The Sierra Club hosted a fun and informative field trip in the Kapusta Open Space with the Shasta Chapter of California Native Plant Society on a mild September Saturday, with 15 friendly participants. David Ledger was the field trip leader, and had the help of Don Burk, an experienced botanist and rare plant specialist.
At the first pond we visited, we saw a swan, great blue heron and two great egrets.
On the trail, we found vinegar weed (Trichostema lanceolatum) in bloom everywhere, Fitch’s spikeweed (Centromadia fitchii), telegraph weed (Heterotheca grandiflora) up to 10 feet tall (See photo above), and cut-leaf bugleweed (Lycopus americanus), among many others. At a pond, and elsewhere, Don identified many plants including gibbous bladderwort (Utricularia gibba), common lippia (Phyla nodiflora), water milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), and Brazilian waterweed (Elodea densa).
This area was the site of an old gravel operation, but many native and non-native plants are filling in the area with a canopy of valley oaks, Fremont cottonwood, gray pine and smaller Oregon ash, black locust and black willows.
This open space can be reached by taking Latona Road off of Highway 273 to the end. It is close to the Sacramento River so there are also many riparian plants to enjoy.
~ David Ledger, Field Trip Chair