They will stay through August. California sea lions heading north to British Columbia pass through the south end of the James Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in early June. Brant geese feed on the surf grass at the Reserve through August. As vernal pools slowly evaporate wildflowers appear, often in concentric circles radiating out from just above the water's edge. To see the early spring wildflowers, visit Vina Plains, a Nature Conservancy preserve in the upper Sacramento Valley north of Chico.
Bladderwort sounds dangerous.
And, to the tiny aquatic creatures trapped in the yellow, snapdragon-like blossoms, it is deadly. The blossoms are found in Boggs Lake, a vernal pool in Lake County, which is surrounded by a forest of Douglas fir , ponderosa pine , California black oak , and madrone , instead of open grassland. In spring the bladderwort flourishes thanks to the millions of tiny, nutritious aquatic animals. In addition to such vernal pool regulars as downingia , orcutt grass , and Indian loveline , Boggs Lake is also home to watershield, which lives underwater and pushes its reddish-purple flowers through the surface on only two successive days each year. On day one, watershield opens its blossoms to receive pollen from other plants, then closes them before pulling back beneath the water.