2017 - Robert's botanical adventures in Northern California

[Robert]

Arturo,

Your oak trees must be very beautiful. It is extremely unusual for California Black Oak, Quercus kelloggii to turn bright scarlet in the autumn. It is even more unusual for the leaves to persist on the twigs brown or semi-dry until leaf-out in the spring. This is a characteristic very common with Northern Red Oak, Quercus rubra.

I will share some of my experiences with California Black Oak and autumn leaf color.

California Black Oak is widespread, with a broad range throughout California and beyond (Oregon and Baja California). To simplify things, I will limit this discussion to its range and my personal observations in El Dorado County, California. Within El Dorado County, Quercus kelloggii can be found in an altitude range from < 1,500 feet (< 457 meters) to > 6,000 feet (> 1,829 meters). There are no California Black Oaks on the farm property, however they grow within eye-shot on the hills across the drainage to the east (maybe 200 meters distance i.e. real close!).

California Black Oak hybridizes with several other native oak species in California, however Q. x morehus is the only natural Q. kelloggii hybrid found in El Dorado County. Q. wislizenii, Interior Live Oak, is the other parent in this hybrid. We have two Oracle Oaks (Q x morehus) on the farm property. Oracle Oak is evergreen to semi-evergreen and the foliage exhibits some characteristics from both the parents.

Throughout its range Quercus kelloggii generally turns some shade of yellow during the autumn. A few trees can show some red in the foliage. It is very, very, very rare that a tree turns completely red. I have seen thousands of California Black Oaks, over many decades, throughout California and I have yet to see a tree that turns completely red.

I understand well that there are many factors that govern autumn leaf color. Genetic disposition is certainly one factor, however exposure to light, temperatures, moisture content of the soil, and soil fertility levels are some of the other factors. When I was in my twenties, I budded and grafted 10’s of thousands of trees. Among them were three named varieties of Liquidambar: ‘Burgundy’, ‘Festival’, and ‘Palo Alto’. Each cultivar had a unique autumn leaf color and habit of growth. Nurserymen need to earn a profit to stay in business, and we usually pushed the fall budded trees in the spring with much fertilizer. A small bud on the under stock would grow into a 6 foot (2 meter) tree, or more, by autumn. The trees were lush and very saleable, however the leaves would stay green on not turn color at all. It didn’t matter what variety, the weather, etc., they would not turn color due to the nitrogen fertilizer we pushed them with. This was also true with the named varieties of Dogwood, Red Maple (Acer rubrum), etc. that we grafted and pushed hard in the spring. As a side note, we never pushed grafted Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) as they are extremely susceptible to fungal attack if there is too much nitrate in their tissue. Anyway, this is one example of how soil fertility will affect autumn leaf color.

Light is also a factor. Back to my nursery days, I would often get questions about a tree that never turned color but should. Almost always it was because it was planted in too much shade. I would often show a customer a beautifully colored tree. There are always leaves that overlap each other. I would show the customer the leaves; pull the top one away to show the perfect outline on the shaded leaf below, sans autumn pigment.

All these experiences and many others apply the California Black Oak. Maybe you noted the beautiful yellow California Black Oaks in the photograph I posted of the South Fork of the Rubicon River near Loon Lake a day or so ago. They were growing in a band directly below the conifers in the other photograph that were still covered with snow. The oaks too were snowed on, and have also experienced frosty nights. They are turning beautiful yellow as California Black Oaks usually do. This process is working its way down the mountain and a bit later the California Black Oaks near the farm will turn yellow. I know of only a few locations where a small percentage of the trees attempt to turn red. This is what I have observed throughout California. My friend had a ranch in Butte County, California. The Black Oak on his ranch never turned red, nor did the leaves persist into the spring. In general, I have never observed California Black Oak autumn leaves persisting except in highly drought stressed trees that may in fact be dying.

There is much more I could write concerning autumn leaf color and California Black Oak, but it seems unnecessary. Arturo, you are tremendously fortunate to have not one, but two California Black Oaks that turn red in the autumn. This is like winning the billion-dollar lottery! I wonder if they will exhibit the same color characteristics in other parts of the world. You might consider sending acorns to Kew or other important botanical gardens. I am sure that they would be interested. You have an extremely rare find! I have been looking for red California Black Oaks for decades. I know of a fair number that turn somewhat red, but nothing like, lets say, a Northern Red Oak, Quercus rubra. Congratulations! I am impressed.

