2019 - Robert's botanical adventures in Northern California

[ian mcdonald]

Hope it stays fine for you Robert. It has been too hot and dry here for the last few days. Before that it was wet and windy.

[Robert]

Hope it stays fine for you Robert. It has been too hot and dry here for the last few days. Before that it was wet and windy.

Hi Ian,

Currently it is 102 F, however cooler weather is on its way. Tomorrow looks like a good day to be out. 

Hopefully I will have some good photographs. There is always a good story to tell about the plants and how they interact with their environment. I'll see what I can do with this. 

[Robert]

It is a beautiful morning in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The weather will be clear and much cooler than yesterday. I hope to reach some high elevation sites today, at or above 8,500 ft, to deploy one data logger.May it all go well. 

[Robert]

For the last two weeks I have been working the southern ridge above the Lyons Creek Basin. I will have some nice photographs to share over the next week or so.

The photograph above is of the Upper Forni Ranch. Last year the USFS finalized the purchase of this land and it is now Forest Service land (i.e. public property).  It is an interesting area with many nice plant species despite decades of cattle grazing/ranching in this area.

[Robert]

There has been a very persistent and stubborn weather pattern on the western coast of the U.S.A. this summer. For the most part, a persistent trough and southwestern flow aloft has kept daytime temperatures relatively cool for this time of year and has shunted much of the monsoonal moisture to the east. As you can see from this photograph, our skies have been clear in our area for the most part. 3 August 2019.



The new GOES-16 satellite is now operational and there are now 16 bands to analyze, as well as several composite images to view. Much higher resolution is now possible. It is a fantastic new tool to work with.

The image above is band 8, 6.2 µm. This band gives a good perspective of the high-level cloudiness streaming through our region. 3 August 2019.



Today much low-level monsoonal moisture advected northeastward through the south-central portion of our state. One can see the usefulness of Band 10, 7.3 µm. 4 August 2019.

In the short term, the periods of dry and relatively cool weather will continue. There are finally hints that conditions will change, however it is still too early to predict the nature of this weather change.



I have spent most of the last two weeks working the greater Lyons Creek Basin region. The scenery has been spectacular.



There are many meadows throughout this area. On close examination one finds that they contain a diverse array of wildflowers.

[Robert]

Diplacus mephiticus is one of the many interesting species that I have encountered while working the region. I will elaborate on this and other Diplacus species seen in this area.

I will be attempting a new format to help expedite my discussion. Basically, I will attempt to paraphrase and condense the discussions my wife and I have around the table in the evening. Above is an example of the things my wife and I talk about. 

[Robert]

Above 7,000 feet (2,134 meters) there are a few sites where mature, climax Red Fir (Abies magnifica var. magnifica) forest can be found. Although there can be signs of past logging, clearly portion of these old forest are still intact. By counting the tree rings, I estimate that many of the older trees are 300 to 350 years old.



Castilleja miniata ssp. miniata (pictured) is a commonly seen species in the high mountain meadows. Less common, but very difficult to photograph, is the tiny annual Castilleja tenuis. As one progresses higher into the mountains, annual species become less common. These high elevation annual species have unique qualities that if understood and deciphered reveal a great deal of information regarding the site.



The flowers of Castilleja miniata ssp. minata is usually red, however orange and yellow flowered individuals can be found.



Mule’s Ear, Wyethia mollis can be abundant in some high mountain meadows.



The annual species, Diplacus mephiticus (pictured) is beautiful but not frequently seen in our region.

Other annual Diplacus species are much more common. The tiny annual Diplacus torreyi is generally abundant in many locations from 3,500 feet to 7,250 feet elevation (1,067 to 2,210 meters). Above this elevation this species is often replaced by the ultra-tiny annual Diplacus leptaleus. In some ways the two species are very similar, however their succession is thought provoking. I spend time looking for clues to the survival advantage of Diplacus leptaleus at these high elevation sites. As many variables as possible are looked at to come up with a composite view of the situation.

