Natural History Journal

Earlier in April, during our visit to Carrizo Plain,  I was interested in more than just the beautiful wildflowers; I had my eye on a few bird species as well.  In addition to more flashy Horned Larks and Lark Sparrows, little Bell's Sparrows ( Artemisiospiza belli ) also caught my attention (and offered some good photo opportunities!) Prior to 2013, the Bell's Sparrow and similar Sagebrush Sparrow ( Artemisiospiza nevadensis ) were considered a single species, the Sage Sparrow.  The two species are best distinguished by their range. Sage Sparrows have a larger range, which covers much of intermountain west; they can be found year round in the sagebrush lands of the Great Basin.  The range of the Bell's Sparrow overlaps with that of the Sagebrush Sparrow in eastern California, especially during the winter, and the two species can be very difficult to tell apart.  During the breeding season, Bell's Sparrows can safely be identified...

The hunt for California's spring wildflowers continues, but the seasons are rapidly shifting!  Recently, we hiked to the top of Table Mountain in search of vernal pools and any other lovely springtime surprises this fascinating place in the Sierra Nevada foothills might have to offer. Fields of lupine atop Table Mountain (Tuolumne County) Though wildflowers abound during the spring, the year round draw of Table Mountain is its geology.  Located in Tuolumne county, Table Mountain can be viewed while driving along highway 108, between Knight's Ferry and Jamestown.  (Heading east on highway 108, you will begin to see Table Mountain shortly after passing the Red Hills area .)  The formation is obvious: a dark, flat-topped mountain with nearly vertical sides, rising above the surrounding foothill landscape.  The mountain that seems to wind sinuously through the foothills is a lava flow, the cast of an ancient riverbed.  A...

Or, rather, a land that "progress" has mercifully not destroyed, an unlikely island of refuge in a sprawling sea of development.  My relationship with (and, I admit, my knowledge of) San Bruno Mountain began one foggy March day a couple of years ago, when Eric and I went to visit a friend living in South San Francisco.  Our friend suggested that we go hiking at a place nearby, a mountain, he called it.  I was skeptical, and understandably so, situated as we were in a maze of suburbia on the San Francisco Peninsula.  My knowledge of the immediate area didn't extend much beyond the San Francisco airport, and I had heretofore failed to notice the 1,300 foot mountain rising above the city (probably because it is so often shrouded in fog).  Little did I know a glorious and unexpected wilderness awaited me atop that mountain. Our ascent of San Bruno Mountain brought us thr...

Red Hills Area of Critical Environmental Concern: a big name for a special place in the Sierra Nevada Foothills.  Markedly different from surrounding areas and supporting a unique assemblage of species, this area is considered a biological or ecological island. Bitter root ( Lewisia rediviva ) Driving past the Red Hills area on highway 108/120 west of the junction with highway 49, observant motorists will notice a striking difference between the grassy, oak-dotted hills that provide rangeland for grazing cattle, and the sparsely vegetated rocky terrain of the Red Hills.  Buckbrush and Gray Pine cover Red Hills The inhospitable soil of Red Hills excludes the annual (and exotic) grasses of surrounding areas and instead supports an assemblage of scraggly-looking gray plants, including Gray Pine ( Pinus sabiniana ) and Buck Brush ( Ceanothus cuneatus ), with an understory of herbaceous plants which put on a striking and unexpected w...

'Tis the season for wildflowers!  If you live in any of California's lower elevation locations (as most of us do), now is the time to get outside and see the blooms!  White Fairy Lantern (or Globe Lily) ( Calochortus albus ), bedecked with raindrops  Valleys and hills are springing to life, but the window of opportunity is small; by about mid-May, most of the blooms will be gone from low elevations and we'll have to hike higher up in the mountains in search of wildflowers (not that that is a bad thing, of course!)  Lupine ( Lupinus sp .) Hite Cove Trail, located off of highway 140 near El Portal on the road to Yosemite National Park, is one of the best places in the central Sierra Nevada foothills to see an array of spring wildflowers. Twining Snakelily ( Dichelostemma volubile ) The trail follows the south fork of the Merced river, wending along the river canyon cliffs for the first 1.5 miles before dropping down to follow th...