The first California native wildflowers are coming in along the Sonoma Overlook Trail– head up to the trail and see if you can find them. The trailhead is at the entrance to the Mountain Cemetery on First Street West, just a few blocks north of the Sonoma Plaza. The milk maids have been sporting the creamy white blossoms since early February. And last week I spotted my first California butter cups and shooting stars. All three are herbaceous perennials.
Milk maids (Cardamine californica) have clusters of 4-petaled, small white flowers on 6-8” stocks. They are most common in moist, partly shady woodlands.
California buttercups (Ranunculus californicus) grows 1-2’ tall. They display sunshine happy blossoms with as many as 22 bright yellow petals. Butter cups are an excellent early season source of pollen and nectar for bees.
Shooting stars (Dodecatheon hendersonii.) have striking little magenta flowers on tall, nodding stems. They are called shooting stars because their stamens reach downward forming a point while their sepals and petals bend up and backward. I typically find them on shady or partly shady banks
– Karen Boness, Sun Gardening Editor
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