2018 - Robert's botantical adventures in Northern California

[Robert]

Hi Robert,
I think that's what's called a teaser
I'm sure your report will be worth waiting for
cheers
fermi

Fermi,

I don't want to be teasing anyone. 

On the serious side of things - I will be out at the same site on Thursday. Already I have 80 good photographs to sort through. I found a nice patch of a light lavender flowering Delphinium nuttallianum. Very sweet!    The picture turned out well too. I'll start sorting through the good photographs now and be ready to start writing next week. Here in Sacramento Eriogonum prattenianum var. prattenianum is in full bloom. Looks great! Sorry no photograph, so I guess that is a tease. 

95 F, 35 C, so far today. Summer is finally arriving.

[Robert]

Just before I married, a dear teacher of mine, Leonard Scruggs, gave me this advice, "The man is the head of the household. The woman is the neck. The neck makes the head turn round." This is the real mover and shaker who is given little, or no credit, tending all the things when I am away at work.



My wife Jasmin watering our container plants.



A few weeks ago Lilium pardalinum ssp. wigginsii blooming in our garden. Most likely it is a hybrid, but it is lovely none the less.

[Hoy]

I wish I had someone to water my containers when I am away! But my wife goes with me when I am on holidays.

We had a very dry period in May and the first days of June but now we have more rain than we prayed for. Containers saved - so far. Who knows what July will bring upon us!

[Robert]

I wish I had someone to water my containers when I am away! But my wife goes with me when I am on holidays.

We had a very dry period in May and the first days of June but now we have more rain than we prayed for. Containers saved - so far. Who knows what July will bring upon us!

Hi Trond,

I'm off working! I wish it was a holiday, then my wife would travel with me. 

[Robert]

THE LOST WORLD
Sierra Nevada Mountains, California
Part I

Thursday, 7 June 2018

Weather for forest site 5,525 feet (1,684 meters) @ 4:00 p.m.
Weather: Clear
Temperature, High: 73 F, (22.8 C)
                       Low: 51 F, (10.6 C)
Relative Humidity: 41%
Dew Point: 51 F (10.6 C)
Wind: SW 5G8 mph
Precipitation: 0.00 inches (0.0 mm), To date: 0.00 inches (0.0 mm), Average to date: 0.00 inches (0.0 mm)

Note: I start the precipitation year on 1 July (an old method). This is a new weather station, so even though it is not 1 July, I am starting at the precipitation totals as though it was 1 July. Little or no precipitation is expected between now and 1 July.



I set off from Sacramento very early in the morning on 7 June 2017 for the day’s outing. I recorded data from several weather observation sites before arriving in the area I wished to explore. This site is part of a U.S. Forest Service restoration project. The previous week I had met with several scientists to get an overview of the planned restoration work at the site and to view the results of the previous autumn’s efforts.

The flowering season was well on its way. Patches of Mimulus torreyi in full bloom greeted me as I arrived at the staging area.



There were scattered stands of Juncus chlorocephalus in bloom. This is an interesting species with generally prominent whitish perianth parts.



The higher terrain was spotted with the bright orange-red color of Castilleja prunosa in bloom.



It was a short hike down to the flats where I would explore the meadowland and forest that ringed their edge. Calochortus minimus grew in the drier portions of the open forest.



At this location, the flowers of Calochortus minimus were predominantly pure white. This feature is quite common at the low elevation portions of this species range.

[Robert]

Much of the lower terrain in this area is a maze of slow moving watercourses, pools and wet meadows that generally become dry by the end of the summer.



Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis thrived in this moist, semi-shaded environment.



Livestock grazing began in this portion of the Sierra Nevada in the late 1860’s – early 1870’s. Every spring large numbers of dairy cows, sheep, goats, and even hogs were herded into the region to graze the meadowlands. In later years beef cattle became the dominant stock animal. It is hard to imagine what the meadowlands were like before this grazing started. It would take a comprehensive paleobotanical study of the region to piece together how the region evolved from the end of the last Ice Age, through events like the Little Optimum and Little Ice Age to the beginning of the livestock-grazing period in the late 1860’s.

Most of the old grazing lands were privately owned. As economic conditions changed and public attitudes toward grazing of mountain meadows changed, much of the privately owned meadowland was eventually sold to the U.S. Forest Service. Sadly before being sold to the Forest Service (from the 1970’s thru the 1990’s) the lands were severely logged of all timber of any value, including a considerable amounts of old growth forest. The grazing, followed by logging, severely altered the natural ecology of the land. In the mid to upper elevations of the Sierra Nevada, the logged over sites became overrun with dense thickets of Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana.

