2017 - Robert's botanical adventures in Northern California

[Robert]

Lichens are both tough little organisms, as well as very sensitive to certain environmental changes. The Flavopunctelia flaventiior on this oak branch were quickly dying when the branch became exposed to full sun after it broke off the main tree trunk.

Later in another posting I will describe my findings of the tree branch covered with lichens that I found in our Sacramento neighborhood last week. Some literature suggests that urban environments can be lichen deserts. This can certainly be the case, however what I found in our Sacramento neighborhood was quite amazing and a testimony to the toughness and adaptability of these organisms.



I was a bit surprised to see bright red berries on the Toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia. It is the correct time of year. I spent most of the summer and autumn exploring the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada. Sadly I neglected the lower elevations. Hopefully next year I can follow the seasonal progression in both regions. During the summer hot, dry season the lower elevations can seem dormant and uninviting, however there is always much to see.



Emery Rock Tripe, Umbilicaria phaea, is another lichen species that I observed frequently on rocks in this area.



At times it competed for rock space with Xanthoparmelia cumberlandia.

[Robert]

As the trail traverses the northern shore of Folsom Reservoir, it transitions from chaparral, to oak woodland, oak savannah, to open grassland. Of coarse, each habitat has its own unique mix of species.



Over a number of seasons, I have been watching with interest as a colony of Artemisia douglasiana has been slowly spreading and reclaiming a small opening in the oak forest. A lot of times I wonder if native species, especially native bunch grasses, could once again dominate areas now chocked by invasive annual species (mostly grasses). This colony of Artemisia, as well as other situations, gives me hope that this is possible, especially with some help from humans.



Seed were germinating and new seedlings could be seen everywhere. Here the lobed foliage of Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis can be seen advancing in growth. Fresh seedlings of Vicia are also growing quickly.



During the dry season Camouflage Lichens blend in so well that they are hardly noticed. The rain changes the situation a bit as the color brightens on species such as Melanelixia glabra.



Each outing seems to have its own set of surprises. A late flight of the Common Buckeye, Junonia coenia, was certainly a surprise. Later in the day, I spotted a swarm of what I thought were Box Elder bugs. They turned out to be Milkweed Bugs, Oncopeltus fasciatus. I should not have been surprised as they were congregating on Milkweed, Asclepias.

[Robert]

It is about 4 miles, 6.4 km, to the base of the ridge. There was so much to command my attention that I did not arrive at this site until late in the afternoon. Not only was it late in the day, but also a new set of storm clouds was starting to build. It looked like rain would be arriving soon. I decided to loop around the hill in the foreground and start back to the Outback (The angelmobile) before it got dark or I got soaked with rain.



Coyote bush, Baccharis pilularis ssp. consanguinea, comes into bloom during the late autumn. I saw number of them as I hiked around the hill.



I have yet to learn our native fungi. Turkey Tail, Trametes versicolor, is an easy to identify species. It is seen frequently on decaying logs and tree trunks.



Now the sky was very threatening. It would be wise if I started my return journey, however a bird caught my attention. On a distant tree there was a large raptor. It was a bit too dark to get a good look at it through my binoculars, but as it took into fight I could clearly see that it was a Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Whoa! That was a sight.

I saw a fair number of birds on this outing. Many I knew from their call, yet often I had to wait patiently until they emerged from the chaparral to get a look at them.

Birds seen:

Wrentit             Pintail
Canada Gosse      Scrub Jay
California Quail      Gold-crown Sparrow
Common Raven      Black Phoebe
Red-shafted Flicker      Turkey
Kestrel             Common Egret
Red-tailed Hawk      Western Meadowlark
Bald Eagle              Turkey Vulture
Acorn Woodpecker      Bushtit
Plain Titmouse



As I swung around the hill I got the closest look at the ridge I would get for this outing. This ridge has many unique species that I like to check on and that are not seen elsewhere in this area. I will have to wait until another outing to visit this ridge.

[Robert]

The dormant branches of Buckeye, Aesculus californica, with their large hanging fruit are a common sight this time of year. The white bark is also pretty to see, however the rain began to fall and I still had more than an hour hike before I arrived at the Outback.



I was very fortunate that the bulk of the rain missed the area and I did not get soaked as I hiked back to the Outback.

I was very pleased to return to this familiar area and I certainly was not disappointed with this outing. I identified 88 plant species, which is a good number for this time of year.

