Mt. Pinos is a mostly granitic peak in the Los Padres National Forest. At 8,847' the summit is the highest point of Kern County and the highest point of the Transverse Range west of Tejon Pass. According to Wikipedia, "The view from the summit on a clear day encompasses the southern Central Valley, the southernmost Sierra Nevada, much of northern Ventura county, much of the Santa Barbara County mountains, the Caliente Range and the Carrizo Plain. The trace of the San Andreas Fault, clearly visible to the northwest, cuts between Mount Pinos and the mountains immediately to the north. The trace extends all the way to Soda Lake in the Carrizo Plain along the Elkhorn Scarp." Mt. Pinos experiences some of the coldest temperatures and harshest winters in southern California and typically receives several feet of snow each year. An upside-down V next to the common name indicates a taxon that was new to me when I photographed it on this field trip.

Large-flowered lotus
Lotus grandiflorus var. grandiflorus
Fabaceae

Martin's paintbrush
Castilleja applegatei ssp. martinii
Scrophulariaceae

Grinnell's penstemon ^
Penstemon grinnellii var. scrophularioides
Scrophulariaceae

Mojave ceanothus
Ceanothus greggii var. vestitus
Rhamnaceae

Jepson's morning glory
Calystegia malacophylla ssp. pedicellata
Convolvulaceae

White tidy tips
Layia glandulosa
Asteraceae

Desert parsley
Lomatium mohavense
Apiaceae

Western wallflower
Erysimum capitatum var. capitatum
Brassicaceae

Wheeler's common madia
Madia elegans ssp. wheeleri
Asteraceae

Ponderosa pine
Pinus ponderosa
Pinaceae

Pine lousewort
Pedicularis semibarbata
Scrophulariaceae

Curved stem phacelia
Phacelia curvipes
Hydrophyllaceae

California milkweed
Asclepias californica
Asclepiadaceae

Wax currant
Ribes cereum var. cereum
Grossulariaceae

Pussy paws
Calyptridium monospermum
Portulacaceae

Brewer's lupine ^
Lupinus breweri var. bryoides
Fabaceae