frogpond.us

Our hike in Sunol Park was gentle, under threatening skies - perfect temperature for hiking.

We followed the trail along the creek to the falls and water hole with this distinctive blue stone.

Trees, just leafing out, march down the center of the stream bed, inundated by the ample rains.

Gnarled stream-side dwellers.

Below is the road where our hike began.

A stream meanders across the meadow.

This fallen tree is still rooted and beginning to leaf out.

Tiny wildflowers at the trail edge.

Clusters of “butter and eggs”.

A meadow full of buttercups and one owl’s clover blossom.

A butterfly in the buttercups.

A blue bird surveys the meadow from the top of his home. A telephoto lens would reveal his orange belly and blue back feathers.

After our Los Trancos hike, we visited Yerba Buena Nursery, just off Skyline Boulevard in Woodside. The friendly fellow above is Charlie, who presides over nursery operations, greets guests, and hobnobs with the resident cats.

The nursery sells a remarkable collection of California native plants, like this yellow flowered fremontia,

this ribes sanguineum “Claremont”, a wild currant,

this ceanothus,

and this native western hawthorne (crataegus douglasii), still harboring last fall’s colors.

The nursery has expanded its inventory since we last visited, and appears to be doing well with the new trend toward xeriscapes and natural gardens.

Yes, I succumbed to temptation - we came home with a white St. Catherine’s lace buckwheat, a matilija poppy, a native Dutchman’s pipe, wild ginger, and a white thalictrum - always room for one more fabulous plant!

Today, our hikers took to the trails of Los Trancos Preserve, with reports of mountain lion sitings. The predators eluded us, but the views over the coastal range were spectacular, and some of the wildflowers were blooming. In shady spots there were thick stands of miner’s lettuce, pictured above.

There were a few trillium,

some buttercups,

many red warriors,

white-flowered currants,

fragrant white wild lilac,

blue ceanothus,

blooming hound’s tongue,

shooting stars,

and this dainty little chickweed.

Leaves of cow parsnip were unfurling in damp, sunny areas,

and banana slugs were resting in moist, shady edges of the trail.

All the precursors of spring made today’s hike rewarding, despite the challenges of hilly terrain.