Now to plan my next outing. Kanaka Valley is located a short distance up stream from Skunk Hollow and may be an interesting place to visit.

Until Next time……….

[hamparstum]

Robert,
    I've been musing about one other weather characteristic: ambient relative humidity. I have a strong suspicion that it may play a considerable role in the microclimate of various plants and their timing of active growth/ dormancy. Also in aiding germination and cotyledon stage seedlings. Does your ambient humidity change drastically during the seasons as it does in our place?. When it rains in fall apart from being wet does it stay humid? In spring with the last spring rains do you have a warm humid start? I'm trying to understand this so as to simulate those conditions while I make my progress with your wild flowers germination and growing on. Do you get solid two to three week long fall rains, that vary from drizzles to heavy showers, with skies overcast non stop.? I'm comparing my conditions with yours . Also wind is one other factor that affects transpiration rates. Just questions that I try to answer making my conditions as friendly possible to your species as they try to adapt to northwestern Patagonia, which  is in so many ways so similar to your Placerville farm.

[Robert]

Arturo,

These are some interesting questions; ones I especially enjoy answering, as they need to be thought though carefully.

Yes, we have fairly dramatic shifts in the daytime relative humidity from summer to winter. During a typical July (our summer) afternoon the relative humidity can range from 15% to 20%. In the winter the swings in the afternoon relative humidity can be extreme. During wet or foggy weather the relative humidity is, of coarse, 100% or very close to that. On sunny dry days it can be in the 40% to 60% range. As an example, the other day was dry and sunny. The relative humidity was 39% at 3:30 p.m. Now it is raining and the relative humidity is close to 100%, but I have not gone out to take an exact reading. During wintertime dry north wind events the relative humidity can drop much lower.

Does it stay humid after it rains in the autumn, winter, and spring rainy season? In a general way, yes. Even during drought years the daytime relative humidity is higher than in the summertime.

Is there a warm humid start to the spring? No, not really. In the late spring, warm dry air masses quickly replace the cool moist frontal zones. Occasionally, we get milky skies with high relative humidity between storms. It is never summer humid like the east coast of the U.S.A. or like the rumors I have heard about the humid summer weather in Buenos Aires.

Can we get 2-3 weeks of, more or less, solid overcast skies with much rain? Yes. The Central Valley can also get Tule Fog during the winter. Tule Fog can last for weeks. We can go two weeks without seeing the sun. Above the inversion, the weather is clear and warm during the day, frosty at night. This weather phenomenon was common 25 years ago but it rarely occurs now.

Wind? The north winds can be extremely dry, winter or summer. It was a north wind event that caused the catastrophic firestorm in Santa Rosa and elsewhere in Sonoma and Napa counties this past October. During the winter, north wind events can last up to 2-3 days. The relative humidity generally rebounds quickly after the event ends.

All of the above information applies to interior northern California. Coastal California has different patterns. Southern California has it own set of climatic peculiarities.

I have no doubt that this is one of a number of factors that influence seed germination of California native plants, especially annual and perennial species.

[Robert]

A nice photograph of Aristolochia californica from my outing last week. In California, Aristolochia californica is the host plant for the Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly, Battus philenor. I have several Aristolochia planted in our Sacramento garden and hope to attract the Pipevine Swallowtails soon.

Yesterday's outing was rained out. 3.10 inches, 79 mm, of rain fell yesterday. I am sure I could have gone out anyway, which could have been fun, but I don't think that I would have accomplished much. I do not have much flexibility in my schedule these days, so I will try again next Thursday. Hopefully the weather will be more amendable.

[Ed Alverson]

Robert, the Aspidotis densa looks similar to Cryptogramma crispa, parsley fern. I wonder if they have a common ancestor, or maybe they are variations of the same species. I have noticed this closeness in plants from different parts of the world before. Perhaps climate in different areas is the only difference. A strange thing, this evolution. An interesting report as always.

Ian, in the past Aspidotis densa has been treated as a species of Cryptogramma in some floras, so you are not alone in seeing a resemblance. While both are in the same fern family, Pteridaceae, the two genera are actually in very different branches of that family. Aspidotis is related to Cheilanthes, Pellaea, etc., but Cryptogramma is in a small group (along with Llavea and Coniogramme) that branched off early from other members of the family. This phenomenon (of distantly related plants appearing similar in morphology) has long been a problem in fern classification, but analysis of DNA is now giving us a much more accurate picture of how different groups have evolved.

