Ramblings with Rebecca April 30 – May 16, 2005 ANNOUCEMENTS: * I’ll bet you’ve met, or at least seen, the 11 head of cattle Daniel Gluesenkamp has “hired” to help manage invasive grass growth in the lower field! Because we’re sharing space in the lower field with this small number of very well-behaved cattle for the rest of this season (and maybe longer), it’s even more important than ever to be absolutely sure you never leave one of the gates near the highway open unattended! Gate keepers- you should also know that the fencing along the entry is electrified, a not- so-subtle reminder to these animals that fences are intended as impenetrable barriers! So- don’t grab or try to climb this fence… and DO let a member of the staff know as soon as possible if you see a cow or bull behaving in a too athletic, or otherwise inappropriate or un-bovine fashion ! We’ve heard tell of fence jumping once in a blue moon, and think we have that problem licked, but we want to know if you see any such shenanigans. With all that said, let me tell you these 11 are actually pretty docile, and very responsive. And, as odd as it might seem, grazing on a wildlife preserve is a necessary means of counteracting the effects of invasive, introduced non-native grasses. If left alone, the grasslands at Bouverie would be anything but “natural”. Instead, these areas would grow to more closely resemble unkempt pasture land with few if any native species, rather than the kinds of grasslands that evolved in California before European interference. If you’d like to know more about the aspects of grassland ecology that make grazing such a vital tool for wildland management, please ask me or Dr. Daniel Gluesenkamp… we’d be happy to explain why these critters are our friends and how we monitor and manage their impacts to protect sensitive aspects of the natural preserve environment. * Another note from Dr. Dan: If you’re hiking near Josephine’s Chaparral trail, you may notice a few very green squares of vegetation opposite the Josephine Memorial Rock at the start of that trail… This plant is Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum), a highly invasive weed that we are working hard to eradicate on the preserve. Dan and his assistant Chris DeVittorio, have put many hours into this effort, and would love to have you all take a minute to learn to recognize this one, so you can help us scout out troublesome outliers before they get well established. So, if you’re out that way- take a minute to look at it and smell the foliage (very distinct scent). It is similar to, but distinctly different from, some of the other introduced geraniums which do not pose the same level of invasive risk. If you spot this weed elsewhere on the preserve, please let Dan know where (Dan has posted a helpful informative poster about this plant on the bulletin board near the docent roomlet). GILMAN HALL /NATIVE PLANT GARDEN/PARKING LOT AREA Carpentaria californica, a.k.a. Bush Anemone (Tree Anemone), is flowering right now in the native plant garden. Named for William Carpenter, a Louisiana botanist in the Early 1800’s, this is the only species in this genus and is one of the rarest endemic shrubs in California. It naturally occurs in the Sierra foothills in Fresno County between Carpentaria californica, a.k.a. Bush Anemone (Tree Anemone), ~ 1500- 4000 foot (~ 450 – 1000 meter) elevation, along stream banks, in chaparral and oak woodlands. It is in the Mock Orange family (Philadelphaceae). This plant is known to be a fire resistant stump sprouter… but is not known to establish seedlings in nature. Cuttings are an effective way to propagate this plant, and according to Dr. Charles Quibell (the author of the Philadelphaceae section in the Jepson Manual and my plant taxonomy instructor at SSU), the future of this species apparently lies in cultivation for horticultural purposes. It’s a pretty, showy plant. I also think that having this lovely native flowering plant in this garden gives us the opportunity to share a good lesson with visitors about the importance of preserving habitat – which includes protection of the environmental factors as a whole that affect a species’ survival. So, when you look at this plant with the children and admire its flowers, you can also let them know that this plant used to grow wild in one part of California, which was its home. Now, it can no longer be found setting seeds in nature. Nature preserves exist to make sure wild plants and animals always have a home somewhere, and protecting species like this one also takes a lot of research to learn as much as possible about how the species survives, so that we can prevent changes that would interfere with survival. Also in this area, keep an ear peeled for the “harsh, buzzy rapid trill” Sibley describes for