting to bud out and the
early blooms are out, not apples or full bloom yet,
but many crab apples and such are blooming.
April 19, 2010
Gorgeous weekend weather!
 This
past weekend the weather in Plumas County was glorious!
It seemed as if everyone was out enjoying their yards,
planting flowers and giving their lawns the first mow of
the season. The scent of fresh cut grass and fertilizer
was palpable. This is where the pun "spring is in the
air" must come from.
The photo to the right is an Oregon Grape with a
visiting bee. Joe Willis photographed this on Quincy
Junction Rd. on Sunday.
April 14, 2010
Joe Willis Writes to us:
Plum Tree at the Plumas County Museum
 "On
a walk around Quincy yesterday during a sunny period I
saw that many yards and businesses had recovered from
the last snow quickly as far as flowers are concerned.
The attached flowers are from Morning Thunder on
Lawrence, the Courthouse lawn, the Museum Lawn, and the
Library."
Garden at
Morning Thunder Cafe, Quincy
In other sightings around the county, John Hafen of
Crescent Mills, traveled down to Caribou in the
Feather River Canyon for a
wildflower trek and came by the Visitors Bureau today to
give us a full report. Apparently, Fritillary,
Watercress, and all sorts of Buttercups,
including the rare Waterfall Buttercups that
bloom only under the rushing water are all blooming down
the canyon right now. California Poppies
are just about everywhere and the blue Lupin are
starting to make their appearance. You can
find Redbud all the way up the canyon to the
power dam. Indian Paintbrush are showing up
in the lower part of the canyon below Caribou. They were chasing the
Orchids but they have not bloomed yet.
April 13, 2010
Joe Willis writes to us:
 "Here
are my results from a very rainy and snowy
trip down the canyon yesterday morning.
The red larkspur (left), AKA
Delphinium, was prominent in a
stretch around 22-23 miles from Quincy along
the rock walls on the north side of the
road. Very gray skies and drizzle made the
color in the photo not so great. I wonder
how many people make the connection between
larkspur and larks."
" So,
here's a picture of a meadowlark
(right) I got Sunday morning in Quincy. The
redbud was great for a mile or so on either
side of the Pulga bridge, 50 miles from
Quincy. For people coming up the canyon,
that's 19 miles from the sign near Wick's
Corner that says "Quincy 70." "
 "Also
common along the roadsides was fiddleneck
(left) and California poppies. Due to the
cold rain, the poppies were closed, but you
could still tell there were many of them
between the Pulga Bridge and Jarbo Gap.
I'll have some stuff to say about Lakes
Basin later today, but maybe not before
closing time. A very busy day ahead. I
should add, though not in Plumas County, the
broads swaths of wildflower color in the
fields between Chico and Redding were very
impressive. Butter-and-eggs, goldfields,
tidy tips, and blue dicks (a lily)."
April 12, 2010
 All
of this rain we are getting this week is going to make
the wildflower display much more colorful as weeks pass.
Jeff Titcomb, of Greenville, hiked down to
Indian Falls last week and sent some photos of the
rushing creek and a few flower shots. While it isn't
"prime" wildflower viewing time at Indian Falls yet,
there were a few unidentified flowers blooming.
 Indian
Falls is located off Hwy 89, about 2 miles
north of the Greenville Wye. You can park your car
in the marked parking lot at the top of the trail near
the highway and it is a short but moderately steep walk
to the falls. There is a small beach to the right of the
trail and to the left there is some large rocks near the
falls that you can climb around on. It is a very pretty
spot for a picnic and photo opportunity.
April 9, 2010
Our intrepid reporter of all things flora and fauna, Joe
Willis, sent us a few nice photos he took while out
exploring yesterday. And as usual, he found some
really interesting species that you can find and take a
look at up close and personal.
The photo to the right was taken on a stretch of road
just south of the entrance to Keddie Cascades Trail
area. There are rock walls on the south side
that are covered with various types of stonecrop,
not yet blooming, but making beautiful rock gardens that
look like they have been landscaped.
This pretty little flower to the left is stout-beaked
toothwort. The species is part of the mustard
family that includes a lot of early bloomers like wild
radish, mustard of course, rock cress and
whitlow grass. These are out blooming in
profusion now along the Old Highway loop south of
Keddie.
The very large white leaf manzanita to the right
was photographed near the Greenville Y.
