ts: wild lilac and manzanita. In bloom together on the slopes of Mount Tam, one intense royal blue and the other bright pink, they are showstoppers. All this display is not for our benefit, however, but to attract the early pollinators that depend on them for food and that, in turn, ensure the shrubs are pollinated. When the native lupines flower, mounds of purple spears top tall bushes in the Marin Headlands and yellow ones brighten the chaparral on the Point Reyes Seashore. The county’s native lupines are the only host plants for the larvae of the endangered Mission Blue butterfly.
Chaparral shrubs sometimes blend themselves into the edges of grasslands, one of the area’s most threatened habitats. The lack of rain all summer keeps the forest from encroaching; grasslands appear in areas that can’t support trees. Native meadows are often dominated by purple needlegrass, a plant that deserves far more respect than what it has seen through decades of plough blades and trampling cattle. Some clumps of this native bunchgrass are believed to be as much as 100 years old. One particularly beautiful meadow is situated at the top of Deer Island Preserve in Novato where, in good rainfall years, thousands of mariposa lilies create a golden carpet among the grasses, while bulbs of purple Ithuriel’s spear light up the edges of the woodland canopy.
When winter rains green up protected meadows on Mount Tam and Mount Burdell, native treasures hidden during the dry season come to life as interwoven species of geophytes, perennials and annual wildflowers burst into a riot of color. The show starts with poppies, creamcups, and blue dicks in spring, then slowly segues to blue-eyed grass, yarrow, lupines and shooting stars, until late summer when soap lilies and tarweeds perfume the warm air. Many locals enjoy hiking during this time to witness a field of wildflowers, alive with pollinators intent on making the most of the floral bounty. At dusk, hawks, coyote and gray fox hunt for dinner, reducing the rodent population while filling their stomachs for the night.
Close to the coast, another type of grassland occurs at Chimney Rock overlooking Drakes Estero, where huge drifts of purple Douglas iris can be spotted. On your walk there, stop and look closely; there are more than 60 species of other wildflowers also growing on that exposed stretch of coast. Many dedicated nature-lovers make an annual trek to the serpentine outcrops on Mount Burdell, where the large, pink, cactus-like flowers of bitterroot almost smother the tiny plants when in bloom. Here also, sharp eyes can spot the purple-flowered stalks of western larkspur among the grasses.
Thanks to the dedicated efforts of a group of far-sighted individuals, 75 percent of Marin County has been preserved as open space. To enjoy these habitats, we need only take one of the many trails throughout the county. So lace up your hiking shoes and head out the door — it’s time to see what beauties you can spot.