It is very fascinating to see how the characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer can change at sites above 7,500 feet elevation in this area. In some locations the diurnal surface temperature pattern takes on many of the characteristics of the free atmosphere at 700 mb. More temperature data needs to be gathers from additional sites to further understand these dynamics, however this temperature pattern, of coarse, influences the flora at these elevations. How warmer temperatures at this elevation level might impact C3 plant species has been studied in the past, but I feel compelled to reexamine this idea in situ and over a longer time period. Carbon acquisition and other basic physiological features can be examined.

This is a simplified version of a typical evening conversation with my wife.

[Yann]

it's always a pleasure to see the californian nature, thanks for sharing your walks.

[Robert]

it's always a pleasure to see the californian nature, thanks for sharing your walks.

Hi Yann,

Thank you for the positive comment.     

Things have been so very busy for me lately. I wish that I could post more, but I am glad that I can do what I can. 

[Robert]

At this point in my plant diary I will take some liberties. In some ways I refer to my current botanical project as my “Apollo 13” project, the point being, when things go wrong how do you get home safely? I am sure this will be an enigma to readers, but with the Apollo 13 analogy maybe the blackouts at times will make sense. It is certainly a time where I am gathering a great deal of information. Priorities and meticulous attention to every detail are important at this time.

Wednesday was a beautiful day in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The clouds were building as an upper level low-pressure system approached the Northern California – Southern Oregon coast. The clouds were beautiful to watch, however my mind was also elsewhere. Currently, I am analyzing data concerning the relationship between the free atmosphere at 700 mb and the behavior of the boundary layer and the surface energy budget at specific sites above 8,500 feet (2,591 meters) elevation. Of course, this is very relevant to the flora in this region, but there is also nothing to discuss at this time either.



In the flats, the meadows are still lush and full of blooming wildflowers. Currently the water table is very close to the surface. I am sure that I could easily dig a hole and find water.



There were sheets of Erythranthe primuloides in bloom.



There were also some fine specimens of Eurybia integrifolia blooming in the meadow.



On higher ground, many species were passing into summer dormancy as conditions become very hot and dry.

[Robert]

Earlier in the season this site was a shallow pond. The standing water is now gone, but pond bed is still moist, the former pond now carpeted with Potentilla flabellifolia in full bloom.



A close up of Potentilla flabellifolia.



Many of the California native grasses are very beautiful. This is Danthonia californica with ripe fruit.



Some of the fruit is getting an early start this year, Lonicera conjugialis with orange-red fruit.

I am so very fortunate to have one of those “once in a lifetime” opportunities. My desire is to take full advantage of this opportunity. I will do the best I can to share a few plant photographs as I can, however there could easily be black outs at times. All is going extremely well and I awaken excited each day with many new prospects.

Until the next time……

[Robert]

Diplacus torreyi is still blooming in a few locations in the mid-elevations of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. For those that are interested in breeding Phrymaceae such as Diplacus and Erythranthe, I thought that you might enjoy a few observations.

As you can see Diplacus torreyi carries the dominant LAR1 allele, also found in species such as Erythranthe lewesii. The LAR1 locus encodes a transcription factor that regulates the expression of Flavonol Synthase (FLS), which regulates flavonol/(anthocyanin-indirectly) biosynthesis, thus the phenotype expression of a relatively light area surrounded by pink (flavonols are colorless, anthocynanins are pink at low pH levels – temperature and other environmental factors also influence anthocyanin expression). There are certainly interesting breeding potentials if one enjoys picotee “Mimulus” varieties.



I am still out in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on a regular basis, however there is a tremendous amount of work that I need to accomplish, both when in the field and at home in the office. From time-to-time I will continue to post a few photographs and interesting observations (there is also a interesting story behind this cloud formation, however I will have tell this story at another time).

I hope that you enjoy.

Until the next time…

[Robert]

Last week my brother accompanied me to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. My goal was to visit one of the few “unmanaged” meadows in the Crystal Range. I have been visiting this meadow since the early 1970’s. This climax meadow/lodgepole pine forest ecosystem is very stable and has changed very little in the past 40 years or so. In addition, because of the size of the area and its remote location, it is unlikely this meadowland received much grazing pressure from livestock during the heyday of forest livestock grazing (~1875 to 1970).

