Scientific name: Chlorogalum pomeridianum Family: Liliaceae (lily) Habitat: grassland Size: cluster of leaves 1 foot or more across, flower 1.5 to 2.5 cm
Scientific name: Thysanocarpus radicans Family: Brassicaceae (mustard) Habitat: grassland Size: plants up to 15 inches tall; flower 1 to 2 mm, pod 0.5 to 1.0 cm
Scientific name: Limnanthes alba Family: Limnanthaceae (meadowfoam) Habitat: wet grassland, seeps, pools Size: plant up to 12 inches tall; flower about 2.5 cm across
Scientific name: Navarretia leucocephala Family: Polemonaceae (phlox) Habitat: vernal pools Size: plant 4 to 6 inches tall, each flower 3 to 5 mm, flower cluster 2 cm or more across
For 2 billion years, bacteria were the only creatures on Earth. Long before the dinosaurs, a special type of bacteria slowly increased the level of oxygen in the Earth’s air to 20 percent. Without this oxygen other plants and animals could not have evolved, including us.
