Not Finding Rare Plants

On thursday, Martin and I searched for rare plants along an old power line due for removal in the Bodie Hills. While the habitat along the line wasn't ideal for what we were looking for, there are populations nearby. And you never know !

The species we were hoping to find were Arabis bodiensis, a member of the Brassicaceae (mustard family), and Phacelia monoensis (Hydrophyllaceae). You can tell by their names that they're found in limited ranges ! Both are CNPS List 1B (rare, threatened or endangered in California and elsewhere) and BLM sensitive species.

Alas, we didn't find any rare plants, but it's always great to be out in the field ! And here are two pictures to keep this post about our lack of success from boring you completely:

Penstemon speciosus (love those anthers!)

ground squirrel on alert