2017 - Robert's botanical adventures in Northern California

[Maggi Young]

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.

 A most laudable aim - and one in which I feel you are succeeding, Robert.

[Robert]

Hi Maggi,

Thank you for the encouraging words. A lot of effort goes into creating my botanical diary. I have no problem with motivation as I enjoy my outings, gardening, and writing about my experiences. If other benefit from my efforts, well this makes things even better.     

[Robert]

I returned to Peavine Ridge on Friday, 1 December, to make some weather observations, as well as check on some plants. Two paved roads work there way to the top of Peavine Ridge from the bottom of the canyon at the South Fork of the American River. One junction is at Riverton (pictured), 3,232 feet (985 meters). Here at Riverton, cold air drains from the canyon slopes to the river and in the sun does not shine on the north-facing slope during the late autumn. Winter arrives early. The White Alder, Alnus rhombifolia, are dormant with numerous tightly folded catkins ready to expand and shed their pollen during the cold of late winter.



Near the summit of Peavine Ridge there is a turnout with a nice vista of the South Fork canyon. Highway 50, a major east-west thoroughfare between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe, can be seen in the bottom of the canyon.



Some of the high snow capped peaks south of Echo Summit can be seen. In the foreground the reddish-brown tops of California Black Oak, Quercus kelloggii, can be seen mixed among the deep green conifers.



At the summit of Peavine Ridge Ceanothus integerrimus var. macrothyrsus is one of several Ceanothus species found growing on the ridge crest. As cold weather settles in most specimens will drop the majority of their leaves, however there are always a few that remain semi-evergreen.



From the crest of Peavine Ridge, some of the vistas of the snow-capped Crystal Range can be spectacular.

[Robert]

The spiny Ceanothus cordulatus is another Ceanothus species that grows abundantly on the summit ridge.



I did not have much time to look around much, so soon I was off driving back down the ridge to the farm. The views from the top of the ridge are nice and the air is sweet…..  most of the time. During the late autumn, winter, and early spring, the slash for the summer timber operations is burned. Sometimes conditions can become very smoky.



I was back the next day, Saturday 2 December. I completed my weather observation on Peavine Ridge early and continued on to the Crystal Basin. My first stop was Dead Horse Spring.  Dead Horse Spring is located on the southeastern slope of Robb’s Peak just below Robb’s Saddle. I have been drinking water from this spring since I was a little boy. Back in the 1960’s the spring was nearly pristine and the water was ice cold and a delight to drink on a hot summer’s day. Some time after the year 2000, barbarians trashed the spring but to everyone’s good fortune the spring was restored and now flows with fresh drinkable water again.



Hiding down stream from the spring is a series of marshes surrounded and filled with interesting plants. Several decades ago I spent time exploring this area in detail. In the center of this small marsh are scattered clumps of Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia. The margin, on slightly higher ground, is ringed with Western Azalea, Rhododendron occidentale.



The geology in this area is very interesting and is partly responsible for the mix of species in this area. A large finger of the Shoo Fly Complex extends into this area. 350 million years ago Paleozoic sediments were pressed against the old continental margin and recrystallized into fine-grained schist and other metamorphic rocks that now make up the Shoo Fly Complex.

Asarum lemmonii is one of a number of unique species that thrive in this area. This species is generally found growing in extremely moist, shaded areas, sometimes surrounding the bases of deciduous shrubs.

[Robert]

Cornus sericea ssp. sericea is another shrubby species that is frequently seen in the marshy areas. During the winter months, the bare twigs are bright red and very attractive.



Ringing the marshy areas and mingling with the Western Azaleas are stands of Lilium parvum. This time of year the bulbs are dormant and only the dried remains of last year’s flowering stems can be seen.



Hiding in the forest duff, colonies of the Orchidaceae, Goodyera oblongifolia, can be seen spreading about in the dense shade.



This time of year Grape Fern, Sceptridium multifidum, can be easily seen in scattered stands on the forest floor.



There was much I needed to accomplish, so I moved on up the mountain toward Loon Lake. Here at the upper end of Chipmunk Bluff there was a good view of Tells Peak and the southern end of the Crystal Range.

