Hiking Panoramic Ridge in the East Bay

We are very excited to partner with Dolby Laboratories for a special Nature in your Neighborhood project for Dolby Cares Week. A time when Dolby brings art and science together to inspire the next generation of innovators, and address the most critical needs in their communities. Thank you for contribution to Sutro Stewards!

By: Niall Battson

I enjoyed a great hike on Saturday with my dog, Koko, who is a very active Weimaraner and my family (wife and 2 kids) exploring for plants and flowers for our annual Dolby Cares event.

We had been treated to a wonderful education from Sutro Stewards regarding invasive plant species and the tools we can use to learn more about the plant life and flowers we see in our neighborhoods. So I wanted to put my new skills and the iNaturalist app to work.

Along the trail we found a lot of blooming flowers and here are a few we did some deeper research on.

Flaxleaf Pimpernel (Anagallis monelli)

We ran into this pretty flower on the East West fire trail overlooking the stunning bay area views. Anagallis Monelli, or more commonly know as Flaxleaf Pimpernel, is a forb/herb (a forb/herb is a non-woody plant that is not a grass) of the genus Anagallis. Its duration is perennial which means it will grow year after year. Anagallis Monelli or Flaxleaf Pimpernel's floral region is North America US Lower 48, specifically in the states of California and Virginia. However, according to Calflora this is NOT a native California plant. Which is a bit of a shame, as we quite liked it.

Summer Lupine (Lupinus chamissonis)