In the photograph above, a once large meadow has become choked with Lodgepole Pine and it will not be long until the small remaining portion is colonized and disappears into a thicket of Lodgepole Pine. As with most projects of this nature, the goal is to eliminate much of the Lodgepole Pine overgrowth with prescribed burning and reestablish the climax forest that ringed the meadowland with, in this case, Jeffrey and Sugar Pine (Pinus jeffreyi and P. lambertiana).



Despite all of the human disruptions of this site, it is still quite floristically interesting. I logged 8 native species of Viola on this day. Viola bakeri (pictured) was one of the Viola species that I encountered.



This is a typical stream habitat in this area. In the distant past I remember trout in this stream, however they seem to bet gone now.

[Robert]

From the base of the drainage I moved to the higher terrain on the northern side of the meadowlands. In the high open shade of Jeffrey Pine, Pinus jeffreyi, there were mats of Lupinus grayi in bloom.



Large blooming clumps of Mule’s Ear, Wyethia mollis, shared space with the Gray’s Lupine.



In cervices of granodiorite, Myriopteris gracillima (pictured) was frequently seen often with blue-green fronds of Pellaea bridgesii poking up through neighboring cervices.



Sunny, dry, rocky sites were often occupied with Calyptridium monospermum blooming with their pink and white flowers.



Mountain Pride, Penstemon newberryi var. newberryi brightened many sunny rock outcroppings with their bright magenta-pink flowers.

[Hoy]

Robert,

I suppose it is a seedbank in the soil and when the conditions are right they will germinate.

A big difference between your part of the world and mine is that where you have flowering plants we have grasses and grass-like plants. Or small shrubs. Here, the Lupinus and Wyethia are replaced with Calluna and Empetrum (and Cladonia lichens).

[Robert]

Hi Trond,

At a little higher elevation in this region there are Phyllodoce (breweri). Cassiope mertensiana is at higher elevations. Both are our versions of "Heather".

In the wet (at least seasonally) meadows there is a succession each season. First there are the Carex, Juncus, and related species. The grasses come later in the season. I'll try to show this succession, as I will be at this site frequently this year. A week or so ago, one of the reclaimed wetlands was ringed with Juncus ensifolius and Scirpus congdonii. The grass will come to the forefront a bit later.

We are hoping, by some miracle, that the rare Yellow-legged Frogs will show up at this pond. As of now, the pond is full of Pacific Tree Frog tadpoles. Now that we can keep the off-road vehicles out, things are changing for the better quickly.

I have not logged any Cladonia lichens in this area yet. They can be found at nearby sites. Letharia sp. and Hypogymnia sp. are two common lichens at this site. Of coarse on the rock on higher ground there is a full range of crustose lichens.

So far, I have not found any rare or "listed" species at the site. Doing so would help protect the site. It is how the system works here.    There are plenty of good reasons to preserve this site without rare species, but then I do not control the "system" (and I am glad that I don't!). Anyway, there will be plenty more to write about this site and other sites in the area. In a week or two, I will be getting started on another project in the region. There is a lot to do. 

[Hoy]

Robert,

Phyllodoce caerula is not uncommon here but it is the only one of that genus. We have a couple of Cassiope species, but they grow high up in the mountains or far north like this Cassiope tetragona from Svalbard.




Would be nice if the yellow legged frog appear! It is a similar problem here. Due to construction work some ponds with newts are disturbed and they have constructed a few artificial ponds and hope the newts will find their way. It is not allowed to just move a few tadpoles!

[Robert]

Hi Trond,

At another site higher in the Sierra Nevada, efforts are being made to remove non-native trout from Island Lake. This will protect and expand habitat for the Mountain Yellow Legged Frogs, Rana muscosa, that have been found in some nearby ponds.

The scene of Cassiope tetragona from Svalbard is nice.  I wish that I had better success attempting to grow Cassiope and Phyllodoce species in our HOT! climate. They grew well (or at least okay) at the farm; Sacramento, well, they are extremely difficult to keep happy.

[Robert]

THE LOST WORLD
Sierra Nevada Mountains, California
Part II

The slopes above the meadowland were filled with blooming Eriogonum incanum. This and other Eriogonum species are a major food source for some of our native Lepidoptera species. Both Acmon Blue and Lupine Blue butterflies use Eriogonum as a food source. The two butterfly species can be extremely difficult to differentiate; however each species has strong preferences for different Eriogonum species as a food source. The Eriogonum species present in an area can be useful in distinguishing between the two species.



