Robert’s Crystal Range Project – Year 2, 2020

[Robert]

I was out again yesterday. Spring is in full swing in the mountains.

Nemophila maculata is in full bloom.



Hesperochiron pumilus, a member of the Boraginaceae, is found in moist meadows.



Viola bakeri (pictured) and Viola purpurea ssp. purpurea can be found, at times, in the same general area, however the two species occupy two separate and distinct habitat niches.

I still have photographs to share from my previous outing. Currently, I am participating in additional ecological projects where my attention is needed. I will do the best that I can is to post a few photographs on a regular basis.

[Robert]

I was out in the Sierra Nevada Mountains for part of the day today.



This is the annual Phacelia quickii in full bloom among granodiorite rocks. This is a very hot and dry environment.



This is another annual, Diplacus torreyi. This species has a number of genetic markers that are helpful in understanding how plants are responding to changing variables, such as temperature, in their environment.



Poa secunda ssp. secunda (pictured) is blooming throughout this site. Stipa occidentalis var. californica will be in full bloom in about 7 to 10 days.

[Robert]

Here are a few more photographs from my last outing.



This specimen of Calochortus leichtlinii has emerged through a colony of Sedum obtusatum ssp. obtusatum.



Calyptridium monospermum is a very common species in our area. This xeric species is quite showy when in bloom.



Castilleja pruinosa, is quite showy when in bloom. This species is only locally abundant in selected locations in our area.



The tiny annual Hemizonella minima grows abundantly in dry sunny locations.



Pellaea bridgesii is a common rock fern is our area. It is found predominantly at the higher elevations.

[Robert]

Senecio integerrimus var. major is an early blooming species and is distinctively hairy.



The annual Nemophila maculata can frequently be found growing in large stands that are extremely showy.



This leaves of this specimen of Eriogonum nudum are still tinted red from abundant anthocyanin in the leaves. This is a very common feature of high elevation alpine plants.



I occasionally encounter fairly large colonies of the annual Diplacus torreyi. Such colonies are very beautiful when in full bloom.



This pond was created at the site of an old logging deck. The site was barren with little or no vegetation. Now it is a thriving habitat for many life forms.

[Diane Whitehead]

deliberately created?  Will it have water in it all summer?

[hamparstum]

Diane, I doubt that the loggers ever thought of generating a summer or even perhaps late spring pond. But unless the loggers had entered the area, it would not have existed at all. This photo of Robert actually shows some interesting sides of human intervention.As a former officer for conservation with our national parks, I was frequently faced with similar situations. The initial damage was done and loggers no longer kept an interest in the forest. Then ecological re-establishment would start. Not necessarily to the primeval condition though. A new set of habitats. Is this bad?:  Difficult to make generalized statements. Sometimes actually it may mean the appearance of new niches and species that could easily disappear as consequence of fragmentation of ecosystems. Other times barren spots stay so for "ever???". Sometimes public pressure asks for human intervention with the purpose of restoring towards... Can it be achieved? not always. In spite of increased understanding of how (in this case) temperate forest ecosystems operate, we are still in the infancy of its knowledge. By collecting a wealth of natural data, Robert is providing the base material for systems ecologists as well as plant population biologists to have historical information side by side.

Arturo

[Robert]

Hi Diane,

A detailed evaluation of this project is years away. Arturo covered many important points with his posting. I will add a few details that will hopefully provide more clarity.

This site was originally a private land holding dating back to at least the 1870’s maybe a bit earlier. The primary use at this site was livestock grazing. There is a second, much older, pond on this site that may, or may not, be man made. The land was sold to the U.S. Forest Service fairly recently (i.e. it became public land). Prior to the sale, the land was logged extensively during the 1990’s. The pond site pictured was one of several logging deck left behind by the loggers. During the ensuing years this logging deck was used by off-road vehicles as a playground for their activities. When I visited this site before the restoration work started the “pond” was a lifeless mud hole during the spring/early summer, and a dry barren lifeless depression during the late summer/autumn. The U.S. Forest Service has done a great job excluding the off-road vehicles. In addition, the Forest Service built a simple check dam using a few small logs to help the depression hold water/control water flow during the spring/early summer. This is the third year of this project and many life forms are returning to this formerly barren site.

Yes, the pond is dry, mid-summer into the autumn. The last I heard, additional alterations are going to be made to improve the overall hydrology at this site. As Arturo stated, depending on how these projects are undertaken, it can be debatable whether the projects should proceed as they are currently designed. From my perspective, some aspects of the project are imperative, others questionable. This site is a botanical “hot-spot”. From my perspective this diversity needs to be preserved. I have started a genetic survey of a number of species at this site and the preliminary data is extremely revealing. I certainly hope that any additional efforts to “restore”/alter this site take into consideration the unique genetic biodiversity of this site.

