July 15: Alamo Canyon area the Valles Caldera, 101 species in bloom

When Bio Blitzes were in vogue a couple years ago, I spent a few hours in Alamo Canyon on the Valles Caldera, surveying plants. I always want to get back and spend more time, and the Sensitive Plant Project on the Preserve gave me the chance yesterday. I totally forgot that the bottom part of the canyon was torn up by geothermal explorations in the 1980s, and that sulfur springs fed into the canyon in several locations. I remembered it was wet, but didn't remember that many of the ponds have small gas vents bubbling to the surface. Wow, what a cool place!

The first half mile was a collection of the usual weedy plants of disturbed areas, not all of which are undesirable. There was a two-acre patch of Many-flowered Foreget-me-not (Hackelia floribunda) spread out along the valley floor. In between two of the old drill pads was a patch of White Scorpionweed (Phacelia alba), a new species for me, the tightly packed, coil-tipped inflorescences are visually striking. A bit further in, a strange thistle with characteristics of musk and wavyleaf thistles--which is likely Meadow or Elk Thistle (Cirsium scariosum var. coloradense), which would be a new species for the Jemez Mountains. Near Alamo Bog, too soggy to explore much, a patch of indisputable Two-flowered Dwarf Dandelion (Krigia biflora), a species that I misidentified in the past (now I know better, he says). In the upper meadows, the first Gunnison's Mariposa Lilies (Calochortus gunnisonii) of the year, and a few blooming Corn Lilies (Veratrum californicum).

Rather than retrace the route back, we climbed to the ridge between Valle Seco and Alamo Canyon and headed west, dropping into a smaller drainage that drained into Sulfur Creek. Here were more Owl's-claws (Hymenoxys hoopesii) than I've ever seen, and large patches of an unknown violet, past bloom. Near the confluence with Sulfur Creek, several colonies of Sulphur Paintbrush, not very common in the Jemez outside the San Pedro Parks.

The tally for a seven-mile walk was 101 species in bloom, a recent record.

