- Karen Sullivan, Kim Riley and Terre Logsdon
- Posted On
Lake County Native Wildflowers: Growing together – buck brush and fawn lily
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – There are some plants (just like people and other animals) that just do better when they grow together and such is the case with buck brush and fawn lilies, two great friends that often grow together because it may be beneficial to both.
It’s not an exclusive relationship, but buck brush (Ceanothus cuneatus) provides the shade that the California Fawn Lilly (Erythronium californiacum) likes, so they are oftentimes found growing and blooming together.
One of the most widespread native plants in California, buck brush, as you might guess by it’s common name, is a food source for deer and is found throughout California and particularly in chaparral landscapes, growing to about 9 feet tall and covered with clusters of small white flowers in April and May here in Lake County.
Dotting the hillsides with the pretty white bush, you can be sure of your ID as no other California native in Lake County presents itself in this way and if you're lucky enough to be hiking a trail while it is blooming, you'll enjoy a beautiful scent welcoming spring!
After flowering, seeds of the buckbrush are, “dispersed when the capsule explodes and propels them some distance. Harvester ants have been known to cache the seeds, which can lie dormant for a long time since fire is required for germination,” according to the California Native Plant Society.
Oftentimes you will find the spectacular fawnlily growing under and nearby buck brush on singular stalks, with one to three flowers each that range from six to 12 inches tall that typically begin blooming just before buck brush, and seeing these two in bloom together is a treat for both your eyes and nose!
Nurseries where you can purchase seeds/starts:
California Fawn Lilly: https://calscape.org/nurseries.php?id=1583&showmap=1
Buck Brush: https://calscape.org/nurseries.php?id=871&showmap=1
Terre Logsdon is an environmentalist, certified master composter, and advocate for agroecology solutions to farming. An avid fan and protector of California wildflowers, plants, natural resources, and the environment, she seeks collaborative solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change. Kim Riley is retired, an avid hiker at Highland Springs, and has lived in Lake County since 1985. After 15 years of trail recovery and maintenance on the Highland Springs trails, she is now focused on native plants, including a native plant and pollinator garden on her property as well as promoting and preserving the beauty of the Highland Springs Recreation Area. Karen Sullivan has operated two nurseries to propagate and cultivate native plants and wildflowers, has lived in Kelseyville for the past 30 years, rides horses far and wide to see as many flowers as possible, and offers native plants and wildflowers for sale to the public. You can check her nursery stock here. They are collaborating on a book, Highland Springs Recreation Area: A Field Guide, which will be published in the future. In the meanwhile, please visit https://www.facebook.com/HighlandSpringsNaturalists and https://www.facebook.com/HighlandSpringsRecreationArea.