2016 - Robert's adventures in the Northern Sierra Nevada - California

[Robert]

Part III

Skunk Hollow

Salmon Falls - East

From the Cameron Park / Shingle Springs area I traveled to the South Fork of the American River at Skunk Hollow. This I day I would hike and explore to the east.



The eastern route travels up the north side of the chaparral covered canyon slope to the top of the ridge and then beyond following the general path of the South Fork of the American River. There was still some color in the Western Redbuds, Cercis occidentalis, as I looked back toward the new (i.e. the 1950's vs the old bridge maybe the 1920's) Salmon Falls Bridge.



The staging area at Skunk Hollow (elevation 497 feet, 151 meters) has the usual contingent of annual invasive species, however as one hikes up the trail into the chaparral their numbers diminish quickly. Broom, Cytisus scoparius, although attractive while in bloom, is one of the few woody invasive species in this area. Sadly this species is a major pest in California, too often forming huge thickets under the forest canopy. Fortunately, here at Skunk Hollow, there are very few.

One attractive native species in this area is Solanium zanti (pictured). This species has a large elevation range here in California. It can be found at very low elevations as well as high in the mountains.



And of coarse this time of year Castilleja foliolosa is an eye catcher.



Castilleja foliolosa is most often seen in its reddish-orange form, however occasionally yellowish-orange to gold forms are seen. It is best to enjoy this species now. By autumn they will have completely dried up and look dead. They recover and become lush again with the late fall to early winter rain. In the garden they can be keep "green" all year with some irrigation during the summer. It is best not to over do this. Too much summertime irrigation creates short lived plants.



Moving on the trail crosses Acorn Creek and then move quickly upward into the chaparral.

[Robert]

I do not come across Solanium zanti often. I appreciate its deep, lavender-blue flowers and its long blooming cycle.



In this area, much of the chaparral floor is carpeted with Salvia sonomensis. The scented foliage of this species mixes with scents of other chaparral species, so on a warm day, such as this one, the fragrance is divine.



Salvia sonomensis is most often seen in light to dark shades of lavender-blue. I have found pink forms in this area (the opposite direction) and very rarely white forms are seen. I have yet to find a white form in the area, however I sometimes see very pale, pale lavender-blue flowered plants on this canyon slope.



The yellow form of Sanicula bipinnatifida is common on this slope. Much farther along on this trail both the yellow and purple forms can be seen growing side-by-side.



This trail moves steeply and steadily upward. Here is a view looking east down to the South Fork of the American River. By June this stretch of the river will be flooded by the waters of Folsom Reservoir. Good news for many farmers and the residents of the city of Sacramento.

[Robert]

Arctostaphylos viscida, Whiteleaf Manzanita (pictured), and Chamise, Adenostoma fasciculatum, are the dominant low elevation chaparral species in this area. There is going to be a good fruit crop on the Whiteleaf Manzanita this year. The reddish berries (when ripe) are attractive and are also a good food source if they are prepared correctly.



Ceanothus lemmonii (lousy photograph) was seen throughout the chaparral. The best forms are outstanding ornamentals in the xeric garden. The best have deep blue flowers and attractive bright green foliage.



This view across the chaparral to some clearings, is where there is the faint glow of Eschscholzia in bloom. I wanted to press on to the top of the ridge (933 feet, 284 meters) where there is an abrupt change in the geology. Most of the north ridge is gabbro based, beyond there is a change to something different. The Eschscholzia could be indicative of this change.



Once over the ridge the soil and plant life changes completely. Here I entered a Blue Oak, Quercus douglasii, forest. Next to a bloomed out plant of Cynoglossum grande I found colonies of Acmispon grandiflorus. As you can see, this Fabaceae has very bright and attractive flowers. I have never tried this species in the garden - but hope to soon.



Over the ridge the chaparral species change too, Chamise giving over to Buckbrush, Ceanothus cuneatus. Clematis lasiantha (pictured) was coming into bloom, climbing over and nearly smothering shrubby species.

[Robert]

In the openings between the oaks were swathes of Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis. Some of our Ranunculus species can be a bit difficult to distinguish from each other until they set seed. Then they sort out much easier.

