Daley Ranch: Plant Guide to Hidden Spring Trail

This is a working list, about which we make no guarantees at all until we officially release it. Use at your own risk!

Introduction and Explanation of Plant Trail Guides

Introduction
Highlights of This Trail
Fieldwork Dates and Summary of List Changes With Time
Botanical Trip Reports
The Plant Guide
Comments On Specific Species

Introduction

This trail guide begins at the eastern end of the Hidden Spring Trail.

To reach the trailhead, begin at the parking lot at the main entrance to Daley Ranch, which is at the southernmost part of the property, just north of Lake Dixon at the top of La Honda Drive in Escondido. The only toilets nearby are at Lake Dixon, which have running water. It is free to walk through the Lake Dixon entrance to use them. A porta-potty is at the Ranch House at Daley Ranch.

Take the Ranch House Trail, which is the paved main road of Daley Ranch, north to the Ranch House. Continue north on the Jack Creek Meadow Loop to its signed intersection with the Hidden Spring Trail.

After completing the Hidden Spring Trail, you can return to the parking lot via the Engelmann Oak Trail, Cougar Ridge Trail and Boulder Loop Trail. The entire loop hike is ~8.5 miles with ~1100 feet of elevation gain and loss.

Highlights of This Trail

Some of the botanical highlights of this trail are:

Number of Unique Taxa On This Trail

The following histogram gives the number of trails in our database that contain each taxon on this trail. There were 88 trails in our database when this histogram was made; two trails, including this one, are at Daley Ranch. A number of "1" means the taxon has only been found on this trail among the trails in our database; a number of "2" may indicate taxa found only at Daley Ranch.

Number of Trails
Containing A Taxon
Number Of Taxa
On This Trail
% of Taxa
On This Trail
122%
233%
300%
400%
533%
 
1-589%
6-1089%
11-151618%
16-2089%
21-251314%
26-30910%
31-3556%
36-40910%
41-45910%
46-5033%
51-5522%
Total Taxa90100%

We found 8 additional species not in the above table, since they have not been fully identified yet. The unidentified ones are marked with ?, sp or ssp in the id? column in the guide, and do not have any number given in the #all column.

Fieldwork Dates and Summary of List Changes With Time

The following table gives the dates the trail was walked and taxa recorded. After each visit, the table gives the total number of taxa on the list and the breakdown of the taxa without positive identification. See Explanation of Plant Trail Guides to understand the symbols below.

Visit DateVisit ## taxa# "?"# "sp"# "~"# "ssp"
1/16/200519826123

We thank an anonymous friend for her help with the fieldwork on 1/16/05.

Botanical Trip Reports

The Plant Guide

Version for printing, without lines and other text on this page (4 pages)

The mileages have not yet been rectified to a GPS recording of the trail, and hence may be off by as much as 10%.