Ed

[ian mcdonald]

Thanks Ed. I sometimes wonder how reliable DNA analysis is though.

[Robert]

Some relative humidity observations from our Sacramento home on 16th and 17th of November 2017.

The 16th was a stormy rainy day. The relative humidity at 3:30 p.m. was 94%.

The 17th was clear with a breezy northwest wind, 10G15 mph. The relative humidity at 3:30 p.m. was 53%.

This is not an unusual pattern during the winter rainy season in our part of California. In extreme cases the relative humidity can drop much lower during our rainy season.

During the summertime a relative humidity of 53% at 3:30 p.m. would be extreme! A summertime relative humidity at 3:30 p.m. of 15% - 20% is much more typical.

[Robert]

In many urban situations lichen populations tend to be restricted to pollution tolerant species and the diversity of species tends to be low. My initial observations in the city of Sacramento, California seemed to follow this trend, however the closer I investigated our city’s lichen populations I discovered another trend.

My first observation was that there were large differences in the population densities and the diversity of species of the Bryophytes and lichens occurring in the non-native ornamental trees in our part of Sacramento. Some ornamental tree species, such as Platanus and Lagerstroemia, are habitat deserts, while other ornamental tree species, such as Celtis and Zelkova are habitat havens. The Zelkova trees in our neighborhood seem particularly rich in lichen and bryophyte species, however much of this growth appears high in the tree canopy where it is not easily observed.

I am naturally curious and would have climbed into some of the neighboring trees to examine the upper canopy closely, but I am sure, at the best, the neighbors would find this strange, maybe alarming. I already have a reputation for benign eccentric behavior and I was not interested in adding to my illustrious (notorious?) neighborhood reputation.



When I found a fallen limb from a Zelkova tree on the ground a few blocks from our home a week ago, I or coarse, was going to drag it home to examine it in detail. I am sure the neighbors were watching as I carried a four meter long branch back to our home. My wife’s comment was “Que haces con esto / Was tust Du damit ?” Believe me I get this all the time from her! I sawed the branch into smaller lengths to facilitate easy examination with a hand lens under good lighting conditions.



I found large portions of the Zelkova branch to be densely colonized by lichens. There was also a diverse variety of species, some of which I have never observed in Sacramento. On this branch section, the orange Bare-bottomed Sunburst Lichen, Xanthomendoza fulva, can be seen with Gray Starburst Lichen, Parmeliopsis hyperopta. Some species of Xanthomendoza are often seen in polluted nitrogen-rich areas, so I was not surprised to find this species. I frequently find Parmeliopsis hyperopta on other trees in our neighborhood, but generally in small colonies.



Hooded rosette lichen, Physcia adscendens, also grew densely on portions of the branch. This is the first time I have recorded this species in our neighborhood.



There were a few small colonies of Western Strap Lichen, Ramalina leptocarpha, on the branch. This is generally, but not exclusively, a coastal species. This was another first observation for me in our Sacramento neighborhood.



The bright yellow Candleflame Lichen, Candelaria concolor, is very common in our neighborhood. This lichen species is very tolerant of polluted urban environments. I find it growing on most of the tree species, both native and ornamental, in our neighborhood. This species will turn greenish when wet, thus the greenish cast to the specimens seen in this photograph.

There are basically no native rocks in our neighborhood, however there is plenty of concrete. Candelariella aurella is very common on our concrete sidewalks. In one location, I have also found a few colonies of Lecanora muralis on the sidewalks. Occassionally, Flavopunctelia flaventior is seen on bark. This species seems to prefer the bark of Magnolia x soulangeana. I have never climbed into the trees to see how extensively they grow in the Magnolias.

Conclusions: Lichen species clearly do not grow as densely in our Sacramento neighborhood as they do in the neighboring Sierra Nevada foothill regions. Also, the diversity of lichen species in our Sacramento neighborhood is much more limited than that found in the Sierra Nevada foothills. To date, I have never observed soil dwelling lichens in our Sacramento neighborhood. Clearly there are many nuances to lichen habitat preferences and adaptability. Many factors are involved; temperatures, moisture levels, pollution, substrate preferences, etc. For me, further investigation is necessary to better understand the complexities of lichens in our Sacramento neighborhood.

