Plectritis Congesta

Day 242: As long as I was already in Rimrock County Park on a Sanicula hunt, I thought I'd check on the...um...uh-oh...the word is in there somewhere...that pink thing up on the knob. Maybe it's because it's pink, or maybe it's because I've only found it in one location, but the name "Plectritis congesta" doesn't want to stick between my ears, nor "Sea-blush," because the aforementioned location is significantly inland of any salt water. How it came to grow on top of an exposed rocky knob where little else but Scotch broom has put down roots is a mystery to me, but this is one of the things I enjoy about hiking in Rimrock. Owned by the county, the park is undeveloped. Evidence suggests that it was clear-cut many years in the past, but even as second or third growth, the acreage offers a good variety of "pocket ecologies." I've found several plants there which I have not seen elsewhere, including Sanicula crassicaulis, Erythronium oregonum and a DYD ("Damn Yellow Daisy") which will be the subject of tomorrow's post. Lots of "bunny-trails" lead off the main path, established by deer and going nowhere in particular, as tangled as a plate of spaghetti. There are no broad views, although if you know where to stand, you can get a glimpse of the Rimrocks, and even through a screen of alder foliage, they're an impressive sight. But even so, I seldom hike for the broad view. My preferred "scenery" seldom exceeds a foot and a half in height. Plectritis tops out at about eight inches, a pink Marine buzz on a rounded pate of exposed rock. That's worth challenging a few nettles to see.