Palms-to-Pines via Bautista Canyon

My Dad suggested that we drive through Buatista Canyon in East Hemet to Anza Valley, meet up with the Pines-to-Palms Highway, and then drive south to Palm Springs area. Two years ago we followed a similar route, but drove north from Anza Valley through Idylwild (stopping at the old fashioned candy shop for ice cream) to Banning and Interstate 10 (see Drive through the Chaparral). The Bautista Canyon road is partially paved and partially graded, and passes through the dense vegetation of the chaparral.

Dense vegetation in the chaparral

Snow on the mountains near Palms-to-Pines Highway

I always enjoy seeing snow on the surrounding mountains. We stopped at the nearly deserted Pinyon Flat campground in early afternoon, to walk around and enjoy the blue sky with white puffy clouds racing overhead. The temperature was unseasonably cool, which is perfect weather for exploring the desert.

Intrepid explorers in Pinyon Flat campground

Further down the road, we stopped at the Cahuilla Tewanet Vista Point for its grand, sweeping views of the chaparral, surrounding mountain ranges, and valley below. We also hiked around the trails for alternate views, and access to interesting plants.

Short hike to the Cahuilla Tewanet Vista Point

Split selfie at the Cahuilla Tewanet Vista Point (or would that be a split groupie?)

Snag down the trail at the Cahuilla Tewanet Vista Point

The Pines-to-Palms Highway terminates about a block from The Galen art gallery in Palm Desert, so we popped in for a late afternoon tour of the "Baroque to Bling" exhibit, and a quick stroll through the Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden. We visited the museum and garden last spring (see Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden).

The Galen in Palm Desert, California

Bling: a couch made of stuffed animals	Bling: tires used as the world's largest rubber stamps
Bling: detail of an embellished leather jacket	Bling: great display idea for interesting jewelry

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The Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden at The Galen

After all the beautiful scenery and modern art, we stopped at Maracas Cantina in Palm Springs for delicious Mexican food and conversation. After a chilly walk around Palm Springs downtown, we headed for home. A few miles out of Palm Springs, those fast moving clouds finally released their payload in a cold, pelting rain. It was a dramatic end to a wonderful day!

Delicious Mexican cuisine at Maracas Cantina in Palm Springs, California

Southern California Montane Botanical Garden

My folks and I recently completed our annual pilgrimage to the Southern California desert, in pursuit of beautiful wildflowers after El Niño rains. They flew in from Southeast Alaska and I flew in from the San Francisco Bay Area for a week of exploring, hiking, and wonderful companionship. We have our favorite places to visit, like Whitewater and Oak Glen Preserves, Skinner Lake, Palm Springs area, Joshua Tree National Park, and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. We like to compare conditions from year to year, and to try something new!

Apple orchard

Apple blossom

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This year we visited the Southern California Montane Botanical Garden, which is adjacent to Los Rios Rancho (a working apple orchard); and is part of the Oak Glen Preserve, which is managed by The Wildlands Conservancy. The Preserve is located in the San Bernadino Mountains, in a portion of the Transverse Range (oriented east-west, rather than north-south), with an elevation that ranges from 4,900 to 9,300 feet (or 1,493 to 2,835 m). It is a botanically diverse area with close to 1600 plant species.

Early spring visit to the Southern California Montane Botanic Garden

Hummingbird Hill

The botanical garden specializes in plants of the Transverse Range, including many that are endemic to Oak Glen. The garden includes a hummingbird garden, duck pond, pioneer garden with antique farming equipment, forests, and many hiking trails. We visited on a cold misty afternoon in late March (recall two years ago we experienced snow at Los Rios Rancho at this same time of year, see Snow Blossoms)!

Penstemon eatonii (Eaton's firecracker) - Oak Glen Native

Ribes malvaceum (Chaparral currant) - Oak Glen Native

The garden has excellent signage, so we learned about the many species of penstemon and currant species that thrive in the area, and provide nectar to a wide range of pollinators, including hummingbirds, native bees, wasps, and moths.

View of the duck pond

We also enjoyed strolling through the Pioneer garden, and around the duck pond, which is active with wildlife. And yes, we purchased apple turnovers and enjoyed them in the car with the heat cranked up!

Birds and Bees – Fertilization

This year we're exploring the fascinating world of plant reproduction in a series called "Birds and Bees." So far, we have mastered a few terms, and learned about the role pollinators play in bringing pollen and plants together. Now we're ready to enter the amazing events surrounding the fertilization of a flower's eggs.

Before fertilization can occur, each ovule within the ovary must be ready with a mature egg. When compatible pollen lands on the stigma, two cells within the pollen grain jump into action. One of the cells grows into a long pollen tube, through the cells of the pistil, in search of a microscopic opening in one of the ovules. If there are multiple ovules in the ovary, each ovule typically requires its own pollen tube.

Flower lifecycle – (C)2006 Merriam-Webster, Inc.

The second cell divides to become two sperm  cells that travel through the pollen tube to enter the ovule. One of the sperm unites with the egg in the ovule to form a zygote, the fertilized egg. The other sperm combines with another cell in the ovule to produce the endosperm, which is food storage tissue. The endosperm nourishes the zygote as it grows into an embryo, the immature plant within a seed. Amazing!