It was a warm, sunny day as “The Butte College Friends of the Refuge Club” explored the North Table Mountain Ecological reserve on Thursday April 18, 2024, to study the native wildflower species of the ecosystem.
Late April is a beautiful time of year on Table Mountain as many of the native species of wildflowers are in full display to sightseers and appreciators of the ecological community, with many different colors abound.
Visitors will find various colorful species of wildflowers, such as the golden yellow Foothill Poppy, rich yellow Douglas Violets, and the snowy white Popcorn Flower and Meadowfoam, all of which attract a variety of pollinator species such as Bumblebees, Honeybees, hummingbirds, and the dark Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly. Other beautiful flowers of the region include Stonecrop which, at least on Table Mountain, grows exclusively in rough-textured soils between the rocks. Kyle Logan of the Friends said that “this species is one of the most fascinating flowers since I’ve discovered it.”
The Butte College Friends of the Refuge Club consists of students, staff, faculty, trustees and administration who work together in the name of conservation and restoration of the Butte College Wildlife Refuge, and it is advised by Kelly Wood and Ricky Wittsell.
Visitors are welcome to bring their dogs but bring them on a leash. While the club was there, many other visitors brought their dogs with them to enjoy the beauty of the area. The Friends observed a person floating about in the sky with a motorized paraglider, able to see all the beauty below them.
Other charms of the Reserve include the cows that enjoy grazing on Table Mountain, as one younger cow came up to the Friends in a seeming act of salutation upon their arrival.
The Ecological Reserve is a popular attraction, so it is advised to get there early! Members of The Friends of the Refuge started to arrive around 730, and when they were leaving the Reserve around 10:30, the parking lot was packed full of cars. Wood was quoted as saying “this is why we got here so early!”
While visitors are sharing in the pretty sights of the Reserve, please avoid stepping on too many of the wildflowers, and please do not pick the flowers so that they may come back next year.
Oh, and watch for cow pies!
