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Coyote Ridge Wild Flowers, April 2007
 Silicon Valley Land Conservancy
Where cattle trim back non-native grasses, native wild flowers thrive.
Masses of tiny white cryptantha and poppies edge the road up Kirby Cyn.
A single California Poppy blooms amid a tangle of Cryptantha (popcorn flower).
Trailside serpentine boulders radiate the sun's warmth.
A short ways up Kirby Cyn, "Annual Agoseris" thrive in a drier "topo climate" area.
Also called Mountain Dandelions, they are a relic plant related to Mojave plant communities.
Another relic plant is the Wooly Desert Dandelion.
Bright Yellow Pincushion wild flowers grow in profusion in Kirby Cyn and on Coyote Ridge.
Scorpion Weed towers above Poppies and tiny Cryptantha wild flowers.
Scorpion Weed bloom stalks.
The rising sun illuminates stalks of the Most Beautiful Jewelflower in Kirby Cyn.
Close up views of the Most Beautiful Jewelflower's blossoms.
Poppies with a side of California Gilia.
View of a section of the Kirby Cyn trail known as "Poppy Alley".
At higher elevations, Cream Cups and Yarrow bloom alongside Poppies.
Stalks of Purple Owl's Clover.
Fiddlenecks, Cream Cups, Poppies and tiny white Cryptantha frame view of Coyote Valley.
Poppies flourish on an exposed spine of Serpentine rock.
Stalks of Fiddleneck dance in the breeze beside the trail up canyon.
North-facing hillsides tend to be wetter, cooler than the more arid south-facing slopes.
Stalks of Blue Dicks are common along the road up Kirby Cyn.
A white Blue Dick with Fiddlenecks in background.
Poppies adorn an impressive outcropping of serpentine at the halfway point to the Ridge.
Cream Cups crowd the trail at higher elevations.
Illuminated by the rising sun, this startled coyote quickly disappeared from view.
A few minutes later, it was spotted crossing an adjacent hillside.
Deer are also sometimes seen grazing in the canyon adjacent to the trail.
Rare and endangered, the Mount Hamilton Thistle blooms only once during its life cycle.
The Santa Clara Valley Dudlea shown here are listed as Federally Endangered.
A trailside poppy display near the summit of Coyote Ridge.
A carpet of Goldfield wild flowers on Coyote Ridge.
Tidytips surround a piece of serpentine rock enameled with red lichen.
A fine tangle of ridge-top wild flowers.
Part of Coyote Ridge has been set aside as the Kirby Cyn Butterfly Sanctuary.
Pale Swallowtail on a coffeeberry bush - a favorite food source for butterflies.
Anise Swallowtail - notice how its markings differ from the Pale Swallowtail?
Plans to develop Coyote Valley have been set aside for now.
Protection of the endangered Bay Checkerspot Butterfly rests in our hands.
Tiny stalks of "Plantago" - so necessary to the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly's survival.
With wings as colorful as stained glass, a newly emerged Bay Checkerspot Butterfly.
With a flight life of just 12-14 days, wings wear thin and colors fade quickly.
Far more common in Kirby Cyn and on Coyote Ridge is the Variable Checkerspot.
Newly hatched, with vivid color, a Variable Checkerspot Butterfly.
Smaller than a checkerspot, and much more flighty, a Mylitta Crescent.
Smaller still is the Acmon Blue Butterfly.
The colorful, Common Buckeye Butterfly is often seen in Kirby Cyn and on Coyote Ridge.
Found sheltered for the night amid Mt. Hamilton Thistle.
When sufficiently warmed by the morning sun, this Variable Checkerspot took flight.
Watch for butterflies on nectar sources, such as trailside Yellow Yarrow.
Variable Checkerspot perched on Tidytip wild flower.
In an instant, it became airborne.
Wild flowers flourish on ridge top serpentine.
Coyote Ridge supports a variety of birds, including the Lark Sparrow.
In an area devoid of trees, birds nest in ridge-top grasses.
And beneath rock ledges.
A clutch of Lark Sparrow eggs.
Chaparral Clematis.
View of inland valley from Coyote Ridge.
Spiny Thistle amid volcanic rock.
Santa Clara Valley Dudlea.
Indian Paintbrush with Anderson Reservoir in background.
A pale yellow Tiburon Indian Paintbrush.
A pair of Tiburon Indian Paintbrush find their way to the light.
Royal Larkspur.
Hedge Nettle blooms.
Sticky Monkey Flower.
Uh oh.... company.
Humans are tresspassers here.

I have need of the sky . . . I have business with the grasses . . .
I will up and away at break of day to where the hawk is wheeling lone and high
and where slow clouds drift by."  —Richard Hovey, 1894-1961
Return to Top.           Review Coyote Ridge Hike 2005.           For more info on: Coyote Ridge.