May 6, 2012
Nicole and I went on a field trip today with the local California Native Plant Society chapter, although the site we visited was already very familiar to me – it’s our Western Pond Turtle field site in Lake County, California! It was different being up there and not looking for turtles. I learned some things about plants (which is good; I’m ridiculously ignorant about plants), saw and heard a bunch of great birds (including Pileated Woodpecker and MOUNTAIN QUAIL! Only the second time in my whole life I’ve ever seen Mountain Quail).
I didn’t keep great notes about the plants we saw, but I did a few nice pictures, particularly of Silver Bush Lupine, Ponderosa Pine, and Bowltube Iris. Other plants seen included California Goldfields, and Many-flowered Navarretia, which is one of the endemics at this site. We might have also seen the endemic Downingia, but I’m not sure about that one. Common Manzanita and Big Deervetch are abundant here. I also spotted a Tripartate Sweat Bee on one of the Irises.
The star of the day, however, was this little Ring-necked Snake. Such beautiful colors. Now I’m really looking forward to the start of my field season (in less than a month from now. YAY)!
On the way home, we spotted a Mountain Quail from the car while driving near the lake. Another quick view, but that feather “crest” is distinctive.
Species List
Bowltube Iris (Iris macrosiphon), Many-flowered Navarretia (Navarretia leucocephala plieantha), California Goldfields (Lasthenia californica), Silver Bush Lupine (Lupinus albifrons), Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa), Common Manzanita (Arctostaphylos manzanita), Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus abieticola), Mountain Quail (Oreortyx pictus), Ring-necked Snake (Diadophis punctatus), Big Deervetch (Hosackia crassifolia)
Let me know what you think!