Leather Flower Clematis bigelovii |
On Saturday, June 7th, I led my first Forest Service wildflower walk of 2014. I selected a favorite trail of mine, Tecolote Trail. This trail is an easy hike through various micro-climates from about 8600' at the trailhead to 8800' near the summit. You find this trail where the Dry Camp day use area used to be at Mile Marker 6 on the Sandia Crest NM Hwy 536. The Forest Service took down the signage for Dry Camp, removed the picnic tables and the pay station, and all that remains is a "no camping sign". There are pit toilets at the trail head by the parking area.
We started out under overcast skies with a group of 6 participants. It was in the high 50's. Near the trail head, we encountered Dragonhead, Jacob's Ladder, Twisted Pod Draba, Spreading and Trailing Fleabane, Western Wallflower, Rocky Mountain Penstemon, Whipple's Penstemon, Mountain Parsley, Snowberry, Slimleaf Purple Mustard, Mountain Parsley, Louisiana Sage, Perky Sue, Creeping Mahonia, American Vetch, White Peavine, Northern Rock Jasmine and Red-root Buckwheat.
Red-root Buckwheat |
Dragonhead |
Western Wallflower |
American Vetch |
Northern Rock Jasmine |
Twisted pod Draba |
Oregon Grape Holly/Creeping Mahonia |
White Peavine |
As we climbed toward the first switchback, we found the first of many Stemless Evening Primrose. They are abundant on this trail and open their white petals in the evening for a moth to pollinate it and close to a pink color the next day when the sun is bright.
Stemless Evening Primrose |
Chokecherry |
Showy Flameflowers will be visible in July and August
after the monsoon rains begin to fall
|
James Penstemon |
We reached the second switchback turn where a rocky slope faces southwest. Later this summer, in July and August, the Showy Flameflower will send up beautiful flowers among the rocks from its succulent leaves. As we walked northeast through the Ponderosa pines and White Fir trees, there were some "snags" hanging from the dead tree branches. Take care along here, particularly on a windy day, as these dead branches hanging over the trail could fall on a hiker.
To the left of the trail is a rocky out-cropping that will yield bright blue Day Flowers later in the summer. As we began to hike out onto the Tecolote ridge among the scrub oak and rocky meadow trails, we found Leather Flowers in abundance, along with Wandbloom Penstemon, Perky Sue, Paintbrush, and Stemless Evening Primrose. American Vetch, White Peavine, and Alpine Clematis twisted their vine among the Snowberry, Mountain Mahagony and Gambel's Oak.
Leather Flower and Paintbrush |
Yellow Flax |
Sweet Yellow Clover Leather Flower
Leather Flower
|
Spreading Fleabane |
I even found Yellow Flax which I have never seen in the Sandias before. The views on the ridge were stunning and you can seen three mountain ranges to the south: Sandias, Manazanitas, and the Manzanos (from closest to farthest).
Right next to the trail as it passed through a rock strewn flowery meadow, we spotted the Pitaya Cactus or Green-flowered Hedgehog. It was beautiful.
Green-flowered Hedgehog/Pitaya Cactus |
James Penstemon |
Paintbrush and Perky Sue |
We stopped at the Beebalm/Bergamot patch but these flowers are a couple of weeks away from blooming. This marks about a mile walk at this point. We turned back while two of our company continued on to hike the loop trail which features views to the east.
Here is a list of wildflowers and some guidebooks to help you identify flowers you may see this summer on the Tecolote Trail:
TECOLOTE
TRAIL
- Aster,
Hairy Golden– Heterotheca villosa –Aster Family
- Bahia– Bahia
dissecta – Aster Family
- Bearcorn
– Conopholis alpine var. Mexicana – Broomrape Family
- Bergamot/Beebalm
–Monarda fistulosa – Mint Family
- Buckbrush,
Fendler’s/Mountain Lilac – Ceanothus fendleri – Buckthorn
Family
- Buckwheat,
Red-root – Erigonum racemosum– Buckwheat Family
- Buckwheat,
Winged – Erigonum alatum – Buckwheat Family
- Cactus,
Green-flowered Hedgehog/Pitaya - Echinocereus viridiflorus
- Cactus Family
- Chokecherry/Capulin
–Prunus virginiana –Rose Family
- Clematis,
Alpine/Rocky Mountain – Clematis columbiana – Buttercup
Family
- Clover,
Yellow Sweet– Meliotus officinalis –Pea Family
- Coralroot, Striped –Corallorhiza
striata – Orchid Family .