[Robert]

I was up on Peavine Ridge today (5,146 feet 1,569 meters) to check on one of my remote weather observation sites. A cold front had just moved off to the east leaving 2 inches (5.1 cm) of fresh snow on the ground.

The temperature at 2:00 p.m. was 39 F (3.9 C); The Dew Point was 38 F (3.3 C), which was just about right, as the base of the cloud deck was just below this elevation and at times I was in the misty clouds. This was a pleasurable experience. The Relative Humidity was 92%; winds SW 2G4 mph.

It will be interesting documenting the snow cover at this site during the coarse of this winter. Over the past 30 years or more, the winter snow line has been slowly rising. 30 years ago reliable snow accumulations covered the soil during most of the winter in this area. I have chosen several sites at different elevations to document snow cover and other meteorological data throughout the Crystal Basin this winter. How winter snow cover may have an impact on the flora in this region remains to be seen.



I have a keen interest in the Manzanita species on Peavine Ridge. The range of a number of species overlaps in this area, creating ideal conditions for hybrids and introgression. Pictured is a prime specimen of Arctostaphylos mewukka ssp. mewukka.



The nascent inflorescence of Arctostaphylos mewukka ssp mewukka has distinct bracts that flare away from the dormant flower buds.



The broken overcast still obscured my view of the Crystal Range. A few times I caught a glimpse of the high peaks dusted with fresh snow. I find great pleasure being in the mountains during the winter months, especially far from the crowds and ski resorts. The quietude and crisp air brings tranquility to my soul. 

[Robert]

I returned to Peavine Ridge on Wednesday to continue my meteorological observations at various sites on the ridge. One site is at 3,625 feet (1,105 meters) near the southern base of the ridge and the site of Riverton along the South Fork of the American River.



Arctostaphylos viscida ssp. viscida grows abundantly near the “Riverton” site (pictured). A few Arctostaphylos manzanita ssp. manzanita can also be found. One of my favorite specimens was “removed” (cut down), part of the fire prevention activities on the ridge.



Much of the top of the ridge is capped by Mehrten Formation andesite. There are many open rocky areas where many interesting plant species can be found. In addition, there is a patchwork of mixed coniferous forest in various stages of growth. Parts of the ridge have suffered from three major forest fires over the past 60 years.



Four days earlier, a snowstorm moved through the area. The only remaining snow was in shady areas.



Greenleaf Manzanita, Arctostaphylos patula, grows abundantly on the crest of the ridge. It is one of several species that can be found on the ridge.

[Robert]

Acrtostaphylos viscida ssp. viscida is another Manzanita species that can be found on the crest of Peavine Ridge. Arctostaphylos viscida ssp. viscida, A. patula, and A. mewukka ssp. mewukka can be found growing along side each other in many areas along the ridge crest. In areas, there is strong evidence that hybrids plants have been produced where the three species are growing together.



Of coarse, there are many species found on Peavine Ridge. Bear Clover, Chamaebatia foliolosa, carpets the forest floor throughout the area.



Throughout the spring and summer many bulbous species can be found in bloom. The dried stems of a number of species can still be seen even at this late date. Pictured is an old dry stem of Lilium washingtonianum ssp. washingtonianum. Also seen on this day were the dry stems of Fritillaria micrantha and Dichelostemma multiflorum.



Many of the andesite boulders are covered with a variety of lichens. Umbilicaria hyperborea (dark brown), Rhizocarpon riparium (greenish yellow), and the Candelariella rosulans (yellow) can be seen on this boulder.



I had other obligations so I could not stay long. The storm clouds from a few days ago were long gone and there was a beautiful view of the Crystal Range dusted with fresh snow.

[Robert]

For those that are fascinated with such things:



I posted this graphic of the average annual temperature at our El Dorado County farm from 1987-88 to 2016-17.



This is the same graphic after using boxcar averaging to help get a clearer image of the trend line.

I have to admit, for me, doing things like this is fun. I do not have access to many of the technological methods to analyze some of what I observe out in the field. Rather than give up, I find simplistic methods to accomplish close to the same thing. This requires my imagination and ingenuity. The goal is to do my tiny part to increase our knowledge of plants/gardening and provide an avenue to bring adaptable and interesting new species into cultivation without plundering them in their natural habitat.