Blog by Nancy Forest

A few weeks ago, I went hiking with friends to the Point Reyes and the Tomales Point Trail down to McClures Beach. We walked about 11 miles through the coastal wilderness with a variety of landscapes , including beaches, forests, grasslands, and wetlands. In addition, we were privileged to walk among the elk at the Tule Elk Reserve. I was amazed at some of the plants that are native to that area. A few I had never seen before, such as the Curlycup gumweed, the Hedge woundwort, the Yellowspine thistle, the Coyote mint, and the Coast Indian paintbrush. 

The Curlycup gumweed (Grindelia squarrosa) is a flowering plant that belongs to the Asteraceae family.  The Hedge woundwort (Stachys monnieri) is a perennial plant that belongs to the Lamiaceae family. The Yellowspine thislte (Cirsium ochrocentrum) is a species of thistle native to the Western US. The Coyote mint (Monardella villosa) is also part of the Lamiaeae family. The Coast Indian paintbrush (Castilleja affinis spp. litoralis) is a wildflower that belongs to the Castilleja family.

Just thought I would share pictures of the plants I had never seen before.  I was lucky enough to snap one with a bee on it (Curlycup gumweed). As you can see, these are quite beautiful, considering I took them with my phone. If you would like more information on these plants, the Plants – Point

 National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service) lists them.

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