| The Magazine of the CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES |
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Naturalist's Almanac What to See This Summer
July The alpine meadows of the High Sierra are making the most of the brief summer. The cream-colored blossoms of corn lilies edge high Sierran lakes in late July, with cinquefoils, sky pilots, senecios, and buttercups splashing the rocky slopes and meadows. Snowplants push through with asparagus-like stalks that unfold into crimson. Devil's Postpile National Monument, Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite, and Desolation Wilderness have remarkable displays. Kit-bearing brings out the urge for lodge building in beavers. You'll find a prime spot for observing these industrious mammals at Plumas-Eureka State Park, northwest of Lake Tahoe, and at Lake Earl Wildlife Area, just north of Crescent City (707)464-2523. Nearly 800 plant species flourish in the fertile soil of Lassen Volcanic National Park near the small town of Mineral. Here you'll see plants found in both the Sierra and Cascade ranges, including Nuttall's larkspur, six species of monkeyflower, and 50 species of sedge. July provides a peak time for flower viewing, as well as for spotting flycatchers, finches, and occasionally a falcon or bald eagle. The highest coastal dunes in the United States are at Nipomo Dunes Preserve near Guadalupe. Eighteen protected plants help stabilize the terrain. Pelicans and least terns overlap their migratory paths in July, joining a resident beach community including snowy plovers and loons (805)343-2455. Penstemons are blooming at Laguna Meadows near San Diego. The oak and pine woodlands provide habitat for ash-throated flycatchers, solitary vireos, and white-headed woodpeckers, with bobcats and ringtails ranging at meadow's edge. This meeting of woodland and wet meadow represents a type of edge zone, an area where plant communities merge. Edge zones support a greater diversity of animal life that can be found in the center of either of the communities (619)445-6235. Adult male elephant seals haul out to molt during the summer months. Before they are done, the dark brown males will have shed their upper layer of skin along with large patches of hair. Their molting can be observed at Ano Nuevo State Reserve, about 20 miles south of Half Moon Bay (415)879-0227. Stellar sea lions, the largest seal variety in the world, range from the coasts of Alaska to Ano Nuevo. Females mate just 11-14 days after giving birth, but the implantation of the fertilized egg is delayed for three to four months. Births are then synchronized with the return of the pregnant females to their rookeries, where they can safely deliver their pups. Stellars breed on the Farallon Islands, where only a few humans can observe them, and on Ano Nuevo Island, where they can sometimes be seen from the mainland beach. Ano Nuevo is the largest rookery for stellars in California. Since 1938, populations have been in steady decline, leading to their designation as a threatened species in 1990. Audubon Canyon Ranch near Bolinas (415)868-9244 hosts nesting American snowy egrets and great blue herons this month. They fledge in groves near marshes, estuaries, and mudflats and feed in nearby Bolinas Lagoon. The bird refuge on West Marin Island in San Francisco Bay supports a major and protected rookery. If planning a boating trip on the Bay, take binoculars. Refuge regulations don't allow visitors on the island itself, but you can see the fledging birds from 300 yards offshore.The young birds hatch at about three weeks and fly in six to seven weeks. Offshore northern California, the deep, cold water brings nutrients to the surface in late June and early July. A toxic phytoplankton called Gonyaulax blooms and is eaten by shellfish. Collecting and eating shellfish during Red Tide can be dangerous and is prohibited. August Chickadees are storing large supplies of fir cones for their winter stores in the redwood forests of the Sierra. Meanwhile, in the rocky, high country, pikas are busy "making hay"-loading wildflowers, sedges, and shrubs into winter bundles. Clark's nutcrackers are also preparing for winter; they each collect and store 20,000 to 30,000 seeds, which they will retrieve with their long, stout beaks through the winter. Sharks and rays enter the Elkhorn Slough this month to spawn. The boardwalk and Five Fingers Overlook provide excellent viewing spots for herons, egrets, harbor seals, and southern sea otters. Monterey pines and coastal oaks surround the tidal creeks and restored salt marshes (408)728-2822. During the summer breeding season, the barefoot banded gecko signals a pigment change from mixed camouflage to yellow. This threatened species squeaks when disturbed and prefers the rocky environs of San Diego and Imperial counties. Preserving open space here is crucial to the survival of the gecko as well as approximately 90 other species. Rhododendrons and ferns thrive in the coastal redwood forests of Redwood National Park near Crescent City. Canyons, lush with vegetation, lead to remote beaches, with opportunities for tidepooling and spotting seals and sea lions (707)464-6101. Gray whales and elephant seals, once endangered, now thrive on California's coast, despite the human-generated noise. Sound is important to sea mammals for communication, navigation, and possibly courtship. Gray whales are now feeding in the Bering Sea, but blue whales and humpbacks can be seen just beyond coastal waters. For whale-watching cruises from SF (415)474-3385 and from LA (310)832-2676. Hummingbirds engage in nectar-extracting rituals in the High Sierra meadows, where they hover among alpine flowers. Alpine goldenrod, aster, and buttercups burst forth from their dormancy in brief summer splendor, providing a visual feast for the observing humans and ambrosia for neighboring birds. Meadows in Yosemite National Park are ideal spots for watching wildflowers and hummingbirds. Female tule elk, the smallest American variety, form herds and remain apart from the males except during the late August to November rutting season, when bulls join the herd and compete for cows. Bulls can be seen rolling in wallows of stagnant water and mud and urinating on vegetation, which they then catch in their antlers and toss over their