Plant Guide to Lightning Ridge Nature Trail

Mile	#	S	id?	Common Name	Latin Name	#here	#all
0.00	b	1		*downy brome	Bromus tectorum	99 / 9	21
0.00	b	2		mountain sagebrush	Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana	/	8
0.00	b	3		bitter cherry	Prunus emarginata	20 / 2	5
0.00	l	4		branching phacelia	Phacelia ramosissima var. latifolia	10 / 9	25
0.00	r	5		leafy daisy	Erigeron foliosus var. foliosus	10 / 9	34
0.00	r	6	ssp	San Bernardino rubber rabbitbrush	Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. bernardinus	5 / 5	14
0.00	r	7		Parry's sand cress	Calyptridium parryi var. parryi	5 / 1	3
0.00		8		sulphur buckwheat	Eriogonum umbellatum var. munzii+	/	9
0.00		9		squirreltail	Elymus elymoides ssp. elymoides+	20 / 3	4
0.00		10		Parish's snowberry	Symphoricarpos rotundifolius var. parishii+	10 / 5	10
0.00				Beginning of loop trail. Take the right (east) branch.
0.00	l			Sign: "National Forest Nature Trail: Lightning Ridge"
0.00	l	11		purple nightshade	Solanum xanti	99 / 9	12
0.01	l	12	sp	goosefoot	Chenopodium sp.	/
0.01	l	13		Fremont's bush mallow	Malacothamnus fremontii	5 / 5	4
0.01	b	14	~	Fremont's goosefoot	Chenopodium fremontii	20 / 3	10
0.01	l	15		coyote tobacco	Nicotiana attenuata	/	3
0.01	r	16		alpine gooseberry	Ribes lasianthum+	20 / 5	2
0.01	l	17		prickly cryptantha	Cryptantha muricata	20 / 2	12
0.01	r	18		*tumble-mustard	Sisymbrium altissimum	30 / 4	8
0.01	l	19		splendid gilia	Gilia splendens ssp. splendens	99 / 5	6
		20	sp	groundsmoke	Gayophytum sp.	50 / 5
0.02		21		poodle-dog bush	Turricula parryi+	30 / 9	4
0.02	l	22		mountain whitethorn	Ceanothus cordulatus+	30 / 9	14
0.02	l	23	~	Davidson's buckwheat	Eriogonum davidsonii	5 / 5	18
0.02	l	24		Wright's buckwheat	Eriogonum wrightii var. subscaposum	20 / 5	13
	r			First sulphur buckwheat, Eriogonum umbellatum var. munzii, in 2003.
0.02	b	25		Coulter pine	Pinus coulteri	20 / 5	9
0.03	l			Trail guide box, sometimes with trail guides. Signpost "1".
0.03	l	26		Mojave linanthus	Linanthus breviculus+	50 / 3	5
0.03	l	27		one-sided bluegrass	Poa secunda ssp. secunda	99 / 9	21
0.03	l	28		blue dicks	Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum	5 / 1	32
0.04				"Buckwheat hill" on left, almost completely covered with prostrate buckwheats.
0.04	l			Signpost "2".
0.04	l	29		popcorn flower	Cryptantha intermedia	/	21
0.04	l	30		California dodder	Cuscuta californica var. breviflora+	/	1
0.05	l	31		Martin's paintbrush	Castilleja applegatei ssp. martinii	20 / 5	14
0.05	r	32		white fir	Abies concolor	/	20
	r			First Parish's snowberry, Symphoricarpos rotundifolius var. parishii, in 2003.
	l			First poodle-dog bush, Turricula parryi, in 2003
	l	33		rock melica	Melica stricta	20 / 2	3
0.08	r			Signpost "3" (chaparral: ecological succession)
	r		sp	First mature alpine gooseberry, Ribes lasianthum.
0.08	l	34		California black oak	Quercus kelloggii	/	11
0.08	l			(blue elderberry, Sambucus mexicana)
0.09	l	35		San Gabriel beardtongue	Penstemon labrosus	/	6
0.09	l	36		spreading larkspur	Delphinium patens ssp. montanum	30 / 5	4
0.09	b	37		western wallflower	Erysimum capitatum ssp. capitatum	20 / 2	16
0.09	l			(clustered blazing star, Mentzelia congesta)
0.10				Cross shallow drainage.
0.10	l	38		golden yarrow	Eriophyllum confertiflorum var. confertiflorum	1 / 1	47
	l	39		whisker-brush	Linanthus ciliatus+	/	5
0.11	b	40		Jeffrey pine	Pinus jeffreyi	/	21
0.11	l	41		blue wildrye	Elymus glaucus ssp. glaucus	99 / 5	16
	l	42	sp	Eriogonum nudum?
