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Star Lily
Scientific Name: Zigadenus fremontii. Family: Liliaceae, Lily family. Plant Type: Perennial flowering plant. Size: up to 3 feet high. Common Habitat: chaparral, sage scrub, grassy areas. Fire characteristic: Fire-follower.
Look for this plant blooming from March to May. It has grass-like leaves with a main stem supporting many branching flowers. The stem emerges from a roundish bulb in the soil. The flowers are about 1 inch in diameter and have 6 white-to-pale-yellow petals or sepals, with light green centers. While sometimes referred to as the poisonous "Death Camas", this insidious name is really reserved for the related plant Zigadenus venonosus, which has smaller flowers and is not found in this area.

Nettle Lupine, Stinging Lupine
Scientific Name: Lupinus hirsutissimus. Family: Fabaceae, Pea family. Plant Type: Annual flowering plant. Size: up to 3 feet high. Common Habitat: chaparral and sage scrub, in open places. Fire characteristic: Fire-follower.
While the Bush Lupine is probably the most common along our trails, several other lupines are known to be fire-followers, and it is not uncommon that Nettle Lupine is the only type seen in an area following a fire. As the name suggests, this plant is covered with stinging hairs. Other than the hairs, it resembles other lupines, with a purple flowering stalk and leaves of 5-8 lobes. Stinging Lupine blooms from March to May. Lupines were featured as Plant of the Month in April 2006.

Yucca, Our Lord's Candle
Scientific Name: Yucca whipplei. Family: Agavaceae, Agave family (previously in the Liliaceae / Lily family). Plant Type: Blooms once, but lives for years. Size: base is up to 3 feet tall and 6 feet wide; flower stalk adds up to 10 feet in height. Common Habitat: chaparral and sage scrub. Fire characteristic: Hardy to fire.
I was happy to see this plant bouncing back with new leaves after a fire, even though its base had obviously been affected by the flame and heat. The needle-sharp leaves that emanate from the base grow up to 3 feet long. At the end of the plant's life the central leaves gather to produce an impressive flower stalk, whose pale yellow flowers sow the seeds for future generations of the plant. This blooming occurs between April and July. Featured as Plant of the Month in June 2006.