CHAPTER VI 



A PAGEANT OF FLOWERING PLANTS* 



STATEMENT 

 Point Lobos Wildflowers, written by Ken Legg and illustrated by Roland Wilson, and with a scientific 

 check-list by Dr. Mason, can be purchased at Point Lobos Reserve State Park and at Monterey book 

 stores. 



Trees, shrubs, and wild flowers at Point Lobos were given "a new lease 

 on life," when a policy was adopted by its guardians, the essence of which 

 is to interfere as little as possible with natural processes. Protective meas- 

 ures have been taken, but they are not obtrusive. The result has been that 

 there is freshness and naturalness in even the least spectacular portions 

 of the Reserve, and from this feature many visitors derive great enjoyment. 



At almost any season of the year, everywhere at Point Lobos there is 

 color. Gold of California poppies, yellow of buttercups, creamcups, Bro- 

 diaeas, azure of the sky and sea brought to earth by blue lupine and Cean- 

 othus, reds of the Indian paintbrush, greens of the shrubs and ferns, made 

 darker and richer by the background of cypress leaning against the sky, 

 and pines across the grassy meadows — these are splashes of color that con- 

 tinually change. 



In spring, color is also splashed about with the pink of the rose, the 

 lavender and white of the shooting stars and the Dodecatheon, related to 

 the primrose, sometimes called cyclamen or mad violet. There are gay 

 Johnny-jump-ups and the "wild" or yellow violets. Besides creamcups and 

 tidytips, and purple Brodiaeas, there are rose mallow and filaree. Hung 

 over cliff's edge a/e fringes of native grass and sea daisies rippling in the 

 wind. 



Some of the desert-like exposed parts of the point are painted blue and 

 yellow by masses of lupine. This hardy member of the pea family thrives 

 well roundabout Carmel, growing high at times — fragrant with the yellow 

 or the blue flowers. There are annual, biennial and perennial varieties. The 

 bush lupine, which needs abundant sunshine, grows in sandy spots. There 

 are places on the Point where in springtime and early summer one can walk 

 through veritable lupine thickets — almost lost in the clouds of blue. 



As a "plant refuge" Point Lobos Reserve performs an important func- 

 tion in giving complete protection to one species of great significance to 

 California. For this species is officially its state flow^er, rapidly disappear- 

 ing. The Spanish called it Copa de oro or "cup of gold," but the botanist 

 has named it Eschscholtzia calif ornica, and popularly it is called the golden 

 poppy. The scientific name of the poppy was acquired when a Russian 

 scientific expedition under Kotzebue, in 1815, explored the California coast- 



• Based on a special report by Herbert L. Mason, Professor of Botany, University of 

 California. 



Broad sweeping meadows, bounded by 



majestic Monterey pines, are covered in spring with 



a profusion of colorful wildflowers 



( 45 ) 



