Hoping to beat the high heat in Redding, a friendly group of a dozen people joined us on our July 12 Paradise Meadows field trip. The weather in Lassen Volcanic National Park was indeed a nice escape—we enjoyed temperatures that started at 73 degrees and only reached over 80 toward the end of the activity. As the trail is largely shaded and near Hat Creek, altitude was more of a hindrance than temperature.
Photo by Ren Redlich.
We identified five different conifers on the trail as walk leader David Ledger pointed out the trees’ unique, recognizable features. A few “pop quizzes” were given along the way, and attendees passed with flying colors! The trail also had a great variety of blooming wildflowers. Among the plants we identified on the way were several gooseberries, Jacob’s ladder, mountain alder, Booth’s willow, Sierra bog orchid, scarlet-gilia, and many lupines.
We got to the meadow before peak bloom, so the wildflowers were limited, but we still enjoyed the lush green setting for a lunch break. By the water’s edge, attendees were able to find several colorful blooms, including monkey-flowers and shooting-stars. In a week or two, the meadow should be full of flowering plants!
After our return to the trailhead, three of us hiked through what had been a lodgepole pine forest until it completely burned in 2012. There has been little regeneration of trees, but the area does have a proliferation of wildflowers. In the full sun, wildflowers were everywhere, making it worth our while contending with the higher heat and lack of shade. ~David Ledger
