A bee forages on Bigelow's sneezeweed (Helenium bigelovii) at Little Jimmy Spring. From Sunday's Islip - Baden-Powell loop.

Mariposa lilies (Calochortus invenustus) blooming through the palmate leaves of a lupine at about 8500 ft., near Sawmill Mountain, west of Mt. Pinos.

According to data from the Consortium of California Herbaria, this species was documented in the Mt. Pinos area as early as 1897.

The wasp-like insect is a hover fly, probably Chrysotoxum festivum.

From Sunday's Mt. Pinos-Mt. Abel Out & Back run.

Related posts: Plummer's Mariposa Lily, Bee Fly On Western Wallflower

In a Spring in which there has been little rain and a reduced number of wildflowers, the vibrant yellow of gumplant has been a welcome sight along Ahmanson's main trail in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve near the Victory trailhead.

This appears to be Grindelia hirsutula var. hirsutula, a species considered rare in Ventura County. It is reported that a species of gumplant was used medicinally by the Chumash, and other native peoples within its range, for treatment of pulmonary problems.

Pine drops (Pterospora andromedea) and snow plant (Sarcodes sanguinea) are related nonphotosynthetic plants that are found under pine and related trees, primarily in the mountains of the western U.S.

At one time it was believed that these plants were saprophytes, and obtained needed nutrients directly from decaying organic matter in soil. However, research has revealed a more complex parasitic relationship in which the plant obtains carbohydrate from a pine tree, by way of a shared mycorrhizal fungus.

The photograph was taken on the run described in Heat Wave, on July 16, 2006.

Related post: Snow Plant

Perfectly sized to work the minute central disk flowers of golden yarrow, a tiny insect -- perhaps a syrphid fly -- hovers a few millimeters from the plant, assessing the risk of continuing to feed.

The compound flower head of the golden yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum) is about the size of a green pea (10mm), and the individual disk flowers at its center are about 1/5 as large (2mm).

From a run at Sage Ranch Park on May 28, 2007.

Related post: Bee Fly on Western Wallflower.

This prickly pear on Lasky Mesa appears to have many of the characteristics of the Engelmann prickly-pear, Opuntia engelmannii, but is more likely a cross involving O. engelmannii. One such cross is O. littoralis X (O. engelmannii X O. phaeacantha ) which is referred to as O. ×occidentalis in the Jepson Manual. Here's a closer view of the stamens and pistil.

From a run in in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (formerly Ahmanson Ranch) on May 23, 2007.

Rose snapdragon (Antirrhinum multiflorum) at Sage Ranch Park. From a run on May 14, 2007.

Blazing star,
Dancing shadows,
It looms above...

The Baldy Peaks 50K (currently in hiatus) is without a doubt the most challenging 50K I've done. This race climbs to the summit of Mt. Baldy twice, once from the village and once from Manker Flats. And after climbing Baldy twice, you get to amble over to Thunder Mountain as well. The total elevation gain (and loss) is reported to be 10,775 ft.

Race organizers asked endorphin influenced runners to write a poem on the second ascent of the peak.

This particular Blazing Star (Mentzelia laevicaulis) was on the Manzanita Trail, between South Fork Campground and Vincent Gap. In the Baldy Peaks race they were along the service road between the Notch and Manker Flats.

Technorati Tags: poetry, Mt. Baldy

Five miles of (mostly) downhill to go. Running through an old growth forest of Jeffrey Pine, Sugar Pine and Incense Cedar, I relished being on a pine needle covered trail at 7000 ft. in the San Gabriel Mountains.

One of the best indicators of seasonal rainfall I've found in the oak woodland and chaparral areas of Southern California in which I run is Elegant Clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata). In a wet year it can grow more than 6 ft. tall. This year it is the shortest I've ever observed -- about 5 inches in this photo taken near Lasky Mesa.

Related posts: Elegant Clarkia, Dealing With Drought

A closer look at the feathery blossoms of the holly-leaved cherry (Prunus ilicifolia) reveal a peculiar flower whose many stamens resemble the tentacles of a sea anemone.

Holly-leaved cherry is a member of the genus Prunus -- the same as apricots, peaches, plums and cherries. As is the case with other species in this genus, the seed and leaves may contain hydrogen cyanide. It produces a small, thin-fleshed fruit favored by coyotes.

The photograph was taken on the slopes of Rivas Canyon near Will Rogers State Historic Park, while doing the route described in the post Will Rogers - Temescal Loop. Once again the weather for this (approximately) 21.5 mile loop was post-card perfect. A Google Earth image of a GPS trace of the route is available in the earlier post.

This photograph of goldfields (Lasthenia spp.) was taken on a run on Lasky Mesa in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve almost exactly one year ago. This April I haven't seen any goldfields on Lasky Mesa. The soil is too dry for the seeds to germinate. The drought in Southern California has suppressed or delayed the growth of these, and many other species of wildflowers.