46. Spring Green
The Spring Equinox has just passed, and Spring is definitely upon us here in the Bay Area! The hills are once again coated with an amazing bright green that signals the rapid growth of grasses and wildflowers. This is looking like our best spring in a few years because of all the rain, especially the heavy rain we just got in the second week of March - perfect timing for St. Patrick’s Day!
I was able to get out for a hike in the Crockett Hills Regional Park a few days ago and take in some nice views of the green hills and the San Francisco Bay beyond. Growing up in Tennessee I remember a very lush environment rich with many shades of green that lasted spring through fall. However, here in California the green of spring seems all the more intense because of the contrasting golden brown that happens just as soon as things dry out. All these grasses and wildflowers are racing to flower and produce seed before things get too hot and dry.
These green hills exist as a grassland in part because of cattle grazing, but the typical plant community native here is the Coast Live Oak Woodland. Without grazing, there might be more scrubby shrubs on the hilltops, but the larger trees and shrubs naturally grow in the valleys and on the north slopes. This is because of the extra moisture in those areas.
Many of the wildflowers were just starting to come out, with the California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica) a noticeable accent in the steeper, more bare spots. The Poppies in my yard grow so fast they start to choke out other plants, but it looks like they can’t out-compete the denser growths of weedy annual grasses in this environment.
Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum) was noticeable among the other grasses providing a nice blue accent, along with the interestingly named Ithuriel’s Spear (Tritelea laxa), and the non-native weed Redstem Stork’s Bill (Erodium cicutarium) with its tiny lavender flowers.
This park not only has great hills to hike but also excellent views of the north bay, especially looking towards the Carquinez Strait and the city of Vallejo. Definitely worth a visit in the spring, as long as you are sure the trails have dried out and you don’t mind dodging the cow patties!
