Joseph D. Grant County Park, Santa Clara County, CA, 4/18/2007
On this gorgeous spring afternoon at Joseph Grant County Park near San Jose, CA, the grass was green and the wildflowers were in full bloom. At the north end of the park, here is the view near White Barn at the start of Washburn Trail looking northwest toward Poverty Ridge in the Diablo Range. We are in a sunken meadow that floods partially each winter and spring, and behind us is a seasonal or vernal pond. Yellow owl's clover (Castilleja campestris, field owl's clover, or vernal pool Indian paintbrush) occurs almost always in wetlands such as this vernal pool habitat. The common name may refer to the eye-like spots on the petals of some species, or the small buds that many think resemble an owl’s face. Others believe the rounded flower tops look like an owl's head, with the projecting flowers being the owl's ears. Grant Park has the potential for a wealth of flowery displays, but often roaming herds of cows come along and eat the grass and flowers instead. I was very pleased to find this large undisturbed meadow at such a beautiful moment! The clouds cooperated too, with their arrangement mirroring the lines of yellow flowers with near perfect symmetry. On the hill at far right is a lone dormant oak tree. The park is home to both grassland and oak-woodland communities, typical of much of California.
