Torrey Pine & Coastal Sage

Torrey Pine & Coast Sage This is a very rare and special habitat because the Torrey Pine lives only in Del Mar and on Santa Rosa Island. The trees grow high on sandstone cliffs next to the ocean. They have a taproot that can grow 200 feet down through sandstone to find water. This is a wonderland habitat because of the Torrey Pine trees. A surprise is finding the yellow Sea Dahlia in the spring. Mojave Yucca is also seen here which is an indicator of how unusual plant distribution can be, since it is a desert species. Goldilocks Ecology Factors Sun: Often the marine layer of clouds shades the habitat from the sun. Air: The water in the ocean cools warmer air so that clouds form. Inland hot air rises bringing the marine layer over the habitat. Earth: Sedimentary rock made of compressed old sand dunes and ancient beaches forms the geology of this area. The soil is porous so water percolates down to a deep water table. Water: Each year brings eight inches of rain plus two inches of dew to this habitat. Rainwater seeps to the water table. Time: The sediments that become sandstone settled under water ten thousand years ago. Torrey Pine seeds take three years to develop. Gravity: Steep slopes develop where landslides occur. Without ground cover, earth erodes quickly. Fire: This habitat can burn at any time, generally after several drought years and during a Santa Ana wind. Honey Bee Black Sage California Quail Ocotillo Locoweed Coastal Sagebrush Orb Weaver Prickly Pear Cochineal Bug Sea Dahlia Spider Fruit Peregrine Wild Turkey Prickly Pear Mojave Yucca Torrey Pine Falcon Flower Visit the Habitat: Torrey Pines State Park is a unique habitat located in Del Mar. Fool-Ya: Wild Turkey was introduced into Southern California and lives in the mountains. Ocotillo has a niche in the desert..

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Pinus Sabiniana) in Oregon Frank Callahan PO Box 5531, Central Point, OR 97502
Discovering Gray Pine (Pinus sabiniana) in Oregon Frank Callahan PO Box 5531, Central Point, OR 97502 “Th e tree is remarkable for its airy, widespread tropical appearance, which suggest a region of palms rather than cool pine woods. Th e sunbeams sift through even the leafi est trees with scarcely any interruption, and the weary, heated traveler fi nds little protection in their shade.” –John Muir (1894) ntil fairly recently, gray pine was believed to be restricted to UCalifornia, where John Muir encountered it. But the fi rst report of it in Oregon dates back to 1831, when David Douglas wrote to the Linnaean Society of his rediscovery of Pinus sabiniana in California. In his letter from San Juan Bautista, Douglas claimed to have collected this pine in 1826 in Oregon while looking for sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) between the Columbia and Umpqua rivers (Griffin 1962). Unfortunately, Douglas lost most of his fi eld notes and specimens when his canoe overturned in the Santiam River (Harvey 1947). Lacking notes and specimens, he was reluctant to report his original discovery of the new pine in Oregon until he found it again in California (Griffin 1962). Despite the delay in reporting it, Douglas clearly indicated that he had seen this pine before he found it in California, and the Umpqua region has suitable habitat for gray pine. John Strong Newberry1 (1857), naturalist on the 1855 Pacifi c Railroad Survey, described an Oregon distribution for Pinus sabiniana: “It was found by our party in the valleys of the coast ranges as far north as Fort Lane in Oregon.” Fort Lane was on the eastern fl ank of Blackwell Hill (between Central Point and Gold Hill in Jackson County), so his description may also include the Th e lone gray pine at Tolo, near the old Fort Lane site, displays the characteristic architecture of multiple Applegate Valley.
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Variation Than Mainland Populations?
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PM 6.5 / TEMPLATE VERSION 7/15/97 - OUTPUT BY - DATE/TIME C W H A L E W A T C H I N G M Y K The waters surrounding Channel Islands National Park Whether you are C are home to many diverse and beautiful species of cetaceans watching from shore or M (whales, dolphins and porpoises). About one third of the in a boat, here are a Y few distinctive habits K cetacean species found worldwide can be seen right here in IslandIsland ViewsViews C our own backyard, the Santa Barbara Channel. The 27 to look for: M species sighted in the channel include gray, blue, humpback, Brad Sillasen Spouts. Your first Y minke, sperm and pilot whales; orcas; Dall’s porpoise; and indication of a whale K Blue whale Risso’s, Pacific white- will probably be its spout or “blow.” It will be visible for many miles on a calm sided, common and Bill Faulkner day, and an explosive “whoosh” of exhalation may be heard bottlenose dolphins. Watching humpback whales. This diversity of up to 1/2 mile away. The spout is mainly condensation cetacean species offers a created as the whale’s warm, humid breath expands and cools Many whales are on the endangered species list and should A Visitor’s Guide to Channel Islands National Park Volume 2, 2001-2002 great opportunity to in the sea air. be treated with special care. All whales are protected by F O R W A R D T O T H E P A S T NPS whale watch year-round.
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