'Waucoba GJVews

Sponsored by The Bishop Museum & Historical Society, Bishop, Ca. 93514 Vol. VII
Founded and Edited by Eni.d A. Larson, Box 265, Big Pine, Ca. 93513 Summer 1983
Subscription: Four 9" long stamped self-addressed envelopes 4 issues per year
or a membership ($5.00) in Bishop Museum

Waucoba News is dedicated to reporting the natural history and

research on the eastern slope Qf the Sierra.

DESERT WILDFLOWER DISPLAYS

Spectacular wildflower displays occur infrequently and intermittently on the Mojave
Desert, in Death Valley, and in the Great Basin. These outbursts of flowers are predict­
able only when a combination of certain environmental factors are known for the specific
area. Among the determining factors are rainfall and daily temperatures that have occur­
red in certain critical months in autumn and winter, says Rose Strickland who surveyed
the literature.
"The real controlling factor in wildflower blossoming is determined by an adaptation
of the seed coat, where a chemical inhibitor prevents germination except under conditions
which ensure the survival of the seedling. The desert annuals, themselves, have no spec­
ial mechanisms for dealing with the drought conditions in the desert except to germinate
and grow under the most favorable conditions. Unless there is no precipitation at all,
some annuals will respond, even at minimal rainfall. The varying amounts of rainfall at
differing times followed by varying temperatures determines which seeds will germinate,
which seedlings will survive and which desert plants will dominate the spring display."
"Some wildflower species will bloom only in the spring after germination the previous
winter, while others will bloom only during hot summer temperatures. The former have rel­
atives mostly in the cooler temperate regions and are the most numerous of desert wildflowers,
while the latter's relatives are from warmer temperate and tropical areas and have very
short life-cycles." -- Rose Strickland (Reno, Nevada)
This report was based un results of experiments reported by Dr. Fritz Went, Dr. Lloyd
Tevis, and J. Beatley and published in the journal, ECOLOGY, 1948-67. Experiments were
conducted along with observations made in Joshua National Monument, on the northern
Mojave Desert, and on "Nevada Test Site",
This information may help readers to understand the reason that although 1982-83 was
a year of high winter rainfall, no spectacular displays were noted in cera in areas in
Death Valley, and were spotty on the northern Mojave Desert.
The flowering periods in Eureka Valley are unpredictable since rainfall and tempera­
~ure measures along with their occuring dates in months of the year are not available for
that area. --Prepared for Waucoba News by Enid A. Larson, Big Pine, Calif.
 SUGGESTIONS FOR NATIVE GARDENS
To Linanthus dichotomus
WARNING: Gather only seeds either from
NOW THAT APRIL'S HERE
the plant when seed pods are open or
The rocky hillside now is debris from beneath the plant after seeds
Fragrant with the blooms of the have been released from the pods. DO NOT
Flowers that go to sleep in the daytime ••• DIG UP OR TRANSPLANT SHRUBS! Some shrubs
So Flora told me. can be purchased from Native Nurseries:
Check with: (1) Nevada Native Plant Soc­
Back to childhood and the wonders of the
iety, 1530 Sparks, Nevada, 89431 or (2)
springtime in Owens Valley
California Native Plant Society, 2380
When fields, where Nature still maintained
Ellsworth St., Berkeley, 94704.
her ways-­
Use seeds from any perennial that is
Bloomed with the Purity flower at eventide,
widespread in its geographic distribution
But never to be found in cultivated areas
throughout Owens Valley.
So mutilated by man in his haste for
DO NOT BRING IN SEEDS FROM OUTSIDE THE
More--more--more.
IMMEDIATE AREA to intermix with natives in
Alice Eastwood, botanist, said that Relictual populations here in Owens Valley.
Children best knew the secrets of the The scientific value of the gene pool es­
natural world. tablished in Relict populations needs ~­
They, in their simplicity, plete protection!
Called these flowers "Evening Snow." What plants have been used successfully
for Native Gardens in Owens Valley?
Memories overwhelm me!
Among shrubs that I have grown in Big
In recognition of my childhood love for all
Pine are:
the out-of-doors,
Perennials
My father once gathered a great bunch of
Encelia - has seeded itself
these flowers
Lupinus excubitus - seeds itself
While he walked the irrigation ditch-­
Lepidum fremontii - long life
A ribbon of water streaming through
Hermidium alipes - seeds itself
Undisturbed acreage of sage and
Purshia - germinate seeds then trans­
Indigo brush-­
plant seedlings
He brought them to me as his gift.
Sphaeralcea ambigua - apricot mallow,
Fragrance, freshness-­ seeds itself once established
Never bottled by Chanel in Paris-­
Prunis andersonii - wild peach
Filled my room that night.
Mentzelia - Blazing Star, a biennial,
Morningtime and all the whiteness was gone.
seeds itself
The flowers, each tightly curled with
After these plants became established,
petals rolled in spiral, each has seeded in successive years. En­
Showed only cones of purple-pink. celia seems to thrive best if pruned sever­
ly each winter.
"Purity," I cried, "where have you gone?"

Gone forever?
Soil conditions seem to be the factor
that determines success. Avoid humus
No! At nightfall you: returned to me with

buildup. In nature the wind blows away

all your fragrance.
the accumulating leaf litter.
Oh, wonderment of strange response to light! Annuals
A feeling grew within Among the annuals: Whispering Bells,
Irresistibly forcing me onward-­ (Emmenanthe); Chia (Salvia); Eriastrum;
On the pathway of a great unending quest Brown Eyes, (Camissonia), Evening Primrose
A s earch and thirst family, have been successful.
To know TO KNOW. Annuals are best collected by gathering
a bucket of decomposing granite from the
Enid A. Larson
surface of its habitat and spread thinly
1974
on a garden plot that lacks humus. Avoid
humus buildup in successive years.
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ANNOUNCEMENT
The Lepidopterists' Society has schedu­
led its 30th annual Pacific Slope Section
meeting at Big Pine, August 26-28 at Camp
Inyo.
For further information contact: Julian
Donahue, Nat. His. Museum, 900 Exposition
Blvd., Los Angeles, 90007. (213)744-3364.
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BUTTERFLY MIGRATIONS
Tom & Jo Heindel write that THE PAINTED
LADY BUTTERFLY was in heavy migration in
Saudi Arabia (Dhahran) in late April-May,
1983. Dr. John Emmel verified this as the
same species as in Calif. The migration of
those butterflies that began in Spring,1983
in Owens Valley suddenly declined before
extensive measurements could be made. A
Redrawn from Jepson new brood is now abundant on flowers in
by Pam McAdoo, 1983 Owens Valley; only a few are in migration.
-- D. Giuliani & E.A. Larson