Tag Archives: Reny Parker

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Rick and I donated a brunch and wildflower walk as a raffle prize for the recent Ocean Film Festival and it was won by Richey Wasserman. On the wildflower walk two weeks ago, we were able to show him and his three guests a very rare plant, a Gnome Plant, Hemitomes congestum. Merita Whatley photographed it.

Gnome Plant at the Jacksons by Merita Whatley

These two are growing on a path we call the Huckleberry trail, named for the many huckleberry bushes alongside it. Gnome Plants are members of the Heath family. In Reny Parker's wildflower book, she writes, "The Gnome Plant is so secretive and illusive one is as likely to encounter a forest gnome as see one of these deep forest dwellers." I was particularly happy to be able to show the group this unusual and rare plant.

Thanks to Merita for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

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I have not yet seen these perennial wildflowers. They grow near oaks and can be hard to spot. Frank first noticed the stems and then went back to capture this magnificent photo.

Mission Bells, also called Checker Lily, are members of the Lily family. Their scientific name is Fritillaria affinis. Below is a closeup of the flower.

In Reny Parker's wildflower book she writes,
 "Mission Bells
  the sound in the forest
  no one's around to hear."

Thanks to Frank for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

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Baby Blue Eyes, Nemophila menziesii, are blooming in sunny spots on the Coast. A great place to see them is in the meadows at the Stornetta Public Lands. Ron LeValley recently photographed a lovely group of them near Fort Bragg at MacKerricher State Park, obviously another great place to see them.

 And here is a close-up of this wildflower. In Reny Parker's book, Wildflowers of Northern California's Wine Country & North Coast Ranges, she writes, "Baby Blue Eyes...the spring sky smiling up at itself."

Thanks to Ron for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Ron's beautiful photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.levalleyphoto.com/home/

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My neighbor has a spring box and there is always water on the ground. That's where a large group of Western Labrador Tea is now blooming in profusion. The leaves have an unusual fragrance to them. Reny Parker in her Wildflower of Norther California's Wine Country & North Coast Ranges describes it as "between turpentine and strawberries." I find it leans more towards the turpentine than the strawberry. This plant has medicinal qualities. Native peoples used it to treat the common cold, headaches and the aches and pains of arthritis.