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

[Robert]

Trond,

After checking the maps I have decided on Snow Mountain as my focal point in the inner Northern Coastal Range of California. The low elevations near the mountain have a number of Calochortus species I am interested in. The mountain itself hosts a goodly number of endemic species. One day outings are possible, and best of all it is reasonably remote! I hope this pans out as a good study area for me. In a few weeks I hope to scout the area.

However first I will be going to familiar territory on the Middle Fork of the Feather River. I also know of a seldom traveled 49er trail into the back country on the West Branch of the Feather River. This and the Middle Fork of the Feather River are basically inaccessible, remote, and unexplored. I have explored these areas in the distant past, however I am in a much better position to do constructive botanical work in these locations now.

Clearly I am planning now for the next spring-summer-autumn season.

[Hoy]

Robert,

Snow Mountain seems to be very exciting - any place would be new to me anyway

Also Feather River looks very interesting!

[Robert]

Trond,

Ahhhh!    Back home now. I went out and checked out the Arctostaphylos selections this morning. Later in the day I'll see if I can't get out and take some good photographs.

Friday I will be heading to the Feather River. This time of year there might not be a lot to see, however it will be good for me to return and scout out the situation. I had frequent botanical outings in this area in the past, however it has been about 10 years since I traveled here on a regular basis.

I am very excited about Snow Mountain. Now that we live in Sacramento this botanically fascinating region is easily within range for me on a one day outing. I have read a great deal about the plants in this area, but have never been there. I hope to travel there next week. Yolla Bolly- Middle Eel Wilderness is to the north. I have never been there either. I have been wanting to hike there since I was a teenager. We will see what happens. 

[Robert]

I had a complete change in plans.

The weather forecast was for sunny and warm weather Thursday with unsettled weather starting early next week. This Thursday  seemed the perfect opportunity to visit Snow Mountain. So I awoke at 4:00 A.M. on Thursday and drove northward in the dark toward Snow Mountain.



Sunrise over the Sutter Buttes (an ancient lava plug in the center of the flat Sacramento Valley), as I drove west towards the Northern Coast Range.

The Snow Mountain outing was extremely fascinating and very productive. There is much to report on. Right now I need to get much work done, so I will start my report sometime next week.

[Robert]

SNOW MOUNTAIN

Thursday, 20 October 2016

Part I

Sacramento Weather

Weather: High Clouds
Temperature, High: 79 F, 26 C
                      Low: 50F, 10 C

Placerville Weather

Weather: High Clouds
Temperature, High: 77 F, 25 C
                 Low: 44 F, 6.5 C



On Thursday morning I left Sacramento early in the morning and drove north to Colusa County, California. From the small town of Maxwell I drove west toward the Northern Coast Range. Maxwell is located in the Sacramento Valley. The flat land is all farmland to the base of the foothills.



The foothills of the coast range are covered with chaparral. The dominant species is Chamise, Adenostoma fasciculatum, however, in addition, Eriodictyon californicum, Heteromeles arbutifolia, and Arctostaphylos are common species. California Gray Pine, Pinus sabiniana dot the chaparral with their ghostly twisted silhouettes. California Black Walnut, Juglans hindsii line the arroyos and in waste areas the white flowers of Datura wrightii can be seen.



After traversing several ridges of hills, the mountains rise steeply. My objective was to hike to the summit of Snow Mountain, or close to it, however I was tempted to make a number of short stops. The dwarf Oak, Quercus durata, was seen frequently in the chaparral. I also found another dwarf oak, Quercus palmeri. An exciting, but not unexpected, find were the dry seed heads of Calochortus. The seed pods were similar to those of C. superbus, however C. vestae or something else is a possibility.



Deafy Glade Trailhead, 3,300 feet (1,006 meters), is located where the paved road ends and a gravel road begins. The trail eventually leads to the summit of Snow Mountain.



The lower coniferous forest of the Northern Coast Range is dominated by Douglas Fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii. As many California forest there is a mixture of broad leaf evergreen trees, deciduous tress, and other conifer species.

[Robert]

The trail starts by traversing a north facing canyon slope. Here I found Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. glandulosa. I encountered this species frequently for a good part of my hike up the mountain.



Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. glandulosa is easily identified by its burl and its glandular-hairy stems. Not all plants have a visible burl, however all are noticeably glandular-hairy.



In semi-shaded areas there were the beat up plants of Angelica tomentosa. They were clearly heading into dormancy.



