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Wildflower Mount Diablo Naked Buckwheat Scientific Name: Eriogonum nudum Family: Polygonaceae (Buckwheat Family) Blooms: Jun - Sep Color: White Shrub Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Kevin Hintsa

Wildflower Mount Diablo Clammy Clover Scientific Name: Trifolium obtusiflorum Family: Fabaceae (Legume Family) Blooms: Apr-Jul Color: Red-Pink Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Steve Beatty

Wildflower Mount Diablo Alkali Heliotrope, Seaside Heliotrope Scientific Name: Heliotropium curassavicum var. oculatum Family: Boraginaceae (Borage Family) Blooms: Apr - Sep Color: Blue-Purple Perennial herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Mike Woodring

Wildflower Mount Diablo Delta Coyote-Thistle Scientific Name: Eryngium jepsonii Family: Apiaceae (Parsley-Carrot Family) Blooms: Apr-Aug Color: White Perennial herb Native Occurs in wetlands. California Rare Plant Rank: 1B.2 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere ) per Calflora Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants

Black-throated Gray Warbler Warblers Black-throated Gray Warbler Setophaga nigrescens Summer Warblers Daniel Fitzgerald The male has distinctive black throat, cheek and crown separated by white and small yellow lore spot while the female and immature are more slate gray with less prominent head markings.

Wildflower Mount Diablo Jointed Charlock Scientific Name: Raphanus raphanistrum Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) Blooms: March Color: Yellow-Orange Annual or Perennial Introduced Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Steve Beatty

Wildflower Mount Diablo Blue Elderberry Scientific Name: Sambucus mexicana Family: Viburnacaea (Elder Family) Blooms: March - July Color: Yellow-Orange Shrub Native Berries are Blue Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Kevin Hintsa

Donner Canyon Hike by Steve Smith A Fall hiking favorite! 2023-09-01 Steve Smith As Fall descends upon us and cooler temperatures begin to prevail many of us return to regularly hiking the mountain. This is a time for fall foliage (namely Poison Oak), fall and winter berries, occasional rains and of course our beloved Tarantulas. This month's hike takes us on a tour of Donner Canyon (and some Mitchell and Back Canyons) where all these sights and more await you. This hike is 6-miles and 1,150 feet of climbing. Starting at Mitchell Canyon, head up the canyon to your first left on Oak Road. This is your first steep climb, but it is brief, and the views of the mountain await you. Continue straight onto the single-track Coulter Pine trail. Notice the namesake pine trees off to your right. (Note the needles on the Coulter and how they differ from the Ghost Pine—while the ghost has droopy relaxed needles, the Coulter's are erect like a toilet brush.) Continue to a right on Bruce Lee Road and cross Back Creek to a right on Back Creek Trail. At the first intersection, turn left up Tickwood Trail. Notice one of our largest stands of Poison Oak in its fall glory off to your right. Continue winding up and down the beautiful single-track through woodlands, grasslands, and chaparral until you reach the terminus at Donner Canyon Road. Turn right and then left about 200 yards up onto Donner Trail. Here you will have a lovely descent to Donner Creek through thick chaparral…this is a good place to see Tarantulas in the early morning or late afternoon. Turn left and follow the creek on Hetherington Trail. Just before the creek crossing, turn right and climb Bruce Lee Spring Trail. As you ascend the woodlands, be sure to turn around for a beautiful view of the Summit and North Peak. As the trail starts to level out, bear left at the intersection to remain on Bruce Lee Springs, winding through a dense stand of aromatic chaparral. At trail’s end, turn left on Clayton Oaks Road. You’ll spend the next mile and a half winding up and down through the grasslands where you are likely to spot deer and maybe a snake or two. As you approach Donner Canyon, you’ll make a right then a quick left onto Murchio Road. At the intersection at the top of the hill turn right onto Bruce Lee Road. Notice this area’s recovery following last May’s controlled burn. Continue down around Coulter Pond and watch for wildlife until you continue to the end and turn left on Watertower Road. Make a quick right on Bruce Lee Trail and head down the single track. Just to the left of the big iron gate is a lovely single track, Terrace Trail which will bring you back amongst the Oaks and offer views of the Mitchell Canyon entrance and Native Plant Garden before you make a pair of right turns to return on Mitchell Canyon Road. Note: You’ve completed the trifecta of Bruce Lee Trail, Bruce Lee Road and Bruce Lee Spring Trail. These were named not after the legendary martial artist but after the past president of the Concord Mount Diablo Trail Ride Association, the equestrian association that sold 350 acres to Mount Diablo State Park in the 1960’s, much of which you will have explored on this hike. Bruce Lee Spring Trail by Steve Smith Bruce Lee Spring Trail by Steve Smith Coulter Pond by Steve Smith Donner Hike Map BACK TO LIST

