Jay & Terri Thesken took a “driving field trip” up to the verdant mountains and meadows east of Yreka and Montague, in the Ball Mountain area of Klamath National Forest, on Thursday, June 18, 2020. The destination was Martin’s Dairy, where there is a US Forest Service campground tucked into a meadow next to Little Shasta Springs, at the headwaters of Shasta River. Wildflower timing was great!
As we drove up to Martin’s Dairy on York Road from the west, we passed the historic little Silva Cabin, which was surrounded by a meadow full of white bog orchid, elephant’s-head in full bloom, common camas, and western bistort.
On the way to Martin’s Dairy, we took the turnoff to Little Shasta Meadow and the Little Shasta Meadows Botanical Area. This is the location of a population of the rare species of mariposa lily, Calochortus greenei. We were just short of blooming time for the lily (it usually blooms in July), but we did see the plant and the buds.
Calochortus greenei is known only to Siskiyou County and southern Oregon. It is named after E.L. Greene, a botany professor who lived in Yreka in the late 1800s.
At Martin’s Dairy, we had lunch in a meadow filled with more elephant’s-head, common camas, western bistort, shooting stars, and Oregon saxifrage. On this Thursday, the campground was empty, and there were only 6 spaces for camping… a delightful location for more exploring.
We left the mountain range on Forest Road 46N10, exiting onto Highway 97 near Hebron Summit, south of Macdoel. This route affords peeks at beautiful, snow-covered Mount Shasta from the northwest side. There are various routes to get to Martin’s Dairy, on both gravel and paved roads. -Terri & Jay Thesken
