NORTHERN COUNTIES 
CLEAR LAKE AREA
April 27,  2009
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Trail Description:
We finally decided to look over three sites in the Clear Lake - Cache Creek area. Our first destination was Bear Valley, an area noted for wildflowers. It's a long gravel road through a mile wide grassy valley of mostly private property cordoned off by fences. We recommend taking Leesville Road back to finish the loop. In spite of it's lumpy asphalt and sharp curves, it's worth the scenery. Our next hike was along Rayhouse Road in Cache Creek Park.  There is no vehicular access to date, but wildflowers are about for the observant. Lastly we visited Anderson Marsh S.H.P. on the southern end of Clear Lake. We found this to be by far the most intriguing area. Even without the floral variety of Rayhouse, the carpets of vetch among the stately oaks, lush meadows and fertile pastures made for a sublime experience. Go when the weather is cool.

Park Page: here.

Blooming Plants Not Photographed:
NN=Non native
Arroyo Lupine (Lupinus succulentus)
Bird’s Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)NN
Blow Wives (Achyrachaena mollis)
Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum)
Bur Clover (Medicago polymorpha) NN
Butter & Eggs (Triphysaria eriantha)
Butter Lupine (Lupinus luteolus)
California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
Canyon Live-Forever (Dudleya cymosa)
Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterophylla)
Common Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) NN
Cream Sacs (Castilleja rubicundula)
Cut Leaf Geranium (geranium dissectum) NN
Fairy Lantern (Calochortus amabilis)
Fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia)
Frying Pan Poppy (Eschscholzia lobbii)
Goldfields (Lasthenia californica)
Ground Iris (Iris macrosiphon)
Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa) NN
Hill Lotus (Lotus humistratus)
Hillside Pea (Lathyrus vestitus)
Imbricate Phacelia (Phacelia imbricata)
Ithuriel’s Spear (Triteleia laxa)
Long Beaked Filaree (Erodium botrys) NN
Miniature Lupine (Lupinus bicolor)
Mule Ears (Wyethia angustifolia)
Pineapple Weed (Chamomilla suaveolens) NN
Poison Sanicle (Sanicula bipinnata)
Prickle Seed Buttercup (Ranunculus muricatus) NN
Purple Owl’s Clover (Castilleja exerta)
Purple Vetch (Vicia benghalensis) NN
Redbud (Cercis occidentalis)
Red Maids (Calandrinia ciliata)
Red Stem Filaree (Erodium cicutarium)NN
Rose Clover (Trifolium hirtum) NN
Sacramento Valley Buttercup (Ranunculus canus)
Shepard’s Needle (Scandix pectin veneris) NN
Silver Bush Lupine(Lupinus albifrons)
Snakeroot (Sanicula crassicaulis)
Sticky Monkey Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus)
Summer Mustard (Hirschfeldia incana) NN
Vetch (Vicia sativa) NN
White Whorl Lupine (Lupinus microcarpus var. densiflorus)
Whorled Lupine (Lupinus microcarpus var. microcarpus)
Wild Carnation (Petrorhagia dubia) NN
Wooly Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja foliolosa)
Wooly Sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum var. achillaeoides)
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Yellow Star Thistle (Centaurea solstitialis) NN
Yellow Sweet Clover (Melilotus indica)NN
Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon californica)
Zigzag Larkspur (Delphinium patens)

Ferns Not Photographed:
Coffee Fern (Pellaea andromedifolia)