The site is an ideal study site for my current project, how climatic change is impacting the local flora/ecosystems. In maybe 5 to 7 years, analysis and comparison of managed; unmanaged, and altered ecosystems in this region will hopefully yield useful results.



My brother is a retired atmospheric scientist, so, the topic of discussion along the trail eventually drifted to climate change. Recent climatic events have us very concerned. There appears to be evidence that the pace of climate change may be accelerating. We will know soon enough.

Currently, atmospheric CO₂ concentrations have risen to levels slightly above 400 ppm. It was during the Eocene ~ 40 to 50 million years ago that the earth last experienced atmospheric CO₂ concentrations of this magnitude. From this Eocene time period fossil records indicate that the flora and climatic conditions in California were warm-humid tropical similar to the tropical conditions now found in Southern Mexico and Amazonia. In addition, during this time period there were no ice sheets in Antarctic or polar Arctic ice.

Over time as atmospheric CO₂ levels fell and oceanic currents changed the planet cooled. During the Pleistocene, atmospheric CO₂ levels fluctuated between 270 ppm during interglacial periods and 190 ppm during the maximum glacial periods. During the so-called Holocene, atmospheric CO₂ concentrations remained at 270 ppm until the beginning of the Industrial revolution when they began to rise steadily to their current level of >400 ppm.

The physical characteristics of plant biochemistry are significantly impacted by temperature. Already we can see how changing climatic conditions are impacting plant growth and the timing of events (phenology) vernalization (seed dormancy i.e. stratification, winter chilling hours, etc.) and many other plant behaviors. For us gardeners, it is something we will have to contend with now and into the near future.



Building convective clouds over the Crystal Range.

Until the next time…

[Robert]

I returned to “The Unmanaged Meadow “ that my brother and I visited a week ago in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I spent most of the afternoon conducting a detailed survey of the flora (vascular plants). The plants were segregated into two groups; those found in the open wetland areas that flood during spring snowmelt, and the surrounding peripheral areas that are slightly above the flooded central portion of the meadow. This initial survey revealed a rather low level of species diversity. These days, I am pretty good at identifying species even from dried remains, but there were few dried plants to examine. I have visited this site during the spring and realize I will be adding more plants to my current listing.

When analyzing any ecosystem there are many variables to consider. A compartmental model, where I can initially keep things relatively simple and linear, is my starting point for all three of the meadow habitats I am currently monitoring and evaluating.



I have a great deal of local regional metrological data to sort through and analyze. The three charts are from data gathered from a site located at 6,700 feet (2,042 meters) about 5 miles (8 km) away from the Unmanaged Meadow. The Unmanaged Meadow is at 6,760 feet (2,060 meters), so I will get good proxy data for the meadow until I get my own instruments in place.

When looking at the first chart one can see that the average July high temperature is, more or less, unchanged over the past 14 years, however there are obvious indications that with the inclusion a few more years of data this trend could change.



The chart of average July temperatures reveals a noteworthy upward trend in average temperatures, 59.1 F to 59.4 F.



The chart of July minimum temperatures is the most revealing, a temperature increase from 44.90 F to 45.30 F over the 14 year period. Even old climatic models from the 1970’s and early 1980’s indicated that low nighttime temperature would be the most susceptible to upward change due to anthropogenic increases in atmospheric aerosols, chiefly CO₂, water vapor, methane, etc.

[Robert]

I did start the morning on Peavine Ridge. This view is looking west-southwest toward the Great Central Valley in California.



Current conditions on Peavine Ridge are very dry. Many perennial and annual species have dried and are safely dormant under the ground until the autumn rain / winter snow arrives. Two annuals, Calycadenia truncata (pictured) and Lessingia leptoclada have been blooming for months now despite the relative heat and dry conditions. Conditions are fairly extreme. For example, 10 cm soil temperatures have been ranging from 110.8 F (43.8 C) during the day to 66.7 F (19.3 C) at night, with basically no moisture in the top 15 cm of the soil.

With luck, more postings later.


Until the next time…