[Robert]

Some scenes from Wrights Lake, yesterday 21 October.

Weather observations at 2:00 p.m. Partly Cloudy, 50 F (10 C), Relative Humidity 68%, Dew Point 42 F (5.5 C), Winds NW Calm.



The elevation at Wrights Lake is at 6,972 feet (2,125 meters).

Most of the snow from the storm on Thursday Night - Friday morning had already melted. Shaded sites still had 1" of snow on the ground.



Some snow on the ground at the Lyons Creek Trailhead (where I started my outing last week). On Friday, the snowline on north facing slopes was 5,350 feet (1,631 meters), on Saturday it was 6,100 feet (1,859 meters). The snow is melting very quickly. There is warm weather forecast for the coming week, with the potential for record high temperatures. Certainly the snow will all be gone by then.

[hamparstum]

Robert, I started wondering if by chance what I purchased and planted as Q.Kelloggii is in fact Q.rubra. The leaf pattern contour seem very simliar but since my trees have never produced acorns ( in the last 27 years since their planting here) I have no other id aspects to sort these out. Do you have any suggestions?. I purchased last year two specimens of Q.rubra ( of a different source) which are leafing out just now. These have much more slender leaves and and when both are fully leafed they are clearly distinct from the other two mature trees. So there's still hope that mine were initially not just misnomers. Thank you so much for all your information!

[Robert]

Arturo,

Back in the 1970’s when I worked at Gold Hill Nursery, Placerville, California, we had tremendous difficulties getting true-to-name seed and under stock of some species. Quercus coccinea was a very desirable species that we wished to offer to our customers. Repeatedly we would get seed and/or seedlings of Quercus rubra when we ordered Quercus coccinea. This was from numerous sources. Maybe Argentina is different, but back in the 1970’s it was often more important for wholesale suppliers to “make the sale” than assure that the product was true-to-name. Like nobody cared or noticed.

Because of our difficulties with some suppliers, we went through much effort to grow and produce our product “in house”. We had a mature Northern Red Oak at the nursery. It never produced ripe acorns. The immature acorns would abort. We sold many Northern Red Oaks and Scarlet Oaks and had no choice but to buy in our stock. Our problems with mixed plants that were not true-to-name persisted. How things are these days, I have no idea, as I have not been involved with such things for decades.

Getting a definitive identification of your “California Black Oak” seems like a good place to start. Detailed botanical descriptions of some species can sometimes be difficult to find, even in these days of the Internet, however this might be a extremely useful. The Jepson Manual online is available : http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/jeps/
It can also be accessed through Cal-Flora. Comparing your tree to the description and the key in the Jepson Manual might be helpful. Quercus kelloggii and Quercus rubra are quite distinct so this might be all that is necessary to come to a definitive identification of your tree. Finding a good botanical description of Quercus rubra would certainly help too.

I certainly hope that your trees turn out to be California Black Oaks. It would be a tremendous asset to the horticultural world to have a seed line of California Black Oaks that turn completely brilliant scarlet in the autumn. There is no reason to doubt your veracity and we look forward to the results of your findings.

[hamparstum]

Robert, As far as what the sources provided by comparison, my mature trees seem California Black Oaks as the best bet. The origin of these trees : They were bought 27 years ago from Monsieur André Larminat, of Estancia (ranch) Tipiliuke; they may have a very old ancestry. They have been growing trees for over a century starting in the Junin de los Andes ranch in 1909. The mature stands of so many forestry trees in this extended property is a feast to the eyes. Over many generations the family searched for seed sources in every continent including far out Australia and N.Zealand. The French-Argentine family still continues the forester tradition in both countries. See:https://www.argentina-excepcion.com/en/hotels-argentina/estancia-tipiliuke.: At the same time I also bought many of my Californian conifers ( Libocedrus decurrens, Abies grandis, Pinus coulteri, Abies amabilis, Hesperocyparis glaber) all of which have become the structure of present gardens and farm. Unfortunately, I can't get back to M.A.Larminat because he passed away about 8 years ago, and the next generation is not yet that reliable in terms of ID their trees...
     I haven't had touch with them recently so I really don't know how much of the family knowledge has been passed along. More recent generations have other priorities as the link shows, since the ranch is placed in a top most highly exclusive trout fishing area.
     Now I will pray to have viable acorns on my trees...

