Field Trip Reports - April and May, 2026

Hoo Koo E Koo Trail in Baltimore Canyon OSP
Monday April 27, 2026, leader: Betsey Crawford
Because this was such an early wildflower year many of the showy blossoms we searched for on this trail had passed blooming. We got to concentrate on the other foundation and special plants along the way.

Rhinotropis californica Hoo Koo E Koo Ann Elliott

Rhinotropis californica – CA milkwort Hoo Koo E Koo Ann Elliott

Acmispon glaber deerweed Hoo Koo E Koo Ann Elliott

Castilleja foliolosa wooly paintbrush Hoo Koo E Koo Ann Elliott

folios lichen and Dudleya Hoo Koo E Koo Ann Elliott

Hoo Koo E Koo Ann Elliott

Lepechinia calycina white pitcher sage Hoo Koo E Koo Anna Gil

Lepechinia calycina is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name pitchersage or woodbalm. It is endemic to California, where it is a common plant in several different habitat types, including the chaparral plant community.

Maianthemum stellatum Hoo Koo E Koo Ann Elliott

Neotamias sonomae Sonoma chipmunk Hoo Koo E Koo Trail Anna Gil

The Sonoma chipmunk (Neotamias sonomae) is a species of rodent in the squirrel family Sciuridae. It is endemic to northwestern California in the United States.[1] Members of Neotamias are characterized by having two premolars.[2] N. sonomae has two subspecies: N. s. alleni and N. s. sonomae.[3]

Notholithocarpus densiflorus tan oak Hoo Koo E Koo Anna Gil

Notholithocarpus densiflorus, commonly known as the tanoak or tanbark-oak, is a broadleaf tree in the family Fagaceae, and the type species of the genus Notholithocarpus. It is a hardwood tree that is native to the far western United States, particularly Oregon and California. It ranges from 15–40 meters (49–131 feet) in height, with a trunk diameter of 60–190 centimeters (24–75 inches). There are a number of radical and incompatible perceptions of tanoak; it has been seen by some as a cash crop and by others as a treasured food plant, while yet others have considered it a “trash tree.”[2]

Pellaea andromedifolia coffee fern Hoo Koo E Koo Anna Gil

Pellaea mucronata birds foot fern Hoo Koo E Koo Ann Elliott

Pellaea mucronata bird’s foot fern Hoo Koo E Koo Ann Elliott

Quercus chrysolepis canyon live oak Hoo Koo E Koo Anna Gil

Quercus chrysolepis -canyon live oak Hoo Koo E Koo Anna Gil

Symphoricarpos mollis creeping snowberry Hoo Koo E Koo Ann Elliott

Trillium ovatum Hoo Koo E Koo Ann Elliott

Exploring Flicker Ridge, East Bay Municipal Utility District
Wednesday April 29, 2026, leader: Kurt Rademacher
This unusual opportunity to explore a knobcone pine forest not usually open to the public was organized by Kurt to explore some of the locations near the weather stations that he monitored as a young man. We experienced much different ecosystems from our quite varied Marin ones. These parasitic groundcones look just like pinecones sitting at the base of manzanitas and madrones.

Kopsiopsis strobilaceaCalifornia Groundcone Kopsiopsis strobilacea

Kopsiopsis strobilacea California Groundcone

Dendromecon rigida bush poppy Ann Elliott

Flicker Ridge Ann Elliott

Flicker Ridge bunch grasses Woody Elliott

Flicker Ridge Woody Elliott

Ground cone closeup Ann Elliott

Kopsiopsis strobilacea Ground cone growing Ann Elliott

Kopsiopsis strobilacea Groundcone growing Ann Elliott

Pickeringia montana chaparral pea Flicker Ridge Ann Elliott

Pickeringia montana chaparral peaFlicker Ridge Ann Elliott

Utility access road Flicker Ridge Woody Elliott

Redwood forest near Flicker Ridge Woody Elliott

Asarum caudatum wild ginger 2 Woody Elliott

Asarum caudatum wild ginger Woody Elliott

Asarum caudatum wild ginger blossom Woody Elliott

Mt. Tamalpais Gravity Car Road Wildflower and Nature Photography Walk
Friday, May 1, 2026, leaders: Marcos Gaxiola and Caroline Christman.
Report by Marcos Gaxiola

We gathered on a beautiful morning along Gravity Car Road on Mount Tamalpais, moving through a mix of sunlit openings and shaded redwood areas. We would like to acknowledge that this walk took place on the ancestral lands of the Coast Miwok people, whose deep relationship with this landscape continues to this day.

The group took a relaxed pace, stopping often to observe and photograph native plants and wildlife along the trail, including yerba santa (Eriodictyon californicum), sticky monkey flower (Diplacus aurantiacus ), cobweb thistle (Cirsium occidentale), California sister butterflies (Adelpha californica), and our state slug – the banana slug (Ariolimax spp.). My focus during the walk was helping participants feel more comfortable using their cameras and phones to capture what they were seeing. We explored simple techniques like adjusting light and focus, using grid lines for composition, and finding clean backgrounds to highlight plant details.

It was great to see people experiment with close-up shots and begin to notice smaller details they might have otherwise passed by. There was also interest in using photography for documentation, including sharing observations through platforms like iNaturalist. We talked about ways to capture clear, useful images for identification, while still leaving space for creativity and personal expression. Thank you to everyone who joined us. It was a really enjoyable and engaging group, and it was nice to see people connecting with both the landscape and their own way of observing it.

Banana slug appreciation Marcos Gaxiola

Banana slug Marcos Gaxiola

California sister Marcos Gaxiola

Camera practice Marcos Gaxiola

Cobweb thistle Marcos Gaxiola

Group shot Marcos Gaxiola

Monkey flower Marcos Gaxiola

Monkey flower with white background Rimiko_Berreman

Monkey flower with white background Rimiko Berreman

Monkeyflower with blue background Rimiko Berreman

Mushroom gills Marcos Gaxiola

Phone camera conference Caroline Christman

Photographing monkey flower Caroline Christman

Photography action Rimiko Berreman

Reflection Marcos Gaxiola

Trailside wonders Rimiko Berreman

Yerba santa Denise Williams

Ring Mountain Field Trips

May 24, 26, and 30

Although it was often cold and windy on the mountain, groups had a great time. Tidy tips, tar weed, Ithuriel’s spear, and harvest brodiaea were in abundance. The knowledgeable docents noted identification traits to differentiate similar flowers. False baby stars and Chinese houses were still in bloom. They saw the long-rayed brodiaea and Tiburon buckwheat. Lots of rushes and grasses around; it takes study to identify the rare ones. The rare Tiburon mariposa lilies were out, including some eye-catching ones without red markings (likely with a mutation in the anthocyanin pathway).

Geologist Nicole Meyer joined the last trip to explain in person the interesting geology of Ring Mountain. She described the formation of schist from basalt via metamorphosis during plate tectonic action. Turtle Rock displays both blue and green schist. In other places (the eroded fire road) she showed us muscovite schist and talc.

Field Trip Reports – April and May, 2026