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THIS WEEK IN
CALIFORNIA WILD

Naturalist's Almanac

What to See This Fall

Monica McGee

The fall months are a time of movement and preparation. California's Coast Ranges bring views of migrating hawks and whales along the coastline, while in forest and woodland areas birds and mammals gather and store food for the approaching winter.

Acorns are ripening on coast live oak, blue oak, interior live oak, and valley oak. As the nuts ripen, the scrub jay and acorn woodpecker build their winter food stashes. Scrub jays bury acorns in the ground. Fortunately for the oaks, jays retrieve only a small percentage and so contribute to the oaks' seed dispersal. Acorn woodpeckers store acorns in holes drilled in tree trunks or other wooden structures, often using the same holes year after year. A good place to view woodpeckers and scrub jays are the many East Bay Regional Parks, including Briones Regional Park (510)562-3091, or at Joaquin Miller Park (510)482-7871. Acorn woodpeckers are also active in many woodlands in the southern Coast Ranges, including Castle Rock State Park (813)867-2952 and Montana de Oro State Park (805)549-3312.

The fall months are not devoid of floral activity. Among the plants in bloom are the coyote bush, California goldenrod, California sagebrush, the California brickle bush, and tan oak. Fruit is ripening on many coastal and woodland trees into November. The Pacific madrone, found in coastal redwood forests, produces bright orange and red berries at this time of year. And fruits are ripe on the California walnut and California buckeye.

The Klamath, the Eel, the Mad, and Trinity rivers are the primary locations in California for coho, steelhead and king salmon fishing and for naturalists to view spawning, although the population size of migrating fish is nowhere near their historical numbers. To see spawning salmon, walk along Bogus Creek (a tributary to the Klamath River just below Copco Lake), Little River in Van Damme State Park (707)937-5804, or Lagunitas Creek in Samuel P. Taylor State Park (415)488-9897. Get a closer view of salmon at one of several fish hatcheries in northern California, such as Iron Gate Hatchery upstream from Bogus Creek or Mad River Fish Hatchery in Humboldt County.

On warmer nights in October, lights attract several moth species. Observe the ranchman's tiger moth (the largest tiger moth in the state), the fragile gray moth, painted tiger moth, or woodland skipper. From urban parks to coniferous forests, the red admiral butterfly will be active in sunlit spots, even on the colder days of October and November. The introduced English ivy is blooming though November and attracts several species of flies.

Beaches undergo major transformations. Sand built up by lighter waves during the summer months begins to be torn down by the larger breakers associated with winter storms. As months pass, beaches steepen and narrow. Storms come primarily from the north, so north-facing beaches change most. Certain La Jolla beaches that were covered with white sand in summer are lined with boulders and cobble in winter. Look for waves breaking along longshore bars built up offshore by sand transported from the beach.

Newts and salamanders become active after the rains begin. Look for the California newt near coastal streams. On rainy days, the rough-skinned newt at Lake Eleanor in the Klamath Mountains can be seen migrating from the lake to seek a winter residence under logs, bark, or rotten wood. Gently lifting a rock or log in a chaparral, woodland, or forest area may reveal the California slender salamander or the Pacific slender salamander.

December
As the rains become more frequent, moisture-loving ferns, mosses, and hornworts flourish. Ferns that were brown and brittle in the summer months become green and lush along creeks and in the damp areas of redwood forests. Among the species found are deer fern, coastal wood fern, and western sword fern. The low-lying understory mosses and liverworts also come to life. Like ferns, these plants require water for flagellated sperm to reach the egg. They also have easily observable reproductive structures. The lung liverwort has a distinctive sperm-producing structure resembling a dinner plate balanced on a broomstick, while the female egg-producing structure looks like a palm tree. Haircap Moss has inconspicuous gamete structures but obvious spore-producing structures; stalked capsules, first green then brown, protrude from the green moss carpet. These plants are easily observable at Redwood National Forest (707)464-6101, Muir Woods National Monument (415)388-2595, and Fern Canyon in Point Reyes National Seashore (415)663-1092.

The best tidepool viewing of the fall is on December 2, 3, and 4 (predicted tidal heights for various regions can be found on the NOAA web site at www.opsd.nos.noaa.gov). As the tide retreats, peek into pools to view anemones, hermit crabs, barnacles, mussels, snails, and algae. With a careful eye, look for the solitary proliferating anemone. The largest individuals are mature adults and may have as many as ten juveniles attached to their column.

California gray whales can be sighted from December and into February along the coastline as they headtoward their southern breeding grounds in Baja California.

Likely the most recognizable insects in North America, monarch butterflies migrate toward the coast. The descendants make the southern trek and can be seen in spectacular congregations at Natural Bridges State Beach near Santa Cruz (831-423-4609), Dunes Campground near Sonoma (707-875-3483), and George Washington Park in Pacific Grove (831-648-3130).

Fall 1998

Vol. 51:4