Mixed with the Ranunculus were blooming clumps of Primula (Dodecatheon) hendersonii creating a delightful contrast of colors. Another interesting find was the non-native invasive Brassicaceae, Arabiopsis thaliana. Casually it may seem uninteresting, however when observed through a hand lens a whole new world appears. The adaxial leaf surfaces of this species are covered with tiny "scales" each with a pair of hairs, looking somewhat like a set of the old fashion TV rabbit-ear antenna.



I had one last stop I wanted to make this day so now it was time to hike quickly back to the truck, hopefully with enough time to visit the mega Erythronium site.

So I will leave you with this last close-up of Clematis lasiantha.

To be continued with the last leg of this journey, Part IV......

[Robert]

Robert:

I don't want to clog up the site but the images are just wonderful.

We had a dusting of snow here this morning.

Happy Spring to everyone.

Arnold,

A nice rainy evening here.

Thank you for the positive feedback. It is certainly appreciated. The wildflowers are fantastic this year. 

Robert,

It is early morning and I am the only one awake so far. I use the undisturbed morning to read through your thread. All the colours lift my spirit! (Although it sinks a bit when reading about land "development".) Up here the ground is still covered by a couple feet of white snow. The spring is still at least a month away!

Trond,

I was out today before the rain started again. I found Layia fremontii in bloom. Some may think, what is the big deal about that! I rarely see this species in our area now. Finding them certainly lifted my spirits.    I will be reporting on this a bit later. The wind was blowing like crazy, yet some of the photographs turned out well.     

[Robert]

Part IV

The final stop for the day

After arriving back at the truck at Skunk Hollow, there was only about one hour for the final stop of the day.



I wanted to check on the Erythroniums multiscapiodeum and see how they were doing. The majority grow under the chaparral canopy, a tangle of Chamise, Whiteleaf Manzanita, and Poison Oak. With the Poison Oak lurking everywhere I needed to be careful. Limited time compounded the challenge of dealing with the Poison Oak.



I did have some good fortune and found a fair number of blooming plants.



I also continued to find more specimens of Garrya congdonii in this area.

Way back in the mid-1970's I took a summertime native plant identification class at our local college. Back then the text we used was Jepson's Manual of the Flowering Plants of California - published in 1960! The instructor introduced us to this species as G. fremontii, the only good match to this species considering the circumstances. There was no G. congdonii listed in Jepson's back then. I still have my 1960 version of the Jepson Manual. I find it useful to this day and it is also interesting for me to see how much our botanical understanding has changed since then.



Having to leave immediately, I took one last photograph of Rhus aromatica (back then it was R. trilobata). At this site they grow in dense thickets. The trifoliate leaves can be easily confused with that of Poison Oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum (the plant in the photograph has not leafed out yet).  Rhus aromatica is harmless.

This ends the report on this outing. I hope you enjoyed. 

[Hoy]

......
This ends the report on this outing. I hope you enjoyed. 

Yes, very much! Thanks a lot Robert

We have been out skiing all day - very nice weather today. The cold nights make it easy to ski everywhere as the snow is hard ("skareføre" as we say) and don't get too soft during the daytime.

With all the white stuff around it is a relief to the eye to beheld all the colours of the plants you show

My view today was mostly like this:

[Robert]

A few scenes from this past week.



On 19 March I did another reconnaissance up on Peavine Ridge. First I wanted to check on the snow accumulation, and then see how spring might be progressing at the 5,000 foot (1,524 meters) level.

Back in February I found some snow on the ground, but not much, only patches. I thought that with all the storminess in March that there would be several feet of snow on the ground. This would be normal. I found only traces of snow and only in shady and sheltered locations. The snow level had been much higher than I had previously thought.

As for spring arriving, you shall see.... A goodly number of species were breaking dormancy and coming into growth.



Most of the Arctostaphylos were in bloom.



And in a range of shades, white through various shades of pink.



There is also a tremendous range in leaf shape and color, growth habit, and a number of other characteristics. The range of 4 species of Arctostaphylos overlap on the ridge. Many specimens do not fit the type description for any one species. This is one of many reasons this is a very interesting location to study plants. The mix of variation changes not only along the ridge axis, but also as one moves up or down from the ridge crest.



Indian Dream Fern, Aspidotis densa, coming out of dormancy.

