2017 - Robert's botanical adventures in Northern California

[Robert]

A few scenes from Loon Lake the other day.



Tells Peak from Chipmunk Bluff.



Loon Lake  Tells Peak and Brown Mountain in the background.



Tells Peak from the west end of the lake. The water level in the lake is lowered each autumn.



Peaks at the east end of Loon Lake.



Pleopsidium flavum. Most of the wildflowers are dormant, or going dormant, however the lichens are still colorful.

[Robert]

Juniperus grandis. This species often has a sculpted look.



Ericameria cuneata var. cuneata was one of the few plants still blooming on Chipmunk Bluff.



There were also a few Castilleja pruinosum still in bloom.

My next outing will be this Thursday.

[ian mcdonald]

Robert, you mentioned Loon Lake. This is my attempt at painting a Loon. I am the founder of the Barbaric School of Art.

[David Nicholson]

............................I am the founder of the Barbaric School of Art.

 

[Robert]

Ian,

It looks like a Loon to me. 

    

You should see some of the line drawings I do you in the field. 
I certainly will not win any awards, but then we do things in our household like in that old Frank Capra movie "You can't take it with you". They were enjoying themselves .... isn't that what matters! 

[Maggi Young]

Seems like these terrible wildfires in California are too close for comfort, Robert - I hope you and all your family are safe.

[Ed Alverson]

Maggi, the fires that are now burning in California are mostly more toward the coast, in Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino counties. The most damaging of the wildfires, the Tubbs fire, has burned the area where we lived when I was a kid. I can see on the maps that are available online that our old neighborhood was within the fire perimeter, but it was not the neighborhood where every house was destroyed (and has been featured in news reports) - that was a mile or two away. We have not heard from any of our old friends and neighbors yet, but we are hoping that they are all ok. I actually visited Sonoma County last fall, and thought I would post a photo if people are interested in seeing what the area looks like - or at least used to look like. The tree-covered hillsides in the foreground and middle ground have now all burned, and the valley floor in the distance is where the fire storm occurred, the fire burning out of the hills from left to right. This is going to end up being one of the biggest fire impacts in California history, because it is affecting such a populated area. Everyone should be sending positive energy toward northern California, if not financial donations to aid organizations.

Ed

[Maggi Young]

We can only hope for a quick end to these fires.

[Robert]

As of 6:00 a.m. (11 Oct.) Wednesday morning the smoke from the wildfires in Sacramento is extremely thick. It is indeed a tragedy and we certainly hope that the fires can be brought under control soon. The weather forecast is for the dry north winds to pick up today. This could make the disaster much worse. This is not a good weather forecast!

I will be leaving early in the morning (Thursday) to hike in the Lyons Creek Basin. I will be gone all day, however I will keep everyone informed as I can. Hopefully there will be no new fires to compound the present situation.

[Robert]

I was just in contact with my brother. There is one fire in El Dorado county (where the farm is located). At this time it is not a major concern, but with the wind today the situation could change quickly.

A quick note for Ed......

Cryptogramma cascadensis appears to be very common on the western slope of the Crystal Range above 8,000 feet. If there are mesic conditions, I find it growing - sometimes abundantly. I am sure this does not surprise you. I have a feeling it is quite common at high elevations in the Sierra Nevada. Sometimes I have found C. acrostichoides somewhat nearby, but never in the same habitat (i.e. mesic conditions). No signs of hybrids either.

[Robert]

I had a very productive and interesting outing yesterday. Cold autumn weather has arrived in the high country of the Sierra Nevada as well as the foothills. It was 19 F (-7.2 C) at the Lyons Creek trailhead (6,690 feet, 2,039 meters) yesterday and 37 F (2.7 C) at the farm (1,460 feet) this morning.

The scene is of Lake Sylvia at the base of Pyramid Peak.



I arrived at the summit of Pyramid Peak (9,983 feet, 3,043 meters) at Noon. It was 39 F (3.8 C). The scene is to the north with Mount Price and other peaks of the Crystal Range off into the distance.



To the west it is very smoky from the fires in the Sonoma and Napa counties. The fires have been extremely destructive. 31 have been found dead. As of this morning, the fires are only 7% and 10% contained, with a new dry wind storm forecast to start later this evening. The city of Fairfield is at risk. Stay tuned it is not over yet!

[ian mcdonald]

Robert, it seems like the worst scenario, more like a disaster film. I suppose the burning embers spread the fire a long distance with the wind. No use clearing fire breaks with the intensity of the flames?

[Robert]

At this point we will just have to see what happens next. How strong will the winds be? Will any new fire start? Rain is in the forecast for next week, but we need something good now.

We will hope for the best.

[Robert]

LAKE SYLVIA
&
PYRAMID PEAK

Thursday, 12 October 2017

Sacramento Weather
Weather: Clear
Temperature, High: 75 (23.9 C ) Low: 52 (11.1 C )
Barometer: 1016 mb

Placerville Weather
Weather: Clear
Temperature, High: 71 (21.7 C ) Low: 34 (1.1 C )
Barometer: 1017 mb




On Thursday morning I set out for the Lyons Creek Basin at the southern end of the Crystal Range, El Dorado County, California. The plan was to hike to Lake Sylvia at the head of Lyons Creek and explore the slopes above the lake. In addition, if everything worked out well, I would climb to the summit of Pyramid Peak, the highest peak in the Crystal Range and explore the southwestern flank of the mountain.

I arrived at the Lyons Creek trailhead, elevation 6,690 feet (2,039 meters), at 7:00 a.m. Autumn weather had certainly set in. It was 19 F (-7.2 C) when I arrived and many plants were well advanced into their dormancy (i.e. frozen solid or no longer living above ground). Everything was covered with frost, including the needles of Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana (pictured).



I was well prepared for the cold weather, and quite comfortable as I hiked up the trail that was frozen, rock hard, solid. It might appear from the weather conditions and the time of year, that my botanical prospects might be limited. As I hiked up the trail, I kept an open mind and a sharp eye out for anything interesting. This was good, as I was pleasantly surprised how the day turned out and how many plants I was able to identify.



Lyons Creek still flowed with a goodly amount of water. During the drought years many parts of the creek were completely dry by late summer. This flow of water was a very welcome sight.



Most forms of Spirea splendens turn yellow in the autumn. In this photograph Spiraea splendens and Lonicera conjugialis make up the bulk of the shrubby undergrowth along the first portion of the trail.



Sorbus californica has beautiful autumn foliage that will generally turn some shade of red. The bright red clusters of fruit in the autumn are also very attractive, however the birds and other wildlife do not waste any time devouring it. 

[Robert]

Many Aspen groves, Populus tremuloides, can be seen along the initial portions of the trail. Aspens are known for their spectacular golden-yellow autumn foliage, however on this outing only a few trees in the distance lived up to this reputation.



Many of the Aspen had already become dormant; a few seemed undecided if they wanted to turn color or just drop their leaves. This was one of the few trees that looked fairly nice.



Grape-fern, Sceptridium multifidum was one of the surprises for the day. I have never recorded this species in this area and this specimen grew right next to the trail in plain sight; that is, in plain sight when all the surrounding herbaceous foliage had been frosted down. This site is one of my favorite places to observe Violas and other species that I have a keen interest in. I was very pleased to find this fern species.



The trail eventual leaves the relatively flat meadow and forestland near the trailhead and moves higher into rocky, more open terrain. Here Pyramid Peak looms close.



Many herbaceous and bulbous species can be found growing in the rocky, open terrain. With summer dry and cold autumn conditions many are now dormant.  The blue-green fronds of Pellaea bridgesii are quite pronounced and much appreciated during the autumn.