backs. Aggressive males make a show of defending their harems with loud bugling sounds and by thrashing plants about. Their bugling is no bluff. Tule elk are very territorial to other elk as well as to humans, so use a telephoto lens if you wish to photograph them. A good spot to watch the seasonal ritual is Tomales Point Trail at Point Reyes. White-crowned sparrows and robins breed several times during the summer, producing fledging birds. In California, the nesting season lasts through August. Deer and wood ticks are especially active in the hot summer months, latching onto animals resting in the grasslands. To protect yourself on hikes, wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Also, be sure to check for ticks afterwards. Blackberries begin bearing fruit this month. These plants thrive where vegetation has been disturbed, including along dirt paths and roads up and down the California coast. They're easy pickins. Poison oak turns bright red in late August and September. It grows in a wide variety of habitats below 3500 feet and in many shapes and sizes. Watch for the distinctive compound leaves with three gently lobed leaflets. Melted snowpack from the Sierra Nevada creates waterfalls in side canyons of the mountains, where tributaries of the major river systems drop over granite outcroppings as they enter river gorges. By mid to late simmer, these frigid waters are warming up just enough to provide the ideal respite from the summer sun. You can find Codfish Falls, Devils Falls, and Indian Creek Falls off the dirt roads around the canyon of the American River. Wasps and bees form swarms to protect ousted queens while they search for new spots to rebuild their hives. While they can sting without provocation, try not to be afraid. Fear causes humans to produce phermones, which encourages the aggressive stinging. Western yellow jackets display extremely advanced social patterns. The fertile queen overwinters, then emerges, first to lay and feed the brood, then to be attended by the emerging colony. She goes on to lay 300,000 or more eggs by summer's end. Workers process wood bits to create a light, strong paper-mache nest below ground. California black bears spend the summer preparing for the hibernation to come. They eat berries and leaves and whatever else they can find, including freeze-dried camping food. They also must find or build hibernation dens by summer's end. Black bears mate from May to August. Their cubs will be born next winter, while their mothers are still in hibernation. Nineteen different species of raptors can be observed from Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands during the fall migraton season. Red-tailed, sharp-shinned, and Cooper hawks are commonly seen. Red-tails are buteos, or soaring hawks, identifiable by their broad wings and fan-shaped tails. Sharp-shinned and Cooper hawks are accipiters, which roughly means forest dwellers; they have short, rounded wings that help them maneuver through trees. Golden eagles are more rarely seen from Hawk's Hill with their long, broad wings and rounded tails. In the fall of 1997, 270 volunteers helped monitor and track bird migration. If you want to help, call the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (415)331-0730. The bugling of Roosevelt elk bulls signals rutting season for these coastal ruminants. To watch the impressive male dominance battles in an isolated setting, check out Sinkyone Wilderness State Park near Leggett. But keep your distance. They're testy! In the central Sierra Nevada, the endangered spotted bat is mating and eating moths to bulk up for winter hibernation. These bats are rare, small, and nocturnal so they're hard to spot. But you can recognize one by its long ears, almost as long as the rest of its body. Many residents of the Sierra are also eating madly, including the marmot and the golden mantled ground squirrel. The furry summer antlers of the mule deer are beginning to harden and soon the ruminants will rub off the velvety, outer layer. In the months to come, bucks will use their antlers to fight over females. The acorn woodpecker begins packing acorns (and almonds and walnuts, too) so tightly into granary trees that even crafty squirrels can't pry them out. Woodpeckers live in colonies, which use the same storage trees year after year. Acorns are not their only food supply; they can be seen gathering flying insects on mild winter days. Many passerines, or perching birds, are passing through northern California on their way to Central and South America for the winter. The narrow peninsula of Point Reyes Seashore is on the migratory route of more than one hundred species of songbirds and provides an ideal environment for bird watching (415)663-8522. September Spot impressive flocks of white pelicans this month at Grizzly Island Wildlife Area on Suisun Marsh. This expansive and important estuarine marsh supports California's largest population of river otters. September sees a swelling of waterfowl, shorebird, and raptor numbers, coinciding with fall migration (707)425-3828. Point Reyes Bird Observatory near Bolinas is one of the few full-time ornithological research stations in the United States. Every morning, visitors can watch bird banding and "net runs." At PRBO, ornithologists and volunteers study migration patterns and population fluctuations. This month, scrub jays, brown bushtits, towees, and ruby-crowned kinglets can be spotted on the self-guided nature trail (415)868-1221. Torrey Pines State Reserve in La Jolla and Santa Rosa Island near Santa Barbara provide the only habitats for the rarest pine in the world, the torrey pine. Torrey Pines Reserve also includes the Los Pe–asquitos Marsh Natural Preserve, one of the few remaining salt marsh and lagoon areas in southern California. Here bottlenose dolphins leap offshore year-round (619)755-2063. The Bay Area's recently expanded greenbelt includes the meadows, grasslands, ponds, and ridges of Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve near Palo Alto. The dun-colored, late summer hills provide habitat for black-tailed deer, coyotes, and gray foxes. Drop by the Nature Center for docent-led activities and to learn about Alpine Pond, home to western pond turtles and great blue herons (408)691-1200 |
Summer 1998
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