观花赏鸟之 Snow Plant Sequoia

Sequoia_CA2022-03-30 18:39:52

话说，几年前在山里徒步，海拔大约7,500英尺的Taft Point 路段的山里，第一次看到 Snow Plants。这种加州本土的植物，它的震撼力，没有任何字眼比惊艳这两个字眼更能准确表达我自己的感受了。

春来了，又到时候入山赏花了，这里抄一段Snow plant的资料，有兴趣的可以看下面的视频，一个非常美妙的制作。对我来说，它叙述了其他人的感受，他们分享了它对自己的冲击，它的魅力，与处于同一频道上的我，这一切比音乐更好听，赏心悦目。

Snow Plant (Sarcodes sanguinea)

Snow Plant is the free-thinking radical of wildflower society, eschewing photosynthesis altogether in favor of a symbiotic relationship with underground fungi. As a result, the entire aboveground section of the plant is free to be a traffic-stopping bright red. Snow Plant's mushroom-from-Mars good looks, accented by its ability to grow in dark, shady spots where other flowers dare not tread, make it one of Yosemite's most arresting sights. It's the only flower to rate its own episode in the esteemed Yosemite Nature Notes video series (see below).

Habitat: Humus-rich, shady areas from 4,000 - 9,000 feet. You can find it along Highway 41 near Glacier Point Road, along Glacier Point Road itself, and along Tioga Road near Crane Flat.

Size: The tube-shaped flowers are less than an inch in diameter. The plant ranges from 6 - 12 inches tall.

Flowering Season: April - July

Lifespan: Perennial

Origins: Native (see distribution maps for California and US/Canada)

Sarcodes sanguinea etymology: Sarcodes derives from the Greek word sarkodes, which means "resembling flesh". Sanguinea is a Latin term meaning "blood-red". There might be a theme at work here. The term Snow Plant seems more mysterious - perhaps, you may be thinking, it arises because the plant is the color of snow over which a bear has just vivisected an unwary tourist - but it actually derives from Snow Plant's tendency to emerge early in the spring, just after (and occasionally during) snowmelt.

This Photo: Along the Pohono Trail, mid July