In areas with more shade grew the fern Polystichum imbricans ssp. curtum.  Polystichum munitum is another common species in this area especially closer to the coast. I checked the plants carefully. The submarginal sori, toothed indusium, and lanceolate base scales clearly placed it as P. imbricans ssp. curtum.



As I neared the ford of The South Fork of Stony Creek, Deafy Rock appeared through the mixed coniferous forest.

[Robert]

The trail crosses the South Fork of Stony Creek and more or less travels straight up the south facing side of the mountain. Morale-Buster Hill is one of the aptly given local names.



The Ladybird Beetles were sluggish in the early morning. They will congregate for the winter in huge piles and then disperse again come spring.



Mats of Lupinus albifron var. collina enjoyed sunny openings in the forest on this south facing slope.



I was very surprised to find Chamise, Adenostoma fasciculatum, growing at this elevation, 3,000 + feet (914 + meters). Generally this species is found at much lower elevations.



Past the Chamise was a nice stand of Garrya flavenscens.

[Robert]

The differences between the various species of Garrya can seem vague at times. The densely hairy fruit made this plant very easy to identify as Garrya flavescens.



The trail continues to climb steeply to Deafy Glade. The meadow was still golden brown from the summer dry season, however I was still able to identify many plants. Both Wyethia helenioides and W. angustifolia were scattered throughout the shadier parts of the glade. I see this association in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada too. The dried seed capsules of various Themidaceae could be found, some Brodiaea, others Triteleia. There were even the dried heads of a few Polemoniceae, mostly likely a Navarretia. The usual invasive species were present too; the pesty Elymus caput-medusae; the persistent Rumes crispus, and others.



The late season bloomer Madia elegans was still flowering.



I liked this beautiful specimen of Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. glandulosa.



Even near the Deafy Glade the trail continued its steep upward grade. A few Hosackia crassifolia var. crassifolia could still be seen along the trail. Many had been heavily browsed by the deer.

[Robert]

The shrub oak, Quercus durata, still appeared from time-to-time as I worked my way up the mountain.



 Berberis aquifolium was a common species in the shaded, dry forest.



I like the fruit on Cercocarpos betuloides var. betuloides. The terminal style is persistent becoming twisted and very plumose with age. This species was very common along the trail. It is also a common species in the Sierra Nevada Foothills.



With cool temperatures and the shortening days of autumn, the process of winter dormancy begins. Many deciduous species begin the process with their autumn leaf colors such as the golden color on this Bigleaf Maple, Acer macrophyllum.



As I climbed high on the mountain beautiful vistas appeared between the trees. Down the canyon the lower foothills of the Coast Range can be seen, with the Sierra Nevada as a fuzzy haze beyond.

[Robert]

At about 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) the shrubby Quercus garryana var. breweri started to appear.



Along this stretch of the trail it was extremely interesting how the topography, prevailing wind currents, and other factors had created a unique habitat. Here I found the Oregon Oak, Quercus garryana var. garryana. There were only a few trees and they were the only Oregon Oak I saw this day. However this is not what made me ponder the uniqueness of this site. I found a number of low elevation species growing in this area - this was attention getting.



The unique older bark of Oregon Oak, Quercus garryana var. garryana.



The foliage of Quercus garryana var. breweri was just starting to turn color at this site.



It was so tempting to take pictures of all the beautiful vistas. In this photograph the Sutter Buttes in the center of the Sacramento Valley can be seen faintly through the haze in the distance.

[Robert]

As I neared an open ridgeline the forest opened up with a good view to the south.



Ceanothus parryi was another species that I saw frequently from the lower elevations to high on the ridge top. This time of year it does not look like much of anything, however it will bloom with blue-lavender flowers come spring.



I reached the top of the ridge, 5,535 feet (1,687 meters) and could now see of to the west and the Eel River drainage. The Eel River watershed drains directly to the Pacific Ocean. From here on toward the west there is an increasing marine influence and the plant communities start to change dramatically.

This view is actually to the southwest toward my friends ranch about 30-40 miles away.



Perhaps the most beautiful Manzanita on this outing was Arctostaphylos canescens ssp. canescens. Just feeling the canescent foliage is a pleasure.



At this time I realized I would need to turn back soon. Rather than continue up the trail I used my time to do some field botany in this interesting area.