[Robert]

Arturo,

I did some random sampling of Quercus kelloggii today to compare with the single specimen of Quercus rubra (at least what we call Q. rubra in California) we have at the farm. There certainly were not enough samples to be significant, however I will share the results with you. Although both Quercus kelloggii and Q. rubra can have a variety of leaf shapes on the same plant, the leaves in the photograph represent the most common, and distinct leaf shape associated with each species. Notice the very distinct obovate leaf shape of Q. kelloggii. It is even different from the leaves of what we recognize as Q. coccinea and Q.palustris. All the samples of Q. kelloggii had petioles that were pubescent, especially at the adaxial proximal end. The petioles on the single specimen of Q. rubra were + or – glabrous. The terminal leave buds were also different. The leaf scales of Q. rubra were puberulent except for a distal band that was glabrous and reddish-brown in color. The margin of each leaf scale was also ciliate. The abaxial leaf surface of both species was puberulent, however Q. kelloggii was noticeable much more tomentose. Lastly, the first year twigs of Q. rubra were spotted with reddish spots (not the lenticels).

This sampling is only meant as a starting point. Many more samples of both species over a much wider geographic area would be necessary to have any meaningful significance. May you have good fortune determining the definitive identification of your two oak trees.

I hope this helps! 



Quercus kelloggii in a semi-forested setting. Above Omo Ranch, southern El Dorado County, 4,285 feet (1,306 meters).



A grand old California Black Oak - above Omo Ranch, California.



A beautiful peak. This photograph was taken in Amador County, California above a site called Ham's Station. The elevation was 6,388 feet (1,947 meters).



In the opposite direction was this scene out toward the Sacramento Valley. The summit of Mount Diablo can be seen above the haze far in the distance (right of center).

For anyone who is curious, I made the following weather observations @ 1:30 p.m. from this site.
Clear
Temperature: 65 F (18.3 C)
Barometer: 30.26"  falling
Wind: N 3G6 mph
Relative Humidity: 41%
Dew Point: 42 F (5.5 C)

[hamparstum]

Robert, thank you so much! We will have to wait a bit. The leaves of my trees have not opened yet. I hope to take some pics by early november. Then we can compare. ...

[Robert]

Robert, thank you so much! We will have to wait a bit. The leaves of my trees have not opened yet. I hope to take some pics by early november. Then we can compare. ...

Arturo,

Sounds great!     



Today I visited Carson Pass, 8,574 feet (2,613 meters) in Alpine County, California.

On the way to the Pass, I drove past Silver Lake. The massive andesite ridge towers over the eastern shore of the lake.



Caples Lake is very close to the summit of Carson Pass. The volcanic Round Top Peak, 10,381 feet (3,164 meters) is a prominent landmark in this region.

I recorded the following weather information from the Summit of Carson Pass.
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Clear
Temperature: 59 F (15 C)
Relative Humidity: 53%
Dew Point: 43 F (6.1 C)
Wind: SSE 10G15 mph
Barometer: 30.19" Falling

15 C at the summit of Carson Pass in late October is very warm. We are having a late season "heat wave". Tomorrow (24 October) could set new high temperatures for the date throughout California.



Kirkwood is situated below Caples Lake, but above Silver Lake. Remnants of the snow from the storm that came through Thursday night - Friday can still be seen on the north facing slopes. Kirkwood is a ski resort. Lingering snow on the north facing is perfect for the ski activities at this resort.



The Crystal Range can be seen off to the north. A few days ago the whole range was covered with snow. Now it is mostly gone.

[Robert]

Our autumn heat wave continues. Today, I was at Gerle Creek, El Dorado County, California. The elevation at the Wentworth Springs Road bridge over Gerle Creek is 5,393 feet (1,644 meters). It was hard to believe that it was 72 F (22.2 C) at 1:45 p.m. in the afternoon on 25 October! Wish that I had keep weather records at my fathers cabin that is very close to this location. I am sure that this would be a record or near record high temperature for this date.

Since part of my reason for being here was to record weather data, I will share what I observed: Clear, Temperature 72 F (22.2 C), Relative Humidity 30%, Dew Point 42 F (5.5 C), Wind NW 2G7 mph, Barometer 29.94 falling.



Robb's Peak is a short distance from Gerle Creek. I did not drive to the summit, however there is a wonderful view of the Crystal Range at 6,135 feet (1,870 meters) on the side of the mountain. There is a complete panorama of the range at this site, and it does not fit into one camera shot. Here the northern end of the range can be seen.