[Robert]

The high peaks of the Crystal Range were dusted with snow, however the south facing slopes of Chipmunk Bluff were devoid of snow. This is very unusual for 2 December. Generally temperatures would be much colder and there would be at least patches of snow on the bluff.



It is a short distance from Chipmunk Bluff to Loon Lake, 6,435 feet (1,961 meters). Tells Peak (pictured) and the north facing slopes where covered with a thin layer of snow. At Loon Lake the snow was only a few centimeters deep. In sunny exposed areas there was no snow at all. Again, this is very unusual for this time of year.

There was a very cold breeze blowing and it was uncomfortable unless one was well dressed. The wind was especially cold on exposed parts of the hands and ears. At 2:00 p.m. it was 42 F (5.5 C), which is actually quite warm for this time of year. The relative humidity was a dry 49%, with a dew point of 26 F (-3.3 C). With the overcast skies, it was hopeful that more snow might arrive soon.



As there was no snow cover, it was very easy to check on the plants in the area. Normally the creeping stems of Arctostaphylos nevadensis would be covered in snow, but here they were exposed to the sun (except today, it was overcast).



Greenleaf Manzanita, Arctostaphylos patula, grows much taller. It takes a considerable amount of snow to bury them.



Huckleberry Oak, Quercus vacciniifolia, is shrubby. There can be very treacherous hiking or even skiing conditions when Huckleberry Oak is buried by snow. It is very easy to fall through a thin layer of snow that buries this species. A twisted ankle or a severe bruise can occur from a sudden fall to the rocks that are generally hiding around this shrubby oak.

[Robert]

On the bare slopes Penstemon roezlii looked fresh and ready to grow. Hopefully they will soon be covered in a deep layer of snow.



Penstemon newberryi var. newberryi was also exposed and easily spotted.



The peaks east of Loon Lake had very little snow cover. It was hard to believe that one could easily hike into the high country at this late date.



To the west Rocky Basin can be seen. It is not far to Gerle Creek and my father’s cabin. Once again the north facing slopes have a light dusting of snow and the south facing slopes are free of snow.



On a rocky ledge there were still a few flowers on Ericameria cuneata var. cuneata trying to open. There certainly has not been a lack of precipitation this autumn; temperatures have just been above average and the snow levels extremely high. Hopefully there will be a continuation of the wet weather, but with much cooler temperatures and lots of snow.

[Leucogenes]

Hello, Robert,

 what nice plant, these Ericameria cuneata var. cuneata. Exactly after my taste.

California has produced really fantastic things. Breathtaking plants and sceneries... and of course ...
The Doors. 😊

Thomas

[Robert]

Hello, Robert,

 what nice plant, these Ericameria cuneata var. cuneata. Exactly after my taste.

California has produced really fantastic things. Breathtaking plants and sceneries... and of course ...
The Doors. 😊

Thomas

Hi Thomas,

For the creative mind there is still much to accomplish with Californian plants, or plants from anywhere around the world for that matter. Many of the finer details could result in some fantastic new plants for our gardens. 

[Robert]

Rock Creek flows north to south into the South Fork of the American River. It take about 20 minute to get there from the El Dorado County farm. The elevation along a good portion of Rock Creek Road runs about 500 to 550 meters.



Phacelia imbricata ssp. imbricata is a very common species seen on, more or less, sunny rocky cliff faces.



Hansen's Spike Moss, Selaginella hansenii, is found where there is a bit more shade. This species, too, enjoys rocky cliff faces. Now that the winter rains have started the plants have turned green and started to grow again. During the summer they dry, turn brown, and look half dead.



The rocks are covered with many lichens. Xanthoparmelia species are very common and we have a number of different species that grow in our area. I did not check this one carefully, however it is most likely X. cumberlandia.

[Robert]

4 December 2017

First frost of season at farm.

The average date of the first frost is 13 November.

The record latest date for the first frost is 25 December,set in 1986

The earliest recorded date for the first frost is 6 October, set in 2007

Today there were very strong NW winds, 10G20 mph.

