2 minute read
Molok Luyuk, a Hidden Gem
By Chloe Tilton, Rare Plant Technician
June 25, 2024
Wildflowers bloom in watercolor streaks through meadows and delicate rare lilies sprout from gravel on the roadside. Molok Luyuk (formerly Walker Ridge) is the place of my dreams. Not only is it a picturesque ridge in the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, but it is also a hot spot for some of California’s rare plants.
It was early spring, and we had set out to resurvey historical occurrences of six species of rare plants, with the ultimate goal of collecting seeds for Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s Conservation Seed Bank. My personal goal for this trip was to find an adobe lily (Fritillaria pluriflora), a beautiful, rare plant restricted to clay soils. To my surprise, we found not just one but over 50 of them growing among three other rare plants!
When we returned a month later, the adobe lily flowers had transformed into fruits packed with glistening rose-colored seeds. Their addition to our Seed Bank will help to ensure the survival of this imperiled species — one of the many treasures that make Molok Luyuk so inspiring.
