8/14/2019 Waucoba News Vol. 7 Summer 1983

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

Waucoba News is dedicated to reporting th e natural history andresearch on th e eastern slope Qf th e Sierra .

DESERT WILDFLOWER DISPLAYSSpectacular wildflower displays occur infrequently and intermittently on th e MojaveDesert , in Death Valley, and in the Great Basin. These outbursts of flowers are predictable only when a combination of certain environmental factors are known for the specificarea. Among th e determining factors are ra infa l l and daily temperatures that have occurred in certain cr i t ica l months in autumn and winter, says Rose Strickland who surveyedth e l i te ra ture ."The real controll ing factor in wildflower blossoming is determined by an adaptationof th e seed coat, where a chemical inhibi tor prevents germination except under conditionswhich ensure the survival of the seedling. The desert annuals, themselves, have no spec

ia l mechanisms for dealing with th e drought conditions in the desert except to germinateand grow under th e most favorable conditions. Unless there is no precipi ta t ion at al l ,some annuals wil l respond, even at minimal ra infa l l . The varying amounts of ra infa l l atdiffering times followed by varying temperatures determines which seeds wil l germinate,which seedlings wil l survive and which desert plants wil l dominate th e spring display.""Some wildflower species wil l bloom only in th e spring af ter germination the previouswinter, while others wil l bloom only during hot summer temperatures. The former have re lat ives mostly in th e cooler temperate regions and are th e most numerous of desert wildflowers,while th e la t te r ' s relat ives are from warmer temperate and t ropical areas and have veryshort l i fe-cycles ." - - Rose Strickland (Reno, Nevada)This report was based un resul t s of experiments reported by Dr. Fritz Went, Dr. LloydTevis, and J . Beatley and published in th e journal, ECOLOGY, 1948-67. Experiments wereconducted along with observations made in Joshua National Monument, on the northernMojave Desert , and on "Nevada Test Site",This information may help readers to understand th e reason that although 1982-83 wasa year of high winter ra infa l l , no spectacular displays were noted in cera in areas inDeath Valley, and were spotty on th e northern Mojave Desert .The flowering periods in Eureka Valley are unpredictable since ra infa l l and tempera~ u r e measures along with thei r occuring dates in months of th e year are no t available forthat area. --Prepared for Waucoba News by Enid A. Larson, Big Pine, Calif .

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To Linanthus dichotomusNOW THAT APRIL'S HERE

The rocky hil ls ide now isFragrant with the blooms of theFlowers that go to sleep in the daytime So Flora told me.Back to childhood and the wonders of the

springtime in Owens ValleyWhen f ie lds , where Nature s t i l l maintainedher ways-Bloomed with the Purity flower at eventide,But never to be found in cultivated areasSo mutilated by man in his haste forMore--more--more.Alice Eastwood, botanist , said thatChildren best knew the secrets of thenatural world.They, in their simplici ty,Called these flowers "Evening Snow."Memories overwhelm me!In recognition of my childhood love for a l l

the out-of-doors,My father once gathered a great bunch ofthese flowersWhile he walked the i r r igat ion ditch-A ribbon of water streaming throughUndisturbed acreage of sage andIndigo brush-He brought them to me as his gif t .Fragrance, freshness-Never bott led by Chanel in Paris- Fil led my room that night. Morningtime and a l l the whiteness was gone. The flowers, each t ightly curled with petals rolled in spiral ,Showed only cones of purple-pink."Purity," I cried, "where have you gone?" Gone forever? No! At nightfa l l you: returned to me with

a l l your fragrance.Oh, wonderment of strange response to l ight!A feeling grew withinI r res is t ibly forcing me onward-OnA s the pathway ofearch and th i r s tTo know

a great unending questTO KNOW.

Enid A. Larson1974

Redrawn from Jepsonby Pam McAdoo, 1983

SUGGESTIONS FOR NATIVE GARDENSWARNING: Gather only seeds either fromthe plant when seed pods are open ordebris from beneath the plant af te r seedshave been released from the pods. DO NOTDIG UP OR TRANSPLANT SHRUBS! Some shrubscan be purchased from Native Nurseries:Check with: (1) Nevada Native Plant Socie ty, 1530 Sparks, Nevada, 89431 or (2)California Native Plant Society, 2380Ellsworth St . , Berkeley, 94704.Use seeds from any perennial that iswidespread in i t s geographic distr ibut ionthroughout Owens Valley.

DO NOT BRING IN SEEDS FROM OUTSIDE THEIMMEDIATE AREA to intermix with natives inRelictual populations here in Owens Valley.The scientif ic value of the gene pool established in Relict populations needs ~ plete protection!What plants have been used successfullyfor Native Gardens in Owens Valley?Among shrubs that I have grown in BigPine are:

Pe r enn ia l sEncelia - has seeded i t s e l fLupinus excubitus - seeds i t se l fLepidum fremontii - long l i feHermidium alipes - seeds i t se l fPurshia - germinate seeds then t ransplant seedlingsSphaeralcea ambigua - apricot mallow,seeds i t s e l f once establishedPrunis andersonii - wild peachMentzelia - Blazing Star , a biennial ,seeds i t s e l fAfter these plants became established,each has seeded in successive years. Encel ia seems to thrive best i f pruned severly each winter.Soil conditions seem to be the factorthat determines success. Avoid humus

buildup. In nature the wind blows awaythe accumulating leaf l i t t e r .AnnualsAmong the annuals: Whispering Bells ,(Emmenanthe); Chia (Salvia) ; Eriastrum;Brown Eyes, (Camissonia), Evening Primrosefamily, have been successful.

Annuals are best collected by gatheringa bucket of decomposing granite from thesurface of i t s habitat and spread thinlyon a garden plot that lacks humus. Avoidhumus buildup in successive years.t t t t t t t t t t t

ANNOUNCEMENTThe Lepidopterists ' Society has scheduled i t s 30th annual Pacific Slope Sectionmeeting a t Big Pine, August 26-28 a t CampInyo.For further information contact: JulianDonahue, Nat. His. Museum, 900 ExpositionBlvd., Los Angeles, 90007. (213)744-3364.t t t t t t t t t tBUTTERFLY MIGRATIONSTom & Jo Heindel write that THE PAINTEDLADY BUTTERFLY was in heavy migration inSaudi Arabia (Dhahran) in late April-May,1983. Dr. John Emmel ver i f ied this as thesame species as in Calif . The migration ofthose butterf l ies that began in Spring,1983in Owens Valley suddenly declined beforeextensive measurements could be made. Anew brood is now abundant on flowers inOwens Valley; only a few are in migration.- - D. Giuliani & E.A. Larson