At this point, I dropped down into the meadowland to investigate the flora. This site was logged of all of its old growth timber during the 1990’s. Much of the slash still remains throughout the site. After the logging, much of the meadowland began to disappear as dense stands of Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta spp. murrayana, began to invade the open space of the meadows. In addition, the old logging roads and skid trails became access points for off-road vehicles. The remaining wetlands and meadows became favorite sites for their activities, reducing the wetlands and meadows to barren wastelands or lifeless mud holes.

Last year the Forest Service began to take steps to eliminate access to the site. The old logging roads and skid trails were deeply ripped with a D-8 tractor. Excess Lodgepole Pine were then cut and placed across the roads and trails at 3 to 4 foot intervals. This process was proved to be highly effective in keeping the off-road vehicles out. It is amazing to see how quickly the land is recovering, however there is still much to do.



At one location I found a very interesting stand of Viola. The plants exhibited many of the characteristics of Viola purpurea spp. mesophyta, however I believe that they are more likely a hybrid of Viola purpurea x Viola tomentosa. The two species are know to hybridize with each other and Viola tomentosa grows abundantly on the higher terrain surrounding this site.



Many authorities consider Viola purpurea x tomentosa hybrids as sterile. This may be one method to determine the identity of this group of plants, however there are other possibilities. This is definitely a group of plants for me to watch closely in the future.



Where the meadows were still free of Lodgepole Pine, there were many wildflowers in bloom. Lupinus Lepidus var. sellulus was just starting into bloom and will create a beautiful show as the season progresses.

[Robert]

Delphinium nuttallianum was blooming throughout the meadowlands.



At one site I found a stand of Delphinium nuttallianum with beautiful light lavender flowers. Variation in the flower color of Delphinium nattallianum is not uncommon, however I have never seen any in this color range. I occasionally encounter white forms of this species as well as variations in the shades of dark purple-blue.



The meadowland was a haven for Lepidoptera species. Acmon Blues, Plebejus acmon, (pictured) are frequently seen at moist sites. The upper wing surface of males is blue, while for females it is a brownish-blue-gray color.



This butterfly looks a lot like a Checkerspot, however the underside of its wings revealed that it was most likely a Crescent. Of coarse, butterflies do not stay put for carful examination. On this day there were hundreds of butterflies fluttering around at this site. At times identification became a bit confusing. Anyway, what ever its identity, this was certainly a beautiful butterfly.



This site has a long history of human activity. It is not surprising to find invasive plant species under these situations. Prickly Lettuce (pictured), Lactuca serriola, is a common invasive species in California, however I rarely encounter it at the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada. The situation with Sheep Sorrel, Rumex acetosella, is very different. This species has invaded most of the high country of the Sierra Nevada that was once used as pastureland and is a permanent resident.

[Robert]

Lustrous Coppers, Lycaena cuprea, have brilliantly colored orange wings with black markings. This butterfly certainly catches one’s attention with its vibrant colors.



Swaths of Camassia leichtlinii ssp. suksdorfii filled the moist meadows with their large bluish flowers.



Camassia leichtlinii ssp. suksdorfii is very tolerant of moist soil conditions. They are often seen growing and blooming in shallow standing water.



Where there was no stand water, but where the soil was still quite moist, Mimulus primuloides var. primuloides grew abundantly.



Sisyrinchium idahoense var. idahoense is one of two Sisyrinchium species that grow at this site. Superficially it can look similar to Sisyrinchium bellum (generally found at lower elevations), however there are many noticeable differences if one stops to look closely.

[Robert]

The flight of Lustrous Copper’s was confined to ground that was a slightly higher and drier than the wet meadows.



Sorting through all the butterflies was quite challenging as many similar species were in flight at the same time. This pair of Boisduval’s Blues, Plebejus icarioides, stayed in place long enough for me to get a good photograph as well as a proper identification.



There were so many things to capture my attention. The large drifts of the yellow flowering Sisyrinchium elmeri were constantly drawing my attention.



In certain locations, Trillium angustipetalum grew abundantly at this site.



I spent a great deal of time examining the colonies of Trillium angustipetalum. In the past I found Trillium albidum growing at nearby sites. I was hoping I might find T. albidum at this site, but was unable to locate any at this time. As an interesting note: I have never found Trillium albidum and T. angustipetalum growing together at the same location. In addition, I have never discovered plants that appear to be intermediate between the two species. More study on my part is required.