Besides hayfever, what do weeks of rain followed by blue skies and balmy weather bring to Sacramento?

Wildflowers, of course.

There are preserves in the area where you can see rare, native wildflowers.  But for people who are taking a walk along the American River Parkway or just poking around in the backyard,  here are four wildflowers you are almost sure to enoucounter. 

(The common name of the flowers are linked to hi-res photos)

1.  Shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)  This pretty weed is a great wildflower to point out to children.  It's unmistakable seedpod appearently looks like a shepherd's purse, but to our modern eyes it looks like a valentine's heart.  The child will probably be able to idenify this wildflower easily after the first time it is pointed out to him.  If look at the base of the stem, you will see a a rosette of lobed leaves.  The flowers are small and white.

2.  California manroot (Marah fabaceus) is in the Cucurbitaceae family, which includes melons, gourds, squashes and cucumbers.  M. fabaceus produces a small, spiny cucumber in the summer.  You will find this clinging vine in shady areas.  It likes to climb small trees or insinuate itself among brambles.  Look for its white, star-like flowers and its coiled tendrils.   M. fabaceus has both male and female flowers.  The male flowers grow in clusters, while the female flowers grow singly.

3.  Wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum)  You can see this wildflower along any stretch of Sacramento's freeways.  You will know this invasive weed by its cruciform flower pedals.  The pedals vary in color from white to purple to yellow.  Towards summer, it bears a fruit called a silique that smells and tastes, not suprisingly, like a radish.

4. Henbit or dead nettle (Lamium amplexicaule) to appreciate this flower, you've got to get down on your belly and examine it up close.  Standing over it, you will think it is an ugly thing.  You'll notice its leaves first.  They cling to the stem at three to several levels.  When you get your eye up close to the purple flowers, you'll notice that they begin as a long, delicate tube that expands into a two-lipped corrolla.  The pedals are spotted and hairy.