MileS#id?Common NameLatin Name#here#all
0.00   Begin Hidden Spring Trail at jct. with Jack Creek Meadow Loop Trail in grassland; elevation 1460 feet (445 m). Trail soon begins a steep climb.
0.00r1 coastal goldenbushIsocoma menziesii+5 / 114
0.00r2 California-asterLessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia20 / 951
0.00r3~*smooth cat's earHypochaeris glabra / 28
0.00r4 *narrowleaf filagoFilago gallica99 / 942
0.00r5~*long-beaked filareeErodium botrys99 / 96
0.00r6 *scarlet pimpernelAnagallis arvensis / 24
0.00r7 western ragweedAmbrosia psilostachya50 / 933
0.00b8 blue-eyed grassSisyrinchium bellum / 19
0.00l9 *winter vetchVicia villosa ssp. varia99 / 317
0.00l10 coast live oakQuercus agrifolia var. agrifolia / 42
0.00l11~wild celeryApiastrum angustifolium1 / 111
0.00r12 narrowleaf bedstrawGalium angustifolium ssp. angustifolium1 / 142
0.00r13 blue dicksDichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum5 / 141
0.00l14 sticky cinquefoilPotentilla glandulosa ssp. glandulosa2 / 213
0.00l  (black sage, Salvia mellifera)
0.00l  (Torrey's scrub oak, Quercus acutidens)
0.01r15 *shortpod mustardHirschfeldia incana30 / 950
0.01r16 telegraph weedHeterotheca grandiflora20 / 232
0.03r17 dove weedEremocarpus setigerus10 / 124
 r18sp*wild oatsAvena sp. /  
 r19? Schismus? /  
 r20 *pink grassPetrorhagia dubia5 / 21
 r21 *windmill pinkSilene gallica / 28
0.06l22~horseweedConyza canadensis10 / 128
0.06l23 *soft chessBromus hordeaceus / 37
0.07   Enter chaparral
0.07l24 Ramona lilacCeanothus tomentosus var. olivaceus10 / 98
0.07l25 black sageSalvia mellifera20 / 938
0.07l26 southern honeysuckleLonicera subspicata var. denudata1 / 139
0.07l27 climbing bedstrawGalium nuttallii ssp. nuttallii2 / 229
0.08l28 Parish's purple nightshadeSolanum parishii3 / 117
0.08l29 golden yarrowEriophyllum confertiflorum var. confertiflorum10 / 951
0.08l30 toyonHeteromeles arbutifolia1 / 143
0.08r31 chamiseAdenostoma fasciculatum10 / 536
0.08r32 *redstem filareeErodium cicutarium / 49
0.08r33 bush monkeyflowerMimulus aurantiacus1 / 140
0.08r34 *common groundselSenecio vulgaris3 / 115
0.08r35 *sow thistleSonchus oleraceus1 / 126
0.08r36 *tocaloteCentaurea melitensis20 / 342
0.08l37 mission manzanitaXylococcus bicolor3 / 313
0.08l38~coast-range melicMelica imperfecta5 / 338
0.08l39 saw-toothed goldenbushHazardia squarrosa var. grindelioides20 / 933
0.08r40 heartleaf penstemonKeckiella cordifolia40 / 925
0.08r41 bicolored everlastingGnaphalium bicolor1 / 128
0.09l42~small-flowered soap plantChlorogalum parviflorum3 / 16
0.09r43 sugar bushRhus ovata2 / 223
0.09l44 laurel sumacMalosma laurina2 / 239
0.09l45 hairyleaf redberryRhamnus pilosa3 / 12
0.09l46 wild-cucumberMarah macrocarpus var. macrocarpus2 / 241
0.10l47 San Diego mountain mahoganyCercocarpus minutiflorus10 / 311
0.10l48 threadstemPterostegia drymarioides10 / 221
0.10l49 goldback fernPentagramma triangularis ssp. triangularis2 / 222
0.11r50 Torrey's scrub oakQuercus acutidens20 / 924
0.11l51?eucrypta? annual phacelia??2 / 1 
0.11   (California wood fern, Dryopteris arguta)
0.11l52~coyote bushBaccharis pilularis1 / 124
0.12r53 California sagebrushArtemisia californica1 / 143
0.13r54 virgin's bowerClematis pauciflora3 / 210
0.13r55 branching phaceliaPhacelia ramosissima var. latifolia1 / 131
0.14r56 Eastwood manzanitaArctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. zacaensis1 / 111
0.15l57 hollyleaf cherryPrunus ilicifolia ssp. ilicifolia2 / 211
0.15l58 California wood fernDryopteris arguta5 / 115
0.15l59 California everlastingGnaphalium californicum2 / 240
0.16l  (creeping snowberry, Symphoricarpos mollis)
0.16r  (chaparral whitethorn, Ceanothus leucodermis)
0.19l60 chaparral bush mallowMalacothamnus fasciculatus1 / 114
0.19l61sspdeerweedLotus scoparius20 / 510