	r	43		white tidy-tips	Layia glandulosa	2 / 1	1
	b	44		volcanic gilia	Gilia ochroleuca ssp. vivida	99 / 9	4
	r	45		canyon live oak	Quercus chrysolepis	1 / 1	20
0.12	l	46		California-aster	Lessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia	/	42
	r		sp	(currant, Ribes sp.)
	b	47		Davidson's phacelia	Phacelia davidsonii	50 / 5	7
0.12	b	48		western morning-glory	Calystegia occidentalis ssp. fulcrata	20 / 1	7
0.13	b	49		broad-leaved lotus	Lotus crassifolius var. crassifolius	5 / 1	5
				Trail tread gone here (trail slopes sideways like the hillside)
0.13	r	50	sp	imbricate phacelia	Phacelia imbricata ssp. patula	20 / 2	14
0.13				Beautiful field of volcanic gilia, Gilia ochroleuca ssp. vivida.
0.14	l	51		clustered blazing star	Mentzelia congesta	5 / 1	1
0.14			ssp	naked buckwheat	Eriogonum nudum var. pauciflorum	/	7
0.14	l	52		white catch-fly	Silene verecunda ssp. platyota	10 / 2	8
0.14				Signpost "4" (a large dead and decomposing Jeffrey pine, home for insects)
0.15	l	53		Orcutt's brome	Bromus orcuttianus	50 / 5	6
0.15	l	54		Wright's collinsia	Collinsia torreyi var. wrightii	50 / 1	4
0.15	l	55		goosefoot yellow violet	Viola purpurea ssp. quercetorum	10 / 1	2
0.16				Enter black oak (Quercus kelloggii) forest.
0.16	l	56		miner's lettuce	Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata	10 / 1	14
0.16	l	57		white false-gilia	Allophyllum integrifolium	10 / 1	2
0.17	b			First definite id for alpine gooseberry, Ribes lasianthum.
0.17	l	58		southern miner's lettuce	Claytonia perfoliata ssp. mexicana	10 / 1	16
0.17	l	59		Yosemite rockcress	Arabis repanda var. repanda	10 / 1	3
0.17	l	60		mountain sweet-cicely	Osmorhiza chilensis	10 / 2	5
0.17	r			Signpost "5" (Large grove of young black oaks)
0.18				"Low bridge" under a fallen smallish tree.
0.18	r	61		spear-leaved mountain dandelion	Agoseris retrorsa	1 / 1	11
0.19	l	62	?	unk with 2 basal leaves - Calochortus sp.?
0.16	l	63		little spring beauty	Claytonia exigua ssp. exigua	/	4
0.19	l			Signpost "6" (Rodents and Reptiles).
0.19				Views of dry lake and desert from this spot.
0.19				Switchback left.
0.20				Switchback right at a loop junction. The path continuing straight ahead is not part of this guide.
0.21	l			Signpost "7" (Leaves and Needles).
0.21		64	sp	wire-lettuce	Stephanomeria pauciflora var. pauciflora	/	4
0.22				Trail turns 90 degrees left up stairs that then turn another 90 degrees left near the top.
0.25	l			Signpost "8" (Weather: thunderstorms).
	r	65		whispering bells	Emmenanthe penduliflora var. penduliflora	/	9
0.26	l			Signpost "9" in front of a wind- and snow-pruned Jeffrey Pine (Pinus jeffreyi). Note how thick the trunk is, especially after you pass it.
0.27	r			The "Rock Garden".
0.27	r	66		California fuchsia	Epilobium canum+	10 / 1	12
0.27	l			Signpost "10" (Lichen makes soil from rock)
0.28	b			Lots of squirreltail, Elymus elymoides ssp. elymoides, and Orcutt's brome, Bromus orcuttianus
0.28	r	67		muilla	Muilla maritima	3 / 1	6
0.29	b	68		smoothleaf yerba santa	Eriodictyon trichocalyx var. trichocalyx	10 / 2	8
0.29	r	69		silky lupine	Lupinus elatus	2 / 2	5
0.29	r			Bench without a back, with great views to east.
0.29	r	70		golden ear drops	Dicentra chrysantha	2 / 2	5
0.30	l			Signpost "12" ("Flag" trees, showing the direction of the prevailing wind)
0.32	r			Signpost "13" (the downed Jeffrey pine tree was formerly standing, and had been struck by lightning)
0.32				(another twiggy wreath to check the id for.)
0.33				Jct. PCT; go left back to parking lot.
0.35	r	71		California needlegrass	Achnatherum occidentale ssp. californicum	10 / 1	5
0.40	r	72		mountain spray	Holodiscus microphyllus var. microphyllus	1 / 1	7
0.43	l		~	(plain mariposa lily, Calochortus invenustus)
0.43	l	73		wax currant	Ribes cereum var. cereum	1 / 1	11
0.53				Loop Junction at beginning; turn right to parking lot.
0.54				Back at the parking lot trailhead.

http://tchester.org/sgm/plants/guides/lightning_ridge_trail.html
Updated 2 October 2004.