[hamparstum]

The difficulty underlying how to operate with restoration projects is that we know so little of how does the ecosystem react to climatic change. In my youth, when I was a student of ecology, it was a common place fact that climate is more or less stable. Therefore ecological succession  will occur once the disturbing factor is eliminated. ( in this case logging) . Time has passed and factually one finds that it almost never holds true. Now that we know much more about climate and its changing patterns, it is highly probable that the theory of ecological succession is untenable and not supported by facts. This derives into two different aspects. First, every primeval piece of native ecosystem ( in this case temperate forest) ought to be preserved from any further intervention. Far too much has already been altered to justify further degradation. Those are pocket remnants from which the basic genetic material can be retrieved. Second, the concept of restoration ought to shift from ecosystem restoration towards restoration of biological diversity. That is where population ecology jumps in. I'm glad that Robert recognizes that pond as a botanical hot spot.  Both levels, ecosystems and populations ( and there's a third intermediate level that should be also considered that is community ecology) are liable to climate change. That is why I greatly value Robert's work when he is trying by all means to collect climatic data in such a detailed way, associated to the different plant species that he is using as indicators.
Arturo

[Robert]

I would like to clarify a bit further from my last posting.

The site as a whole is a botanical “hot spot”, a blending of flora from lower, middle, and higher elevation life zones. Species generally associated with lower elevation life zones can be found with species generally associated with higher elevation life zones. It is a very unique situation occupying a relatively small area, at most a few square kilometers.

Currently, only a few plant species occupy the logging deck pond site, Juncus saximontanus (6 stamens), Scripus diffusa, and Hosackia oblongifolia var. oblongifolia. The much older pond is ringed with Carex vesicaria. There are scattered stands of Juncus occidentalis. The flooded bed of the pond is carpeted with Potentilla flabellifolia, which emerges when the water evaporates or drains away later in the season. Potentilla flabellifolia can be a strong indicator species and is frequently associated with stable unmanaged systems. I am strongly suspicious that the lower pond may be a natural pond, however other factors need to be taken into consideration. Whatever the case, it is certainly a much older pond with a completely different mix of plant species.

[Robert]

Severe thunderstorms developing over the Crystal Range.

For the first time in over a month I was able to visit Peavine Ridge and down load data. I missed the bulk of the wildflowers this season but, as always, there were interesting things to see. I found a small group of Erigeron inornatus in bloom near a path I have been traveling for years. It is amazing that I missed this species, especial sense I have a long running detailed phenology of the species at this site. Oh well, I am glad I spotted the plants. 

[Hoy]

Glad you are back in business, Robert!

I like thunderstorms

[cohan]

Fun to see the species there, and interesting to hear details of projects etc.

[Robert]

Hi Trond,

I will be a bit slow getting back into things. Dealing with the current situation in the U.S.A. is overwhelming, at least for me. There is so much that I have fallen behind on, and many challenges getting important things done. It is important that I understand my limitations and priorities.

Cohan,

Thank you for the comments. Much of what I am doing right now deals with how plants are responding to various atmospheric variables and creating atmospheric models. This is most likely not very interesting to readers of this diary. For this diary, I will stick to plant and landscape photographs unless someone expresses an interest in these topics.



There has been monsoonal thunderstorm activity near the crest of the Sierra Nevada during the past week. This view to the west shows the clear, cloudless skies that prevail over the Central Valley of California during the morning and early afternoon hours of each day. Late in the day, high-level, mostly glaciated, cloudiness from the mountain thunderstorms often moves over the lower foothill region.



Most sites are extremely dry in the mid-elevations of the Sierra Nevada (+ or – 5,000 feet). Pictured are the dried remains of Navarretia prolifera ssp. lutea.



There were a few remaining plants of Navarretia leptalea ssp. leptalea with enough life to bloom.

[Robert]

Drought induced senescence has set in with the rock fern Aspidotis densa.



Lessingia leptoclada is a late blooming xeric annual. I have first generation plants established in our garden. I look forward to creating an improved line of this species with improved performance under garden conditions.



There were a few plants of Pyrola picta blooming in the shade of a grove of tall Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) and Jeffrey Pine (Pinus jeffreyi).

[hamparstum]

Robert, Of the many variables I tend to overlook, there's one that I'm becoming more and more interested in: the topographical gradient; how steep is the inclination of the soil. This may be possibly the explanation of success or failure of many potential rock garden species. With important angles of inclination most of the water  simply runs off with little infiltration and much less possibility of creating water logging. As my Lewisias have reached the size of planting outside I'm now growing then on slanted trays so that they are ready to be placed outside as if already growing slanted. We have had a very rainy/snowy winter this season and all indicates that it will continue so.
     This could also explain the existence of xeric herbaceous species within the cover of bushes and trees. As we have exchanged before, I'm very interested in the microclimates where your wild species grow. Rain shadows is one, the sunny/shade position is another, now I,m adding this dimension. As I look my potted Penstemons, most are from rugged terrain. Imo all of them are garden worthy...I'm just too partial...Now growing them on is still a mystery although climatically my local variables seem to match quite well with the original sites. Some species seem to have a much wider ecological niche than others. Discovering these is part of the fascination of growing wild flowers that share so many members of this club.
Arturo