Killdeer Shorebirds Killdeer Charadrius vociferus All Year Shorebirds Daniel Fitzgerald Frequents a wide diversity of open habitats; usually, but not always, near water. Reddish-orange rump and the presence of two breast bands separate the species from all other “plovers”. Call, ‘kill-deer’ is also easily recognized. Nests on the ground, often amidst small- or medium-sized pebbles or rocks; nest is a simple scrape or depression. Diet includes terrestrial invertebrates; less frequently, also ingests small vertebrates and seeds.

Soft Chaparral by Glenn Keator, Ph. D. (Excerpted from MDIA's book Plants of the East Bay Parks) Plant Communities of Mount Diablo State Park 1999-01-01 Black sage, Salvia mellifera | Glenn Keator Also called coastal scrub or coastal sage scrub, soft chaparral is dominated by small shrubs with "soft" leaves (leaves with a pliable, thin texture). Leaves may be heavily scented -- smelling of sage, turpentine, or mint -- to keep animals from browsing them. These fragrant oils also evaporate on hot days to cool leaves and inhibit growth of competing plants. All of these ploys prevent shrubs from losing precious leaves, since it costs energy and water to make new ones. Yet in summers with prolonged drought, soft chaparral shrubs may lose most of their leaves as a last-gap effort to keep from dehydrating faster than roots can replenish water from bone-dry soils. Winter rains bring temporary supplies of water during which leaves are replaced. Soft chaparral is typical of rocky promontories in the fog belt, but components of this same community appear as temporary replacements for hard chaparral shrubs after brush fires. Soft chaparral shrubs are varied, with some particularly aggressive pioneer species, such as coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis ). Others include California sagebrush (Artemisia californica ), with broad dark green leaves whose edges curl under; sticky monkeyflower (Diplancus aurantiacus ), with sticky, viscid green lace-shaped leaves, again with curled-under edges; black sage (Salvia millifera ), with highly aromatic dark green, narrowly triangular leaves; blue witch (Solanum umbelliferum ), a green-twigged shrub whose fuzzy, light green leaves are cast away in summer; and poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum ), with shiny, triparite leaves, which are lost early during severe drought. Link to California Chaparral Field Institute website. BACK TO LIST

California Quail Chickenlike Birds California Quail Callipepla californica All Year Chickenlike Birds Daniel Fitzgerald The California quail (Callipepla californica ), recognized as California’s state bird, is celebrated for its unique appearance and social nature. While commonly found throughout California in chaparral, foothills, and urban parks, these birds also inhabit parts of Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Baja California. Both males and females feature a distinct forward-curving black plume on their heads, with the males’ being more prominent. Males are more vibrant, showcasing a gray-blue chest, a black throat bordered by white, and a scaled belly, while females are brownish with subtler tones. Adults typically measure 9-11 inches in length and weigh about 5-7 ounces. California quails are highly social and gather in groups known as coveys, often consisting of 10-20 individuals. They are omnivorous, feeding mainly on seeds, grains, and leaves, supplemented by small insects and berries. These birds forage on the ground, scratching at the soil to uncover food. During the breeding season, which spans from spring to early summer, females lay 12-16 eggs in shallow ground nests, carefully hidden under vegetation. Both parents may assist in raising the chicks, which are precocial, meaning they can walk and feed themselves shortly after hatching. To evade predators, California quails rely on their excellent camouflage, blending seamlessly into their surroundings. Additionally, they can execute short, rapid bursts of flight when startled, enhancing their chances of survival.

Margined White Pieris marginalis Pieridae Whites, Sulfurs Flies February to June Host Plant Milkmaids, Wintercress Nectar Plant Daniel Fitzgerald Male Daniel Fitzgerald Underwing