Spring wildflowers shine brilliantly in the grasses Easter Sunday on Marin County's Ring Mountain Preserve in Corte Madera Easter Sunday.Â
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This is our favorite local wildflower place in Marin. You can hike up from Paradise Drive, or drive to the top of Taylor Road for the beautiful scenes like this. It's always a stunning sight to see the bursts of color from the wildflowers growing in the serpentine grasslands.
Serpentine soils, weathered from colorful serpentine rocks (California's state rock), pose challenges to native plants due to their high levels of heavy metals and low nutrient content. This unique soil type can make it difficult for plants to thrive and adapt, leading to a limited variety of species that are able to grow in these conditions.
Despite the challenges, some native plants have evolved to tolerate serpentine soils and even rely on them for their survival, including the rare Tiburon mariposa lily shown below. The adaptation of these plants showcases the incredible resilience and ability of native species to overcome obstacles in order to thrive in challenging environments.
The most prevalent flower this year was the brilliant tidy tips. Below are some of the wildflowers we saw, except the Tiburon mariposa lily (center) which won't bloom until late May into early June.
The wildflowers portraits (below), photographed in past years, are some of the species we saw in the Ring Mountain Preserve this weekend.
Top row (left to right): Tidy tips, Checkerbloom and Cream cups
Middle row: Tiburon mariposa lily. It is only found on Ring Mountain and nowhere else on Earth. It blooms late in the wildflower season so it was not seen on this trip.
Bottom row: False baby tears, Owl's clover and woolly fruited lomatium and blue eyed grass.
Remember to check you local town, county and state parks for great places to view wildflowers. Please stay on all trails and roads. Binoculars are great way to view wildflowers that are off trail.
As we are sure you already know, it's important to respect these protected spaces and leave no trace behind.
We'd love to hear about any special wildflower blooms you may find this year.
Upcoming Events
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We're honored to be one of many vendors invited to participate in this unique event. Admission and parking are free.
The West Valley College campus is located at 14000 Fruitvale Avenue in Saratoga. The show will be located in and outside the Biology wing of the Science and Math buildings, which parallels Allendale Avenue. Free parking in lot 2 and 3 during the event.
Learn more about Speakers and Vendors here →
Marin Open Studios Website →
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How "Wild About Wildflowers" Are You?
Our print on demand Wild About Wildflower merchandise gives you the freedom to customize our products to suit your style and preferences. This environmentally friendly option helps reduce waste by only producing items as they are ordered, avoiding excess inventory.
"Wild About Wildflowers" Store →
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More than pretty pictures
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WinterBadger Collection
Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change
Nita Winter and Rob Badger
3001 Bridgeway, Ste. K339
Sausalito CA 94965
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