Santa Rosa Plateau - Part 2

A week ago, we had the privilege of meeting my friend Elizabeth Joy (from Wildflower Morning) and her family at the Santa Rosa Plateau for an enjoyable day hiking and picnicking together. I had not seen her for quite a long time nor met her family. We were blessed with perfect weather and it was so much fun to catch up and do a bit of reminiscing. The flowers were still beautiful, but we only saw a couple of fairy shrimp left in the vernal pools. There were lots of small garter snakes swimming around hunting for food.


It was so much fun to see you again, Elizabeth Joy. Let's get together again!

Gorgeous Santa Rosa Plateau

On Sunday we visited one of my favorite springtime spots here in Southern California - the Santa Rosa Plateau. It is now an ecological preserve, but the history of the place goes back a hundred years or more. The beauty is unbelievable! It reminds me of the few times I have had the priveledge of walking in the Alps - the high grassy meadows with scattered trees and rolling hills with snow-covered mountains in the distance. It's hard to believe there is actually a spot like it in Southern California, but here it is, green and unbelievably gorgeous this time of year with a wide array of wildflowers not seen too many other places. Here is a sampling of the beauty we encountered.

Pinks

Chocolate Lilies

Shooting Stars

Another fascinating thing about the plateau is the springtime vernal pools that dry completely by summer. But now the waters are teaming with small creatures including fairy shrimp, copepods, and planeria.