Tehachapi News

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Jon
Wildflowers in Tehachapi must deal with two fundamental truths about our weather: most of our moisture arrives in winter, when the days are coldest and there is the least amount of sunlight; and during summer when the weather’s warmest and the days are long and sunny, there is generally no rain.

The response from most flowering plants is logical — they bloom in spring, as winter rains are tapering off but not gone completely and the temperature is warming and the days are lengthening. As a result there are literally several hundred different wildflower species abloom in spring and early summer.

There are far fewer plants that are able to muster flowers in late summer and autumn, when the last rain was 120 days ago or more and temperatures have reached the 80s and 90s for months on end. Fortunately for nectar-loving insects, hummingbirds and human residents alike, there are some hardy wildflowers that are still able to bloom this time of year and two of them are colorful right now: Rabbitbrush and Davidson’s Buckwheat.

I’ve written about Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseous) on several occasions and hopefully many local residents can now recognize these hardy shrubs that are now adding beautiful warm yellow and pale golden color to hillsides, fallow fields, roadsides, and vacant lots throughout the Tehachapi area.

Davidson’s Buckwheat (Eriogonum davidsonii), also known as Pine Buckwheat, is not as common or noticeable but it is still widespread and 2008 has been an exceptional year for this drought-tolerant annual. Oldtimers often refer to this plant as “wireweed” for obvious reasons, since its leafless slender stalks rise up from the ground like pale green wires.

These wiry stalks are ornamented by tiny pink flowers every inch or so. The little pea-sized flower clusters start out bright pink and then gradually fade to pale pink after weeks in the sun.

There are more than 37 species of buckwheat in Kern County, making Eriogonum (commonly pronounced er-ee-OG-onum) the best-represented genus in Kern County’s 8,172 square miles. Their extreme drought-tolerance and hardiness make the buckwheats ideally suited to California’s “lands of little rain,” as author Mary Austin referred to the inland ranges.

At least a dozen or more of these buckwheat species grow within 15 miles of Tehachapi City Hall.

The Nüwa (Kawaiisu) Indian people of Tehachapi ate the seeds of several different buckwheat species, including Davidson’s Buckwheat. The seeds were harvested in the fall and pounded into meal.

We are now moving from the calendar summer to Indian Summer — savor it while it lasts. . . .

Have a good week.