Family Genus Species JMP common name
Amaranthaceae Chenopodium album lamb's quarters
Amaranthaceae Chenopodium capitatum strawberry blight
Amaryllidaceae Allium cernuum nodding onion
Amaryllidaceae Allium geyeri Geyer's onion
Apiaceae Cicuta maculata spotted water hemlock
Apiaceae Pseudocymopterus montanus mountain parsley
Asteraceae Achillea millefolium yarrow
Asteraceae Agoseris glauca pale mountain dandelion
Asteraceae Arnica chamissonis leafy arnica
Asteraceae Artemisia carruthii Carruth's wormwood
Asteraceae Carduus nutans musk thistle
Asteraceae Cirsium parryi Parry's thistle
Asteraceae Cirsium scoriosum meadow thistle
Asteraceae Erigeron formosissimus most beautiful fleabane
Asteraceae Erigeron divergens spreading fleabane
Asteraceae Erigeron flagellaris trailing fleabane
Asteraceae Heterotheca villosa hairy golden aster
Asteraceae Hymenopappus newberryi white mountain ragweed
Asteraceae Hymenoxys hoopesii owl's-claws
Asteraceae Krigia biflora two-flower dwarf dandelion
Asteraceae Packera neomexicana New Mexico groundsel
Asteraceae Packera fendleri Fendler's groundsel
Asteraceae Rudbeckia hirta black-eyed Susan
Asteraceae Senecio eremophilus cutleaf groundsel
Asteraceae Solidago simplex simple goldenrod
Asteraceae Taraxacum officinale common dandelion
Asteraceae Tragopogon dubius yellow salsify
Boraginaceae Lappula occidentalis flatspine stickseed
Boraginaceae Lithospermum multiflorum many-flowered puccoon
Boraginaceae Mertensia franciscana Franciscan bluebells
Boraginaceae Phacelia alba white scorpionweed
Brassicaceae Boechera stricta Drummond's rockcress
Brassicaceae Capsella bursa-pastoris shepherd's purse
Brassicaceae Descurainia sophia flixweed
Brassicaceae Descurainia incisa mountain tansymustard
Brassicaceae Draba aurea golden draba
Brassicaceae Erysimum capitatum western wallflower
Brassicaceae Hesperidanthus linearifolius slimleaf plains-mustard
Brassicaceae Turritis glabra tower mustard
Campanulaceae Campanula parryi Parry's bellflower
Campanulaceae Campanula rotundifolia harebell
Caprifoliaceae Valeriana edulis tobacco root
Caryophyllaceae Cerastium arvense meadow chickweed
Caryophyllaceae Spergulastrum lanuginosa spreading sandwort
Caryophyllaceae Stellaria longipes long-stalked starwort
Caryophyllaceae Stellaria longifolia longleaf starwort
Fabaceae Lathyrus lanszwertii Nevada peavine
Fabaceae Lupinus argenteus silvery lupine
Fabaceae Medicago lupulina black medic
Fabaceae Melilotus officinalis yellow sweetclover
Fabaceae Trifolium longipes longstalk clover
Fabaceae Trifolium repens white clover
Fabaceae Vicia americana American vetch
Gentianaceae Frasera speciosa deer's ears
Geraniaceae Erodium cicutarium filaree
Geraniaceae Geranium caespitosum purple geranium
Geraniaceae Geranium richardsonii Richardson's geranium
Hypericaceae Hypericum scouleri western St. Johnswort
Iridaceae Iris missouriensis wild iris
Iridaceae Sisyrinchium montanum mountain blue-eyed grass
Lamiaceae Dracocephalum parviflorum dragonhead
Lamiaceae Prunella vulgaris selfheal
Liliaceae Calochortus gunnisonii Gunnison's mariposa lily
Malvaceae Malva neglecta common cheeseweed
Malvaceae Sidalcea candida white checker mallow
Melanthiaceae Veratrum californicum cornhusk lily
Onagraceae Epilobium saximontanum Rocky Mountain willowherb
Onagraceae Oenothera flava yellow evening-primrose
Onagraceae Oenothera villosa hairy evening-primrose
Orchidaceae Corallorhiza maculata spotted coralroot
Orobanchaceae Castilleja sulphurea sulphur paintbrush
Orobanchaceae Castilleja miniata scarlet paintbrush
Orobanchaceae Orthocarpus luteus yellow owl-clover
Orobanchaceae Pedicularis procera fern-leafed lousewort
Oxalidaceae Oxalis alpina alpine woodsorrel
Papaveraceae Corydalis aurea golden smoke
Plantaginaceae Penstemon barbatus scarlet bugler penstemon
Plantaginaceae Penstemon rydbergii Rydberg's penstemon
Plantaginaceae Veronica peregrina wandering speedwell
Polemoniaceae Collomia linearis mountain trumpet
Polemoniaceae Ipomopsis aggregata skyrocket
Polygonaceae Polygonum douglasii Douglas' knotweed
Primulaceae Androsace septentrionalis northern rock-jasmine
Primulaceae Primula pauciflora darkthroat shootingstar
Rosaceae Dasiphora fruticosa shrub potentilla
Rosaceae Fragaria vesca wild strawberry
Rosaceae Geum macrophyllum large-leaf avens
Rosaceae Potentilla anserina silverweed cinquefoil
Rosaceae Potentilla hippiana woolly cinquefoil
Rosaceae Potentilla norvegica Norwegian cinquefoil
Rosaceae Potentilla pensylvanica Pennsylvania cinquefoil
Rosaceae Potentilla pulcherrima beautiful cinquefoil
Rosaceae Rosa woodsii Woods' rose
Rubiaceae Galium boreale northern bedstraw
Rubiaceae Galium aparine goosegrass
Saxifragaceae Heuchera parvifolia alumroot
Solanaceae Solanum triflorum cutleaf nightshade
Typhaceae Sparganium angustifolium narrowleaf bur-reed
Urticaceae Urtica dioica stinging nettle
Verbenaceae Verbena bracteata carpet vervain
Violaceae Viola canadensis Canada violet