Joe says "that things are really coming alive since
the recent snow melted away."
April 7, 2010
 Joe
Willis writes to us after an afternoon in Greenville,
Indian Valley, and feather River Canyon:
"Flowers weren't fully recovered from the snow, at
least not any new ones. Got a few fair shots. The
rock cress (left) is out in abundance on the jagged
rocks just upstream from the Greenville Y bridge.
The dandelion (right) is along the
roadside there with lots of different bugs visiting. The
shooting star are near the south end of Old Highway,
just off Hwy 70 going north. There were around 5 or 6
blooming, but I could from the leaves there will be
hundreds there in another week or so.
 There
were just a couple of California buttercups
(left), but also many leaves of ones that will bloom
soon. I found out the
shooting stars (right) are often called mosquito
bills in the Bay Area.
The whitlow grass and filaree that were blooming
before the storms are out again in force. The whitlow
grass is so tiny most people won't notice it, but it's
quite fascinating, and sometimes grows in very dense
patches. Both it and the rock cress are in the mustard
family. If we don't get another storm, next week should
be great. I saw lots of leaves of flower species that
are coming soon. Oh, Manzanita are blooming here and
there between Greenville and Quincy as well as down the
canyon."
April 2, 2010
We just have to share this amazing photo that Joe Willis
took of the bee with the Lupine. It was taken near
Cherokee a couple of weeks ago, but he says that this
scene is being repeated all along the lower half of the
Feather River Canyon, from the town of Belden on down.
There are still plenty of sunny yellow
Daffodils to be seen if you take a walk or a drive all
around Quincy right now.
Joe wants everyone to know that the
recent snow and rain is delaying things a bit, but all
of this moisture will make for an even more colorful
April!
Happy Easter everyone!
March 31, 2010
 Plumas
County woke up to a blanket of snow this morning! The
daffodils in front of the Plumas County Visitors Bureau
were covered in the white stuff. Surprisingly, they
still looked quite cheerful!
March 26, 2010
"Things are starting to come out in
the Quincy area" according to Joe Willis.
"I shot the Henbit Deathnettle,
 a
tiny member of the mint family, in the fields around
American Valley. There is a lot of interesting
lore associated with this plant. Google it for
some fun."
Henbit Deathnettle ( right)
"The Shooting Star was photographed
along the Old Highway near Keddie, along with a species
of Cardamine, Mustard family (Brassicaceae., formerly
known as Cruciferae). There are many species and
are variously known as Bittercress, Cuckoo Flower and
Lady's Smock, among other names. Like most members of
this family, has alleged nutritional and medicinal
properties." I found these all along the paved
portion of Old Highway that fronts Spanish Creek on the
north and these flowery banks on the south side of the
road."
Shooting Star (left)
Cardamine (below)
"The Johnny Jump Ups were near the
Plumas County Animal Shelter; they are basically
domesticated violets. Around the town are various
Daffodils blooming in bright, bright sunny yellow and
the Crocuses in that beautiful purply-blue color."
Johnny Jump Ups (below)
March 22, 2010
Happy Spring!!!!
Looks Like we are off to a wonderful
start- Joe Willis blogs about his Spring Equinox trip to
Table Mountain:
Field of Poppies at Table Mountain
"Amazing Saturday, first day of spring at Table
Mountain. Greatest wildflower display I've ever seen,
and I've been to Table Mountain many times. The lower
Feather River Canyon around the
 tunnels
had lots of patches of Waterfall Buttercup,
Ranunculus hystriculus,
above the highway on wet cliffs, but there was
nothing else blooming until we passed into Butte County
near the boundary of the Plumas National Forest where we
saw California Poppies."
Birdseye Gilia (right)
Common Monkey Flower (left)
"Then there some Redbud patches from the Pulga
bridges on over Jarbo Gap. Table Mountain, however, was
amazing, and is probably a good indicator of what's to
come in the canyon and on through Plumas County in the
coming weeks. The rainy period followed by lots of warm
days has been the perfect beginning of the season for
flower watchers."
"The
attached photos are all captioned and were taken
at Table
Mountain. For more photos, watch my blog at
blackoaknaturalist from today onward for a few more
days. For further information about specific locations
and wildflower lore, feel free to e-mail me at
blackoaknaturalist@att.net."
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