Taking a Day Off: Hiking, Wildflowers, and Woodpeckers

I worked straight through spring break to meet a deadline, move forward on research projects, and prepare for family being in town this week (now cancelled), so yesterday I finally took the day off and went for a hike in Catalina State Park. It felt good to get out and moving about. And it was a great hiking day, cloudy and not too warm, with wildflowers starting to appear. They're not as spectacular as last year's (yet?) and clearly still shy of full bloom, but all the color was gorgeous. Also I first heard, then saw, and eventually identified a new (to me) bird, the ladder-backed woodpecker!

The owl clover (Castilleja exserta) was out in full force already.

None of the California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) were open yet, but they were still bright and beautiful.

The lupines, of course, were lovely, as always. I believe these are mostly desert lupine, also known as Coulter's Lupine (Lupinus sparsiflorus), one of the most common lupines around here (although there are at least 25 species of lupine in Arizona, so I'm not promising anything!).

This silverpuff (Uropappus lindleyi) has a distinctive shape, courtesy of its pointed bracts.

And this little yellow flower is known as a California suncup (Eulobus californicus).

A common shrub in these parts, this hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa) caught my attention because it's redder than most. What look like flowers are actually fruit.

Arguably it was the creamcups (Platystemon californicus) that really stole the show. They're hard to see here because they're tiny and haven't yet opened into full blooms, but they densely covered large areas beside the trail.

Here's a close up. Before the buds have opened they're all fuzzy, then the petals emerge, and next they will fully bloom.

Perhaps the most surprising plant of the day, though, was the wild cucumber, also known as Gila manroot (Marah gilensis). They're spiky and adorable (but not edible).

Here are a few views of the surroundings.

More flowers! How many species do you see here?

I see at least poppies, lupines, owl clover, desert chicory (the white ones in the background), and some small purple ones that are blurry (sorry!), but that I think might be distant scorpionweed, also known as wild heliotrope (Phacelia distans). 

And now for the animals. I think this might be either a painted lady (Vanessa cardui) or a west coast lady (Vanessa annabella).

Here's the female ladder-backed woodpecker I was mentioning before. While many woodpeckers have barring on their feathers, the even striping here is quite distinctive, hence the name.

And just near the end of the hike, this cardinal made its colorful appearance.

That's it for now! I hope if you're somewhere where you can safely get outside you do so. I know I felt a whole lot better for it. And regardless, I'd love to hear from you and hear how you're doing. Send me an email or text, or even give me a call!