R: Hebeloma velutipes?
Today I ventured out to find a Checker Lily, as they have started appearing in my iNaturalist digest emails. A recent observation I saw was at San Bruno Mountain. On the other side from where I always go. And it’s always nice to visit a favorite flower in a new location!
True, I’ve seen them before over on the Saddle (North hump). But that side is not terribly interesting. Aside from the Bog Trail. So.
Unfortunately, I spent wayyyy too long troubleshooting why my photos from Instagram aren’t saving to my phone just now. And, of course, I couldn’t find a flippin’ solution. I only use Instagram now for editing my photos. And even that is mostly just to make them cropped perfectly square and brightened a bit. I don’t follow anyone anymore. No time for it. So without this feature, I have no use for the app.
As of today, it stopped working. So my photos for today (and until they fix it) won’t be so perfectly square or brightened. Alas.
ANYHOO, I took a newtome route to find the Checker Lilies. It’s the San Bruno Mountain via Summit Loop and Dairy Ravine Trail on AllTrails. Because I started getting pressed for time, I ended up skipping the Dairy Ravine Trail. Accidentally took the Eucalyptus Trail (where I found a QUITE LARGE mushroom, so it was a WIN in the end!) and hopped back on the Summit Loop Trail to end.
I have been on the Summit Loop Trail (North of Radio Road) before. I made it as far as a couple of the foot bridges before I gave up. I was looking for Checker Lilies and didn’t see them. Turns out, I had to go farther.
But before I got to The Spot, I enjoyed watching an Anna’s Hummingbird. With its gorgeous gorget flashing at me! Milkmaids and Osoberry blooms and budding Red-berried Elder and ONE lovely Fremont’s Death Camas and maybe an Early Tachinid Fly were all waiting for me.
Then I spotted my first Fungi. Perhaps a Golden Waxy Cap? Sitting quietly under one of the BAJILLIONS of Common Cowparsnip plants in the area.
A Spotted Towhee was outraged (as usual) somewhere nearby. And a Wrentit was calling as if its life depended on it. California Buttercup and California Beeplant were also out in spots.
Started seeing Banana Slugs, which was sweet since I’d seen them there before.
Came around the bend, and I slowly got further away from the road. And realized everything in front of me was newtome! What was that creek that I could hear below?
After passing what might be an Orange-spotted Drone Fly (!) and a Pacific Aster, I caught sight of Coast Rockcress. The first time I saw that flowering plant was on my favorite side of San Bruno Mountain. And Checker Lilies were closeby. Such was the case here!
A couple drooping Checker Lilies were indeed ahead. And, lucky for me, many more than just the one from the iNat observation. Such darlings!
I had planned on making it a quick stop to this spot and head back out. If the Checker Lilies are in bloom, then I always want to see them in the secret spots on my favorite side of SBM. But I was lured into seeing more of this side of the mountain. And since this spot wasn’t TEEMING with the Lilies, perhaps I could wait a little longer to visit those secret spots…
So I kept going and ended up doing a whole loop.
Saw a newtome insect that iNat doesn’t seem to perfectly ID? Crossed the creek I need to look up. And started seeing a bit more amongst the sea of Coastal Scrub plants. Woollyfruit Desertparsley was everywhere allofasudden. And delightful San Francisco Wallflower started popping up. Galls were all over the place. And an entirely turned up Persistent Waxcap (?) was an unexpected mushroom along the trail. Amazed I saw it! So small!
I was pretty high up at this point. And the views are impressive. If you’re into that kinda thing. Meh.
Reached the top, seeing more blooms along the way before heading back down. Notable were the Checkerbloom and Blueblossom and California Saxifrage and Hillside Gooseberry.
It’s so interesting how Coastal Scrubby that side of the mountain is. Must be from all the wind from the West? One of the many things I love about the Northeast side of SBM is the woodlands. The winding trail up through all those GLORIOUS Coast Live Oaks. Over here, it’s a random tree at best. Nope, don’t count the clusters of eucs.
HOWEVER, after I unknowingly took a wrong turn onto the Eucalyptus Trail, I was SUPER EXCITED to see a large mushroom along that trail! Can’t wait for an iNat ID. Hebeloma, maybe??
I had entirely underdressed for the MIGHTY WINDS that were fiercely coming over the ridge, but it was imperative that I check in on my owls after not being able to do so last week.
Over at GGPark, I arrived a half hour before sunset at the start of the Owl Nursery Trail. And seconds after I started walking away from my car, I heard A HOOT. Followed by a HIGH HOOT. YAY!
And they were in their exact respective trees as the last time I was there. Pa Owl was in that tall skinny tree overlooking the meadow below. And Ma Owl was in the fakenesttree.
Now, it’s March. Back in February, I was worried that Ma Owl should’ve been sitting on a nest. But now I’m wondering if she’s already done with that business. And is now staying close to the nest? Wherever the heck it is.
EXCITING THING is that if that is true, the nest is in the area! And that means that the Owl Nursery will once again be used.
Though, if she didn’t nest this year, I don’t know? Is that possible? If food resources were low? I looked all around for possible nests. But those trees are DANG TALL. Some possible clumps? Even tried looking in the area she was facing (somewhat to the East). Hard to see what she might be watching over.
Soon after sunset, she flew over to Pa Owl in that tall tree. They duet hooted a bit. I thought they might fly over the meadow. So I walked around and watched from the meadow. She soon flew back along the Slime Mold Lab Trail. DANG. Then soon after that, Pa Owl did the same.
If it wasn’t BITTER COLD right then, I would’ve followed. But it was BITTER COLD. So I headed home. Will have to keep trying to find the nest…
But! Fantastic to see my darling Checker Lilies. Can’t wait to check my favorite spots soon to see them there. Feeling great about now having seen every major trail on the map for San Bruno Mountain. I think? Have to double check that. And my owls are in a good place to see what happens next…
