By Caroline Christman
Participants in the Indian Valley Open Space Preserve plant walk were treated to a misty morning that blossomed into a lovely, sunny day. After we met at the Indian Valley College Campus, we walked past Pacheco Pond to the Ken Harth Waterfall Trail. Along the switch-backing trail to the ridgeline we were treated to a medley of ferns, sanicles, and irises beneath a canopy of oak and madrone.
At the ridgeline the sun greeted us amidst the flowering manzanita and fruiting toyon. We then looped back through a narrow valley complete with burbling stream and small waterfall, emerging at Indian Valley Fire Road. Many of the walk participants were knowledgeable botanists and naturalists, and it was great fun to learn from each other! Some observations and photos from the day are posted on iNaturalist. A list of plants observed during the walk is below.
Indian Valley_ A. manzanita_20250104_154640
Archtostaphylos manzanita – common manzanita
Indian Valley_ View_20250104_153919
View of Indian Valley Open Space
Indian Valley_20250104_121331_small
Paul Barnett observing plants in Indian Valley Open Space Preserve
|
Indian Valley Open Space Plant Species (observed on 1/4/2025) |
|||
|
Common Name |
Scientific Name |
Family |
Notes |
|
Henderson’s Shooting Star |
|
||
|
California polypody fern |
|
||
|
Silverpuffs |
ID is uncertain |
||
|
Sword fern |
|
||
|
Goldback fern |
|
||
|
California wood fern |
|
||
|
Maidenhair fern |
Pteridaceae |
|
|
|
Toyon |
|
||
|
Pacific madrone |
|
||
|
Common manzanita |
|
||
|
Wood rose |
|
||
|
Snowberry |
|
||
|
California honeysuckle |
|
||
|
California blackberry |
|
||
|
California barberry |
Observation not recorded in Calflora |
||
|
Pacific sanicle |
|
||
|
Laceleaf sanicle |
|
||
|
Yarrow |
|
||
|
Coast live oak |
|
||
|
Black oak |
|
||
|
Valley oak |
|
||
|
Torrey’s melic grass |
|
||
|
Bedstraw |
Which galium was this? |
||
|
California bay laurel |
|
||
|
Soap plant |
|
||
|
Douglas iris |
|
||
|
Oceanspray |
|
||
|
California buckeye |
|
||
|
Hedge nettle |
|
||
|
Coastal Sagebrush |
|
||
|
Coyote mint |
|
||
|
Redberry buckthorn |
ID is uncertain |
||
|
Common rush |
|
||
|
Broadlead cattail |
|
||
|
California buttercup |
|
||
|
Milkmaids |
|
||
|
Western hondstongue |
|
||
|
Yerba buena |
|
||
|
Poison oak |
|
||
|
Blue wild rye |
|
||
|
California fescue |
I think it was californica and not idahoensis based on size and location |
||
|
Sedge |
Not sure of species, probably multiple species |
||
|
Juniper high-cap moss |
Observation not recorded in Calflora |
||
|
Crescent cup liverwort |
Not native to California |
||
|
Cud weed |
ID is uncertain, possibly multiple species |
||
|
Coffeeberry |
|
||
|
Sticky monkeyflower |
|
||
|
Coyote brush |
Baccharis pilularis |
|
|
|
Bee plant |
|
||
|
Tarweed |
Not sure of species, probably multiple species |
||