[Robert]

I found many Primula (Dodecatheon) hendersonii well into growth. These are what I refer to as the "high elevation form".



Some were starting to peek forth with their flower buds.



What was most surprising for me was to see how far advanced some of the plants were.



I was also surprised to find so many plants of this species. I have been to this location numerous times over the years at this time of year and have never seen so many. Needless to say I was very pleased.



This is the view looking southeast across the canyon of the South Fork of the American River toward some of the higher mountain ridges.

[Robert]

I was also pleased to find Viola purpurea. This species is quite abundant in this area. I have found two other Viola species on Peavine ridge, Viola sheltonii and Viola lobata. They do not grow as abundantly as V. purpurea in this area.



The Crystal Range is blanketed with snow - 10 feet (3 meters) or more. Good news for our water supply this summer and wildflowers in the high country.

[Robert]

Two days later I traveled the opposite direction to the village of Latrobe, elevation 385 feet (117 meters). From here I traveled west toward the Deer Creek Hills. I reported on an outing to this area a few weeks ago. During that outing I approached the Deer Creek Hills from west to east.

In some areas the hills were covered with Escscholzia lobbii mixed with a Plagiobothrys species.



And here they are a little closer.



An unidentified Apiaceae. I only found two among the tall grasses.



The wind was blowing very strongly. It was impossible to get a good photograph of Triteliea laxa.



There was good reason for the gusting winds, a storm was quickly approaching. Large drifts of Amsinckia, Fiddleneck, with their flower heads slightly above the grass.

[Robert]

In other areas there were drifts of Butter and Eggs, Triphysaria eriantha.



It was starting to spit rain and heavier rain was close at hand. Time to head back to the farm.



As I started to drive away a blooming plant caught my eye. I had to stop and check it out.



What a find! Layia fremontii. There is nothing rare or unusual about this species, except that it is > rarely < seen in our area any more. I was so pleased to find 6 to 8 blooming plants.

The Deer Creek Hills is a preserve, however the land is still used as rangeland for cattle. Some degree of protection is better than nothing, however many species can only thrive if they are protected from the intensive pressures of domestic range animals. I wish that at least a few local areas could receive protection from domestic range animals and also receive proper management for wildflowers. Most people in the greater Sacramento region have no idea what their local valley lands were like and the range of wonderful wildflower species that once grew there. There are protected valley lands with outstanding wildflower displays, however I would like to see local preserves (even if they are small) so folks did not have to drive long distances just to see their floral heritage. 

[Robert]

Trond,

It looks like you are still in the grip of winter! The scenery is very beautiful. Later in the spring and summer there must be many wildflowers? or is it like California where there is much grazing going on?

How do they deal with saving the wildflower heritage in Norway?

Enjoy your time at the cabin. It must be very peaceful and quiet there. 

[Hoy]

Robert,

The grip of winter lasts till May up here!

Unfortunately the flora is rather poor. The bedrock is nutrient-poor and  very acidic. Only a few spots have better soil, remnants of what was before the glaciation periods. (Probably much of the area was covered with cambro-silurian sediments which was removed by the glaciers during the ice ages. Some of it still exists around Oslo.)

Grazing is no big issue. Only a few sheep (some say too few) are foraging during summer and they have found the best sites of course, where the flora is richest In some cases the grazing is necessary though or else shrubs and trees will soon occupy the site. This is a serious "problem" many places in Norway- the open landscape disappear. The countryside was much more heavily used before.

Some wildflowers species are protected by law (but often not their habitats ) and quite a few natural reserves are set aside - but still too few. In fact some areas need grazing to be kept open but sometimes, especially in dry periods, the grazing is too heavy as the size of the herd is not adjusted.

As for quietness - yesterday a helicopter was flying around just for pleasure Everybody could rent it for a 10 minutes flight But it was very quiet and peaceful where we went skiing - not many find their way in there

[Hoy]

I found many Primula (Dodecatheon) hendersonii well into growth. These are what I refer to as the "high elevation form".

..........

Very nice plants! The leaves seem succulent, not very primula-like!

What a find! Layia fremontii. There is nothing rare or unusual about this species, except that it is > rarely < seen in our area any more. I was so pleased to find 6 to 8 blooming plants.
....

Glad you found it A beautiful flower also.