- Daisy,
Tall Easter/Townsend’s Aster - Townsendia eximia –Aster Family
- Dayflower– Commelina
dianthifolia –Spiderwort Family
- Draba,
Twisted-pod –Draba helleriana – Mustard Family
- Dragonhead
– Dracocephalum parviflorum – Mint Family
- Drymary,
Slim-leaf – Drymaria
molluginea – Pink Family
- Evening
Primrose, Stemless– Oenothera
caespitosa– Evening Primrose Family
- Flameflower,
Showy – Talinum pulchelum – Purslane Family
- Flax,
Yellow - Linum vernale –
Flax Family
- Fleabane,
Beautiful Daisy– Erigeron formosissimus –Aster Family
- Fleabane,
Spreading –Erigeron divergens – Aster Family
- Fleabane,
Trailing –Erigeron flagellaris –Aster Family
- Four
O’Clock, Narrow-leaved – Mirabilis linearis – Four O’ Clock Family
- Geranium, Purple –Geranium caespitosum – Geranium
Family
- Gilia,
Scarlet/Skyrocket – Ipomopsis aggregata –Phlox Family
- Goldeneye,
Showy – Viguiera multiflora –Aster Family
- Goldenrod, Few-flowered – Solidago velutina
–Aster Family
- Goldenrod,
Rigid – Solidago rigida
– Aster Family
- Goldenrod, Wright’s
– Solidago wrightii – Aster Family
- Goosefoot,
Narrow-leaved – Chenopodium leptophyllum – Goosefoot Family
- Gromwell,
Wayside– Lithospermum multiflorum – Borage Family
- Groundsel, New Mexico – Senecio neomexicana – Aster
Family
- Hoptree – Ptelea
trifoliate – Rue Family
- Hyssop, Giant – Agastache
pallidiflora – Mint Family
- Jacob’s Ladder –Polemonium
foliosissimum –Phlox Family
- Jasmine,
Northern Rock – Androsace septentrionalis – Primrose Family
- Leather
Flower – Clematis bigelovii – Buttercup Family
- Lily, Sego/Mariposa –
Calochortus gunnisonii –Lily Family
- Mahonia, Creeping/ Oregon Grape Holly
– Berberis repens - Barberry
Family
- Medic,
Black – Medicago lupulina – Pea Family
- Menodora, Rough – Menodora scabra – Olive
Family
- Little-leaf Mock Orange
– Philadelphus microphyllum – Hydrangea Family
- Mountain
Spray – Holodiscus dumosus – Rose Family
- Mullein, Wooly –Verbascum
thapsis – Figwort Family
- Mustard,
Slimleaf Purple –Schoenocrambe linearifolia – Mustard Family
- Onion, Nodding –Lilium cernuum –Lily Family
- Rue, Meadow – Thalictrum fendleri – Buttercup Family
- Pea, Golden – Thermopsis montana – Pea Family
- Peavine,
White – Lathyrus leucanthus – Pea Family
- Paintbrush,
Foothills – Castilleja integra - Figwort Family
- Parsley, Mountain –
Pseudocymopterus montana – Parsley Family
- Pennyroyal,
Drummond– Hedeoma drummondii –Mint Family
- Penstemon, Wandbloom – Penstemon
virgatus – Figwort
Family
- Penstemon, Red – Penstemon barbatus – Figwort
Family
- Penstemon,
Rocky Mountain – Penstemon strictus – Figwort Family
- Penstemon, Whipple’s –Penstemon whippleanus
– Figwort Family
- Perky
Sue – Tetraneuris argentea – Aster Family
- Pinedrops – Pterospora
andromedea –Indian Pipe Family
- Pinesap –Monotropa
hypopithys – Indian Pipe Family
- Rose,
Wood’s – Rosa woodsii – Rose Family
- Sage,
Louisiana –Artemisia ludoviciana – Aster Family
- Sagebrush, Ragweed
–Artemisia franseriodes - Aster Family
- Sage, Fringed/Estafiata – Artemisia frigada – Aster Family
- Salsify
– Tragopogon pratensis – Aster Family
- Scorpionweed, Varileaf –Phacelia heterophylla –
Borage Family
- Snowberry – Symphoricarpos
oreophilus – Honeysuckle Family
- Tassel
Flower – Brickellia grandiflora –Aster Family
- Thelypodium, Longleaf False – Pennellia
micrantha – Mustard Family
- Thistle, Wavyleaf –
Cirsium undulatum – Aster Family
- Umbrellawort. Velvet –Mirabilis oblongifolia
– Four O’ Clock Family
- Vetch, American –Vicia
americana – Pea Family .
- Western Wallflower
–Erysimum capitatum – Mustard Family
- Woodsorrel,
Violet – Oxalis violacea – Woodsorrel Family
- Yarrow –Achillea
lanulosa – Aster Family
Wildflowers of the
Manzanos by Gene Jercinovic with drawings by Robert Dewitt Ivey, now
available only on internet site: http://newmexicoflores.com/manzanos.html.
The author categorizes the plants by family with an index.
A field guide to identify wildflowers by color is Wildflowers of the Sandia and Manzano
Mountains of Central New Mexico, by Larry J. Littlefield and Pearl
M. Burns. Sandia Plant Books, Albuquerque ,
NM , 2011.
A guide for the Sandia Mountains is the Field Guide to the Sandia Mountains Edited by Robert Julyan
and Mary Stuever, UNM Press, 2005. This
field guide covers, flora and fauna, geology, trails, ecology, and cultural
history of the Sandia
Mountains . It is available for sale in the Sandia Crest
Visitor Center.
Such beautiful flowers. I think I like the leather flower best...such grace and substance. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteMostly but not entirely wildflowers I'm unfamiliar with. Wish I'd been there in your group for a neat hike and the lessons from an expert. The highlight of my early summer has been the discovery of an extremely rare white ladyslipper on a native prairie in Iowa less than thirty miles from our home...:)
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