Robert's adventures in the Northern Sierra Nevada - California

[Robert]

Really interesting to follow your adventures, Robert.  Hope the terrible drought comes to an end soon.

Yes, I hope the drought ends now! Right now it is still too dry and warm. It appears that the pattern is changing - at least a little. I get worried when I see the Polar Vortex set up over Greenland - the old pattern.

The short term forecast (7day) is for a zonal flow to set up over most of the U.S.A. This would bring rain and snow to at least Northern California and cold frosty weather.

Off to the farmers' market now - only 3 (including tomorrow) more for us and then some much needed rest - at least a little. Around here there is a saying "A woman's work is never done" - I'll add to that "A farmers' work is never done". 

[Maggi Young]

And heaven help the woman farmer, eh? !!  No rest at all..... !

[Hoy]

Robert, what kind of products are sold at the marked? All kind of vegetables and fruit I presume, but what more? Do people come from far away or is it a local event?

No drought here, you could gladly have some of our rain!

[Robert]

And heaven help the woman farmer, eh? !!  No rest at all..... !

It's the laundry! 

And heaven help the farmers' wife. My wife and joke that the laundry it is never ending.

Robert, what kind of products are sold at the marked? All kind of vegetables and fruit I presume, but what more? Do people come from far away or is it a local event?

No drought here, you could gladly have some of our rain!

Have Rain? We will gladly take what you do not need.

[Robert]

17 November 2014

A chilly morning - 35 F (2c)
Afternoon high - 64 F (17c)

Sunny and Clear

Today I went out to Rattlesnake Bar scouting habitat for Calochortus luteus. Rattlesnake Bar is a low elevation site on the North Fork of the American River and usually flooded by Folsom Lake the main water source for the greater Sacramento area (population 2 million!) and much farm land in the central valley of California.



The habitat of Calochortus luteus is under great pressure from development. This area is isolated between the South Fork and North Fork of the American River - a long drive, no water for development and rouged terrain. A good place to start scouting around.



Here are a few shot of the typical low elevation chaparral. Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), or Grease Brush as it is called locally, is the dominant plant in this type of ecosystem.



In clearings around rock outcroppings is an excellent place to look around of Calochortus luteus.



In this area most of the land is private, so I moved lower into the oak savanna.



The foothill oak savanna can be park-like in the spring, however most of the grass land is unproductive for my project.

[Robert]

The early autumn rain has brought the Goldback Ferns (Pentogramma triangularis) into growth. It is a xeric species growing it the grass among the oaks, Quercus douglasii being the dominant species.



To find interesting plants I look around the rock out-cropping.



Today I did not find much. I have been to this area in the past and knew it was a long hike back into the chaparral. In the past I have found Fritillaria agrestis, somewhat rare now, and Iris macrosiphon, our common low elevation Iris in this lower chaparral area. No sign today, however I did notice that some of the early bulbs had new green leaves, most likely Dichelostemma capitatum.



Among the rocks in shady places Polypodium californicum was coming into growth. Another xeric species.



Before turning back I found the dormant fronds of Adiantum jordanii, a nice Maidenhair Fern, that can also be xeric. It is generally found in shady canyons, sometimes near water, but not always.

[Robert]

This is the season for Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis) to bloom.



Quercus x morehus is somewhat rare, a natural hybrid between Q. wislizinii and Q. kelloggii. There was no Quercus kelloggii in the area, at least I did not see any. Interesting how it might have arrived here.



Lastly, the multiple trunks of Quercus wislizinii. Generally an indication of fire in the past.
A nice day to be out before the next batch of rain arrives.
There are two other promising sites to scout for Calochortus luteus - for another day.
Now off to town (Sacramento) tomorrow, an all day trip for supplies.

[Gerdk]

Robert,
Thanks for this lively report - just the right pics for the dull weather here!

Gerd

[Robert]

Gerd,

Today, 19 November, brings overcast and gray skies here in Northern California. This is good news as we are likely to get more much needed rain over the next few days. Despite having more rainfall now than we did last year at this time we are still below average to date. The westerly winds are still weak and the Eastern Pacific too warm, however there are signs that the pattern is slowly changing. We are hoping for a good rainfall and snow season. Several years with above average rain and snow would be even better.