And the southern end of the Crystal Range.

At this elevation it was a bit cooler, 64 F (17.8 C). I guess I will share the other observations: Relative Humidity 46%, Dew Point 46 F (7.7 C), and winds NW 2 mph.



The autumn colors have passed their peak. It does not help have such warm weather, as the color does not last long. Most of the yellowish trees seen in this photograph are California Black Oak, Quercus kelloggii. At this elevation one can get a good idea where the thermal belts are located. Generally, but not always California Black Oaks can be found growing in the thermal areas near the top of ridges and along sunny slopes. The oaks generally avoid the cold air pockets at the bottom of canyons and on very shaded north facing slopes.

As of today, most of the autumn color can be seen between 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) and 3,500 feet (1,067 meters). Black Oak, Dogwood (various Cornus species), Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) are the most obvious species, however some Salix species are quite showy too. There are many less obvious species, including herbaceous species that are coloring the landscape at this time.

My next outing will be in about a week. Deer Hunting season will be over and I plan on exploring the south side of the Rubicon River Canyon above Hell Hole Reservoir. Despite the fact that many species are now dormant, this could be a very enlightening outing. The terrain is very difficult and there are no trails. No one explores this area, yet the climatic and geologic conditions create an ideal location to find interesting plant species. I know that I will want to return at the right time in the "spring". I strongly suspect that Erythronium purpurescens may grow in this area. It is documented a short distance to the north in Placer County. If I do find them, to my knowledge this will be the first confirmed sighting of this species in El Dorado County. What ever happens, it will be extremely interesting.

[Robert]

A few notes from today.



Oracle Oak, Quercus xmorehus, (tree foreground right center) is seen occasionally in El Dorado County, California. This natural hybrid between Q. kelloggii and Q. wislizenii is quite fascinating. The plants I observe appear to be sterile, however I have seen photographs posted on the Calflora web site that have acorns. Whether they are fertile or not I do not know, something to look into. Selfed F2 hybrids as well as backcrossed seedlings (to Q kelloggii or Q. wislizenii) might be extremely interesting. I have never observed such trees, nor have I observed introgression in Quercus kelloggii or Q. wislizenii. In theory, this seems possible, but I have never seen any evidence that this is occurring.



There are two Oracle Oaks on the farm property in El Dorado County. Each tree is quite unique and exhibit variations in bark texture, leaf shape, and other characteristics. Both trees are more or less mature and have never produced acorns.

The photograph, above, is one our Oracle Oaks with bark that strongly resembles that of Quercus kelloggii, California Black Oak.



Our other Oracle Oak has bark that more closely resembles that of Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizenii.



There are a fair number of Interior Live Oaks, Quercus wislizenii (pictured), on the farm property; the closest is maybe 100 feet (30 meters) from the Oracle Oaks. Across the county road 1,000 feet (305 meters) distance there are groves of California Black Oaks, Quercus kelloggii.



In this photograph there are samples of Quercus kelloggii (left), two samples of Quercus xmorehus showing some leaf variation (center), and three samples of Quercus wislizenii showing leaf variation from entire to spine tipped lobbed (right). Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizenii, can exhibit both entire as well as lobbed leaves, often times on the same tree.

[Robert]

Today, I was checking on Manzanitas (Arctostaphylos) on Peavine Ridge. The Manzanita populations on Peavine Ridge are very diverse and fascinating to study. There is considerable variation in the mix of species as well as variation of many morphological characteristics within each species (and hybrids) on the ridge. From top to bottom as well as along the east-west axis of the ridge crest tremendous variation can be observed. I have many sites that I return to repeatedly.



Over the last month I have been concerned about the brush removal on the private lands in the Peavine Ridge area. I do understand the need to remove brush to hopefully avoid destructive crown fires. To date, my study sites have not been disturbed. It helps that more or less all of them are on Forest Service (public) land.



In our area, willows (Salix) are generally not thought of as shrubs or trees with nice autumn colors. I like the rusty yellow autumn leaf colors of many of our native willows. As we remodel our garden we are incorporating many of our native shrubby species. Not only do they provide autumn leaf color, but they are also an excellent food source for the larva of a number of our Lepidoptera species. Salix scouleriana (pictured) is generally found growing on drier sites than many of our other native Salix.