Behind this unnamed peak, 6,612 feet (2015 meters) is Snow Mountain West, 7,038 feet (2145 meters). If I would have continued up the trail it would traveled between Snow Mountain West and Snow Mountain East, 7,056 feet (2,151 meters). My understanding is that their is a trail to the top of the Eastern Peak.

To be continued.........

[Robert]

SNOW MOUNTAIN

Part II

I gave myself a good bit of time to poke around and see what I might find. The open ridge was carpeted with a different type of chaparral community. Here the shrubby Quercus garryana var. breweri was the dominant species creating large expansive sheets on the mountainside. This time of year the leaves of this deciduous species were also turning an attractive red color.



The Brewer's Oak also shared the mountain with Arctostaphylos canescens ssp. canescens, A. patula, Ceanothus parryi and many other much smaller species. Greenleaf Manzanita, Arctostaphylos patula, often created the perfect backdrop for the wooly-gray A. canescens. Greenleaf Manzanita is a also a common species in the Sierra Nevada Mountains where it often mixes with other gray-green Manzanita species.



This time of year the plants are generally not at there prime. Still, I was delighted to find this semi-dried plant. There are many varieties of Eriogonum umbellatum in California. E. umbellatum var. smallianum has tiny foliage. This plant must have been very attractive when in bloom with its bright yellow flowers.



Clumps of Penstemon heterophyllus var. heterophyllus grew in the openings around the taller shrubby plants. This variety is a bit different from var. purdyi which is found in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. One clear difference is the noticeably more narrow leaves on variety heterophyllus.



There was much to see on this ridge, however time did expire and I needed to return to my truck.

One last view to the east toward the Sacramento Valley and the Sutter Buttes. The red leaves of Quercus garryana var. breweri can be seen in the foreground.

[Robert]

Just as I started down the mountain, I was delighted to find the Snow Mountain Penstemon, Penstemon purpusii. This local endemic has small almost fleshy leaves that are densely canescent-hairy. This tiny species must be beautiful when in bloom. I look forward to returning at this time.



It was much easier hiking down the mountain. Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa was one of the few late blooming species that I saw frequently on my way up the mountain. This species has a wide distribution throughout California.



Iris fernaldii was another common species. Returning during their blooming cycle is a high priority.



The forest in California have such a diversity of species. Frangula rubra var. rubra was one of the evergreen shrubby species of this area. It is another species that I also see in the Sierra Nevada.



Canyon Live Oak, Quercus chrysolepis (center), is common in the mixed mid-elevation forest of California, both in the Sierra Nevada as well as in the Northern Coast Range.

[Robert]

Quercus shrysolepis was one of the species I observed much higher on the mountain. It is somewhat unusual to find it at high elevations and it was one of the species that clued me in that the environmental conditions were a bit different at the Quercus breweri site mentioned earlier.



As I neared The South Fork of Stony Creek, I again found more Ladybird Beetles. They were still in clumps, however now that the weather had warmed a bit they had clearly dispersed a bit.



The view of Deafy Rock was much more dramatic on the return hike.



Back traversing the north facing canyon slope I noticed groups of Chimophila menziesii in the shady forest. There were also the dry stems of a Fritillaria species, most likely F. recurva.



I arrived at the truck with much more time than I had expected. This gave me time to stop and look around as I drove back down the mountain. At one stop I found this noteworthy specimen of Arctostaphylos manzanita ssp. manzanita. The polished deep chestnut bark of this plant was amazing. The photograph of the trunk did not turn out, however the smaller branches still retained the remarkable color.

[Robert]

The canyon on the Middle Fork of Stony Creek could be an interesting place to visit on a return trip.



Back in the lower foothills I was able to stop briefly to examine this native Juniper.



It was Juniperus californica, a common species both in the Northern Coast Range and the northern foothills of the Sierra Nevada. In the past I would see it frequently in Tehama County - I guess there it would be considered the foothills of the Cascade Range.  I was a bit disappointed as I was hoping to find McNab Cypress, Hesperocyparis macnabiana. It is known to grow in this area.

This outing was very interesting and productive for me. It is the prefect study area for me in the coastal mountains. It is remote and has much public land to explore both at the low and high elevations. This region has its own unique flora, but also it has much in common with the Sierra Nevada Foothills directly across the Sacramento Valley. In the near future I will be visiting the foothills in Butte County on the other side of the Valley.

I look forward to returning to the Snow Mountain area in the early spring. There are plenty of low elevation sites to explore early in the season.

Until next time.......