The relative humidity was 17% at 3:00 p.m.

The dew point at 3:00 p.m. was 12 F

If the wind dies-down this evening it will get very cold.

The record low temperature for 5 December is 20 , set in 2013. We could get close to this temperature tomorrow.

Stay tuned. 

[Robert]

The strong northwesterly wind event continued through Monday night into Tuesday morning. With the very low dew points, there was the possibility that morning temperature might be a bit chilly. At 1:00 a.m. it was 28 F (-2.2 C), however at 5:30 a.m. when I make my first weather observations for the day, the temperature had warmed to 32 F (0 C). This evening (Tuesday) the winds have died down, however the dew points have gone up (36 F, 2.2 C,  @ 3:30 p.m vs 12 F, 11.1 C, @ 3:30 p.m. the day before), so I am not expecting extreme cold tonight.

Other information has come to my attention that has me concerned. Once again, unusually warm ocean temperatures are occurring in the tropical western Pacific. During our resent prolonged drought, this pattern appeared to trigger an anomalous high-amplitude atmospheric wave pattern with strong, plus or minus, stationary ridging along the west coast of the U.S.A. The Pacific storm tract was shunted northward into Alaska. This pattern was so persistent that we experienced several years of prolonged and severe drought in the western U.S.A. So far, our precipitation totals are running about average for the season, however this persistent ridging pattern has once again appeared along our western coast. There is no precipitation in the forecast for the next 7 to 10 days and perhaps longer. This ridging pattern is an ominous sign. Hopefully the pattern will not persist. Stay tuned.

[Robert]

Check out our GFS forecast for the next 8 days.

500 mb Heights:

http://weather.rap.ucar.edu/model/displayMod.php?var=gfs_500_wnd&loop=loopall&hours=hr192


Precipitation:

http://weather.rap.ucar.edu/model/displayMod.php?var=gfs_sfc_prcp&loop=loopall&hours=hr192

This was a frequent weather pattern for the west coast of the U.S.A. from January 2013 thru much of 2015. We experienced extreme drought during this period of time.

Currently the long range forecast is for no precipitation for December!

[Robert]

I was up on Peavine Ridge yesterday, 6 December. A strong “Chinook type” wind event was in progress during the afternoon. Down-slope winds from the east to southeast were gusting to 30 mph (48 kmph). The atmosphere was being heated by compression and as expected temperatures were extremely mild for this time of year. I recorded temperatures of 64 F (17.8 C) at 3,625 feet (1,105 meters) and 58 F (14.4 C) at 5,146 feet (1,569 meters). As a comparison, the high temperature at the farm was only 59 F (15 C) at an elevation of 1,460 feet (445 meters). Needless to say, with these weather conditions, the snow in the high country is disappearing quickly.



Of coarse, I check on the Manzanita populations at various elevations on Peavine Ridge. Arctostaphylos viscida ssp. viscida is the most frequently encountered species throughout the complete altitude range of the ridge.



Arctostaphylos mewukka ssp. mewukka is also a very common species throughout the complete altitude range of the ridge. In this photograph, the dormant flower buds can be seen expanding. It is an early blooming species, but if flowers open soon this will be an extreme situation.



Buck Brush, Ceanothus cuneatus var. cuneatus, is one of a number of Ceanothus species that grow on the ridge. It is found at lower elevations in very dry sites.



Ceanothus cuneatus var. cuneatus blooms very early in the season with a very strong and pleasant pollen-like fragrance.

[Robert]

The evergreen oak, Quercus chrysolepis, is frequently encountered on Peavine Ridge.



Most of the California Black Oaks, Quercus kelloggii, are completely dormant. A few can still be found with lingering dried foliage, however this foliage is quickly falling too.



Peavine Ridge is a mix of private timberland and public timberland.



Large tracts of land are, more or less, monocultures of pine, mostly Jeffrey Pine, Pinus jeffreyi.  After a number of major wildfires over the past 5 plus decades, both public and private lands are repeatedly replanted in this way. I have been unable to detect any change in forest management in this area over this period of time. The same forest management methods appear to be continuing after the recent King Fire.