I had some other observations to make up at Chipmunk Bluff and Loon Lake. This view shows another aspect of Chipmunk Bluff. The area is extremely interesting botanically, geologically, and climatically. In addition, there is a number of little known hidden lakes in the area that are rarely visited.

I have a number of sites where I make meteorological observations. Why? Slowly some very interesting patterns are emerging as I map the area. The first layer is topographical. The geologic layers is being added, as well as climatic data from numerous sites, combined with past land use practices (if possible back to the 1860’s) and fire history. To this many years of detail field notes of all the plant species observed and there locations are being plotted. 

27 October 2017, Chipmunk Bluff, El Dorado County, California, 6,440 feet (1,963 meters) – 1:40 p.m. Clear, 70 F (21.1 C), Relative Humidity 30%, Dew Point 38 F (3.3 C), Wind SE 3G5 mph (5G8 kph), Barometer 29.96 rising.

I am recording this type of meteorological data at many sites throughout the region.



This is the usual view I show from Chipmunk Bluff. The snow from the previous week is long gone, however a new storm is forecast late next week. In the mean time, the current heat wave is slowly abating.

[Robert]

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (called SMUD in Sacramento) controls the water levels on Loon Lake. For the winter season the lake level is dropped considerably.



When I turn around this is the view of the upper Gerle Creek Basin. Gerle Creek flows from Loon Lake and eventually merges with the South Fork of the Rubicon River.



From the same location, this is a view to the southeast. There are a number of hidden lakes in the folds of the mountains.

Soon I will need to work on some projects in Sacramento. I was hoping to have an all day outing this coming Thursday, however a storm is in the forecast. I may need to change my plans. That is how it is this time of year.

[ian mcdonald]

Robert, you pose some interesting questions regarding tree inter-breeding. It shows how little we know about wildlife in general. We think we know the answers because we have studied wildlife for hundreds of years but we sometimes overlook the obvious. Wildlife can,t read. It is also interesting to read from your journeys that many of the areas you visit have specific names. As far as I know, many of the hills and valleys in the uk, particularly in Scotland, do not have names.

[Robert]

Ian,

Yes, right on!    We know so little, sometimes even of the most common plant species. And what about insects, lichens, bryophytes, the list could go on. To my understanding, there has been only one major field study of bee species in the Sierra Nevada. This was at Yosemite National Park. What about the rest of the Sierra Nevada. I do not know, but I would suspect that the U.S. Forest Service has more information in this regard, but the bottom line is that there are many gaps in our knowledge as well as cases where we might be going off in the wrong direction. Technology and lab work does not necessarily lead to the truth. My brother has told me repeatedly that precise field observations trump laboratory conclusions. This partly why I do what I do. The main reason is that it is fun, enlightening, self-educational, and a lot of other good things. 

Over the years I have found that it is best if I work by myself, stay invisible to other humans (I am good at this but sometimes let my good judgement lapse), read as much as possible, ask myself lots of questions, and try to stay open to many possibilities, examining things in as many ways as possible.

Yes, it is good that places have names, however at times I will give a place my own de facto name. This helps me. But yes in general many places have names.

When I was at Loon Lake yesterday, I was approached by a hover fly. I also got a glance at a dragonfly. I guess the warm weather has brought them and other insects back out. The hover fly looked a bit different from those I usually see. How many species are there in the Sierra Nevada? Another question that does not have an easy answer.

In this diary, I report on all sorts of things, however I still focus most of my attention on plants. Lessingia leptoclada is still blooming and I found a plant of Eriogonum vimineum in full bloom. Photographs did not turn out.  The Eriogonum looked great and I wanted to share what I saw. It is still another California native annual that would be extremely attractive in the garden. Yes, what I do can and does have practical gardening applications.     

[hamparstum]

Robert,
     the seeds finally made it here!. I'm sowing right away Penstemon roezlii and P.newberryii in small pots into the fridge. I've set aside a small fairly old fridge for my cold stratifications. The ice compartment doesn't get lower than -4ºC. ( the kind that required regular defrosting) which allows me to cold stratify seeds that actually benefit from slight freezing i.e Androsace sp.) The Penstemons however will stay above freezing though in the general compartment. I'm greatly thankful for your seeds! Your  ever-expanding list of native flora just gives me the dimension of the adventure I just naturally slipped into... Im just delighted  . Thank you again for your contribution!!!.