Spring Wildflower Identification in the Merced River Canyon
I am going to start with a confession: I am a Pinterest addict. Mostly I am in it for the food, which is like my online recipe box, and for the amazing hiking inspiration & tips. If you too have ever used Pinterest’s outdoors section you have probably see this pin:
It’s the Merced River Canyon! Right next to Yosemite National Park, and around corner from us in the Tuolumne River Canyon. It is a beautiful picture, taken on (I believe) the Hite’s Cove Trail. Being that wildflower season has started now I took Curtis, and our dog friend Odie, down there last weekend. We didn’t end up hiking on the Hite’s Cove trail (more about that and where we did hike instead in the next blog post), but did see a TON of wildflowers. And not just the poppies that are featured so grandly in the Pinterest image above.
Today instead of sorting the photos quickly an illogical whim struck me instead. I decided I should put on my (extremely) amateur botanist hat and try naming all the flowers we took a close up of during our trip. This of course took a while. I figured after I did all that work I should share it – creating Beaut-tree.net’s first wildflower guide.
Merced River Canyon Spring Wildflower Guide
That is 9 whole flowers!: Lupine, Purple Owl’s Clover, Redbud, California Poppy, Blue Dicks, Pretty Face, Common Fiddleneck, Baby Blue Eyes, and the Mariposa Phacelia
For identifying the wildflowers I used Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada
Check out larger photos of the flowers in the gallery below:
Hello! I am a 30-something outdoors-lady, backpacker, and resident of Groveland, California - 
Any idea where and esp when the Merced photo was taken? I’m traveling to Yosemite this weekend from the west (Merced). Thanks!
Ron
I know spring wildflower season usually lasts until the end of April, so you should be able to still get some good viewing. I think the picture was specifically taken on the Hite Cove trail (http://www.yosemitehikes.com/not-yosemite/hite-cove/hite-cove.htm) – which you will see a sign for and several pullout to park in along hwy 140 before you reach El Portal and the Merced entrance to Yosemite. Hope you have a great trip!
There is a redbud species that is native to California: cercis occidentalis, I think- Western Redbud.
Love the photos! Would you be willing to let me know what app you used to create the Polaroid frames with writing on them?