The next site I want to visit is called Salmon Falls, on the South Fork of the American River. The old Salmon Falls bridge is high and dry now for only the third time in the last 60 years. Generally it is flooded by Folsom Lake (Reservoir) the main water source for the greater Sacramento area, now with 2 million inhabitants. The reservoir is also the source of irrigation water for many farms in the Central Valley, a major agricultural area. It would be nice to see the reservoir full again.

If all goes well, I will get some photographs of the old bridge. This route is a good short cut from Sweetwater Creek to a very isolated area on the other side of the South Fork. This is a good area to look for interesting plants, however too low in elevation for Violets, however I have made much good progress on the violet front. At some later date I can PM you with the details as some of the research is still in progress.

[David Nicholson]

Looking forward to more Robert.

[fermi de Sousa]

Robert,
it's great to see some of the countryside as well as the individual plants and flowers,
cheers
fermi

[Robert]

Thank you everyone for your encouragement!



Here is a photograph that did not get posted the other day.
Sanicula crassicaulis awaking from its summer dormancy - Rattlesnake Bar 500 feet (152 meters) elevation. S. bipinnatifida grows naturally at the farm. I checked yesterday to see if they were up yet. Nothing was showing yet - 1,450 feet (432 meters)



When I get back from an outing I go over my notes and continue my research, confirming plant names. I had been using the name Polypodium californicum for this fern and have now decided to change and use the name P. calirhiza. For me, the new name helps distinguish this Polypodium from the others that grow at higher elevations or along the California coast.

Some of my thoughts on the use of plant names might be helpful given the shifting sands of plant nomenclature.

First, I tend to trust my empirical knowledge, based on the idea of "this is how it seems", not "this is how it is". As a gardener, I like to use names that help distinguish a plant, thus I tend to be a splitter rather than a lumper. Viola purpurea has such variety. Using all the different variety names helps me distinguish the different forms.

Second, I tend to use old familiar names. I will still use Rhamnus californica vs Frangula californica - at least for the time being. How to handle the name for California Snowdrop Bush is more difficult. Do I use Styrax officinalis var. californiaca, the old name that I learned to use, or S. officinalis var. fulvescens, S. o. var. redivivus, or Styrax redivivus? Ultimately it comes down to my caprice at the time!

Ideas and understanding in science change all the time. It is no different for me.

I hope expressing these ideas helps those that read about my plant adventures.

[Hoy]

I read your expressions with interest, Robert.

When I am out walking I usually use the common (official) Norw. name both in my thoughts and when speaking about it. But sometimes I find the Latin name easier to remember! And I usually use the Latin name I learnt when I was younger and not the newest ones. (I learnt my first Latin name when I was a kid about 7 years old. It was Tussilago farfara that I always picked to my mother as soon as I found some in the spring.)

Although it is important to know the correct name when discussing plants I am more of a lumper than a splitter because I think many species have a (very) wide ecological niche and it is better to talk about provenances than splitting in species or subspecies etc on the basis of some subtle details in the phenotype.

What is a species, anyway? It depends on the definition and that's not as easy as it sounds.
(Did I get this right in English )

I like ferns anyway. I plant hardy ferns in my garden. Do you have more pictures of ferns to show, Robert? In habitat please!

[Robert]

Trond,

Thank you so much for your feedback! I want to do the best I can to have my plant names understandable so that as many as possible know what I'm writing about.

I do and will have more photographs of our California native ferns in habitat. The first one will start now, with today's outing.

[Robert]

24 November 2014

High temperature: 58F (14c)
Low temperature: 32F (0c)

Weather: High Clouds

Today was my chance to get out to the Salmon Falls area on the South Fork of the American River.



The trail starts out at 490 ft. (150 meters) through an area of classic low elevation chaparral.



Chamise, Adenostoma fisciculatum, is the dominant shrub in this type of chaparral.



It was a great day to be out. It had just rained and the scent of Salvia sonomensis filled the air. What a delight! Along the trail there were plants of Penstemon hetrophyllus as well as Garrya condonii (G. fremontii), two plants to look forward to later in the season.



Soon the trail opens up over a grassy plain, generally flooded by the waters of Folsom Lake.



And then off and down over the old Salmon Falls Bridge.