0.19l62 fragrant everlastingGnaphalium canescens ssp. beneolens20 / 918
0.19l63 rush-roseHelianthemum scoparium5 / 111
0.19l64~foothill needlegrassNassella lepida1 / 119
0.20r65 *tall wheatgrassElytrigia pontica ssp. pontica1 / 11
0.22   (California buckwheat, Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum)
0.24r66 arroyo willowSalix lasiolepis1 / 132
0.24r  (pampas grass, Cortaderia selloana)
0.24l  (white-flowering currant, Ribes indecorum)
0.24r67 Spanish cloverLotus purshianus var. purshianus10 / 125
0.24r68 *English plantainPlantago lanceolata3 / 217
0.24l69 Engelmann oakQuercus engelmannii1 / 124
0.24l70 poison oakToxicodendron diversilobum5 / 342
0.24l71 basketbushRhus trilobata1 / 119
0.25r72 checkerbloomSidalcea malviflora ssp. sparsifolia3 / 126
0.25r73 Mariposa rushJuncus dubius50 / 32
0.27   (deergrass, Muhlenbergia rigens)
0.34 74 Pacific sanicleSanicula crassicaulis1 / 118
0.40r75 thick-leaved yerba santaEriodictyon crassifolium var. crassifolium5 / 17
0.43l  Jct. illegal path; local high point on road; road curves right
0.46   Local low point; cross seasonally-wet drainage
0.47   Local high point
0.48r76 California buckwheatEriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum10 / 347
0.51r77~slender tarweedHemizonia fasciculata5 / 112
0.51r78~hooked skunkweedNavarretia hamata ssp. hamata30 / 95
0.51r79spclarkiaClarkia sp.5 / 1 
0.53r80 California buckwheatEriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium10 / 315
0.53r  (California bee plant, Scrophularia californica ssp. floribunda)
0.53b81 showy penstemonPenstemon spectabilis var. spectabilis10 / 311
0.55r82spsuncupCamissonia sp. /  
0.56r83sppopcorn flowerCryptantha sp. /  
0.57r84 *horehoundMarrubium vulgare+1 / 129
0.57r85~common bedstrawGalium aparine10 / 238
0.58r ssp(thistle, Cirsium occidentale)
0.64   Road curves right
0.65   Cross drainage
0.67c86 *Bermuda grassCynodon dactylon1 / 125
0.74l87 collar lupineLupinus truncatus1 / 121
0.74l88spannual lotusLotus strigosus or hamatus5 / 1 
0.79r89 chaparral yuccaYucca whipplei2 / 228
0.82l90 triangular-fruit sedgeCarex triquetra2 / 214
0.85   Local high point
0.89l91~prickly cryptanthaCryptantha muricata10 / 114
0.89   Jct. illegal path on left; sign on right: "Sensitive habitat; keep out"
0.90l92sp Filago californica or Stylocline gnaphaloides /  
0.99l93 matchweedGutierrezia sarothrae10 / 15
1.01l  (southern tauschia, Tauschia arguta; southern Indian pink, Silene laciniata ssp. major)
1.04   Check for Juncus balticus
1.06   Local high point, then a local low point, then a steep climb
1.07r  (mule fat, Baccharis salicifolia)
1.10l94 giant needlegrassAchnatherum coronatum1 / 122
1.11l95 southern tauschiaTauschia arguta1 / 18
1.11l96 silverback fernPentagramma triangularis ssp. viscosa1 / 15
1.11l  Definite Filago californica here.
1.13l  Highest point on trail; elevation 1920 feet (585 m)
1.13l97 Ramona horkeliaHorkelia truncata1 / 12
1.13r98ssp*rattail fescueVulpia myuros20 / 110
1.19   End trail at jct. with Engelmann Oak Trail

Comments On Specific Species

Isocoma menziesii. In our experience, the subspecies are not separable in Southern California. See Comments on the Jepson Manual and A Flora of Southern California by Munz: Isocoma menziesii.

Marrubium vulgare. We removed the only occurrence on this trail, so we hope you don't see any specimens in the future!


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Copyright © 2005 by James Dillane, Tom Chester and Michael Charters.
Permission is freely granted to reproduce any or all of this page as long as credit is given to us at this source:
http://tchester.org/sd/plants/guides/daley_ranch/hidden_spring.html
Comments and feedback: James Dillane | Tom Chester | Michael Charters
Last update: 17 January 2005.