Serpentine soils are low in essential calcium, high in toxic heavy metals such as molybdenum and nickel, and overly rich in magnesium, a needed nutrient that is nonetheless toxic in large quantities. Consequently, only certain specialized native flowers and grasses evolving over the eons, have managed to adapt to serpentine soils. Alien weeds and grasses are unable to grow here, so serpentine grasslands give us fine examples of bunchgrasslands in their near-original state. Meanwhile myriad species of wildflowers, including annuals, summer-dormant perennials, and bulbs, light up our grasslands in spring. Following abundant winter rains and the long, warm days of spring, floral displays explode upon the scene,wherever wildflowers can find a space between grasses.
Annuals adapt to California's summer-dry regime by dying when soils dry.
Before this, however, they leave behind thousands of summer-dormant seeds. Since these subterranean structures are often several inches below the soil surface, they remain cool even during the hottest summers. Bees are our most abundant, prolific pollinators of open space.