the Spotted Towhee. I can’t think of another way to put it that so closely estimates this distinct sound. I have heard and seen more activity than usual from birds of this species lately… watch for the deep rufous red flanks, white belly, black head, back and wings with white spots on the wing… a look as distinct as the call. Like their cousins the California Towhees (a.k.a. Brown Towhee), these fella’s are ground gleaners, doing a forward hop + backward scrape movement to unearth potential invertebrates, insects or seeds for food. ROCKY ROAD & ACCESS TRAILS This area is a veritable wonderland of wildflower color right now. Chinese Houses, Collinsia heterophylla, and Diogenes’ Lanterns (Calochortus amabilis) are in full bloom long both of these trails. The purple pagoda flowers have great pollinator landing platforms built in – the lower lip of each flower is just about the right size for a bee to rest on… Calochortus amabilis, Diogenes’ Lantern and the flowers are also in the right range of the Liliaceae – Lily Family color spectrum to be attractive to bees. Gently pry open the three tightly closed petals of a bright yellow Diogenes’ Lantern flower, and you can appreciate not only the wonderful detail of the “working parts” of the flower, but also the task a Collinsia heterophylla, pollinator has to get Chinese Houses “Woolly Bear” caterpillar to them! Snapdragon ( Scrophulariaceae) Larva of one of 50 species of “Calochortus” is Family Tiger Moths in California Greek for “beautiful grass” or “beautiful feeding place”, and interestingly, bulbs of some species of Calochortus (but probably not this one) have provided food for Native Americans. It is always a good idea to be cautious about eating native lilies, but many lilies are food sources. On the Rocky Road trail, I walked over a good sized black “woolly bear caterpillar” – the larva of a tiger Painted Tiger Moth moth (possibly Arachnis picta, the painted tiger moth), one of 50 species of Tiger Moths living in California - Family Arctiidae. When it’s time to morph, the cocoon will be made. mostly from the body hairs of the larva. The Buckeye trees (Aesculus californicus) are just beginning to bloom! As you may recall, these “candles” of flowers usually only yield one to three of the large, baseball sized fruits each. Pollination in this species definitely favors the natives… native bees manage just fine, while the introduced European honeybees do not fare so well. Buckeye poisoning doesn’t keep honeybees from visiting the plant, but it can wreck havoc on them after the fact… both the foraging bee, the queen, and the colony as a whole can be adversely affected. As you approach the benches, you may see Yarrow , Achellia millefollium, in flower. Although this plant has very “carroty” - looking leaves, a close look shows the compound arrangements of flowers typical of the Asteraceae, Sunflower family. Think about how this adaptive “strategy” helps both the plant and Yarrow inflorescence - close-up. pollinator. Plants that provide many flowers close Notice how each “flower” is actually together really maximize the effect of whatever composed of many tiny flowers? (color, scent, pattern) attracts the pollinator to the Photo by Ranch Guide Ginny Martin. plant… because with so many flowers so close together, a single pollinator can do a lot in a short amount of time to help with the procreation of a plant species! YELLOW BRICK ROAD Watch for yellow-faced bumblebees pollinating the winter vetch, dense heads of clover flowers and Fork- toothed Ookow… another example of a pollinator finding peak efficiency with dense inflorescences. NEAR THE WOODLAND TRAIL JUNCTION Watch for two interesting grasses in this area: The introduced Hedgehog Dogtail grass, Hedgehog Dogtail Grass Cynosurus echinatus – which Notice how prickly and is relatively low growing- asymmetrical it is. Blue Wild Rye in flower typically a foot or so, and the native Blue Wild Rye (Elymus glaucus)- which is in flower and stands much taller- a couple of feet to a full meter, I’d guess. Among the trees lining the seasonal drainage , I heard a number of bird songs, reminders that spring is the season of courtship… Listen for the musical call of the House Finch- which ends with a buzzy “eeerr”, the Warbling Vireo singing its warbly rosita song, the Orange-crowned Warbler’s dipping trill… who else can you hear, here? How many different kinds of bird songs can the children hear if you stop here for a minute and have them listen and count? YELLOW BRICK ROAD toward CANYON The spring hiking season must be nearing its close, because I am already seeing Chlorogalum pomeridianum, Soaproot, bolting! New flowering stalks are shooting up like spears of asparagus throughout the open grassland on the preserve, and I saw some in this area.