Back in the Lakes Basin!!!

Howard Meadow 6/1/26

6/1/26 and 6/4/26

 

Last week I hiked in the Lakes Basin 3 times! It was absolutely fabulous to be back in my home away from home!  We went out to Howard Meadow twice, and I hiked up to the Helgramite Lakes on another day! The meadows were greening up and wildflowers were blooming everywhere we went! 

Unfortunately, I don't have much time to write today so enjoy the photos!  Better yet, get out there yourself and enjoy the beauty!

Howard Meadow buttercup field

On the lower right side of Howard Meadow, there was a large section that was filled with thousands of yellow Buttercups! It was amazingly gorgeous!!

Water Plantain Buttercups - Ranunculus alismifolius

Camas - Camassia quamash 

Down by the creek that flows through Howard Meadow, 

there were thousands of Camas in bloom!

Camas - Camassia quamash 

Just gorgeous!!!

Howard Meadow Pond

We discovered this small pond in a different part of Howard Meadow last year!

This year the pond was just filled with pollywogs!!!

Primrose Monkeyflower - Mimulus primuloides

These little  Primrose Monkeyflowers have leaves with lots of long hairs on the upper surface! So unusual! They were growing in the wetter areas of the meadow.

Sierra Lewisia - Three-leaf Lewisia

Lewisia nevadensis - Lewisia triphylla

These lovely Lewisias were found scattered along 

the drier edges of the meadow.

Stickseed - Hackelia sp.

These lovely stickseeds were growing in the dry forest floor, adjacent to the meadow.  There were big groups of them in some areas, as well as scattered individual plants. I love their baby blues and pinks!

Western Waterleaf - Hydrophyllum occidentale

These Western Waterleaf plants were numerous in the shady forest!

Elephant's Head (in bud) - Water Plantain Buttercups 

Pedicularis groenlandica - Ranunculus alismifolius

I only found one Elephant's Head in the meadow, and it wasn't blooming yet! I'll have to go back soon to see if more show up and blossom!

Elephant's Head - Pedicularis groenlandica

In another meadow, on that same day, we found an incredible amount of Elephant Heads growing along the edge of a small creeklette!!!  There were several hundred of them in bloom, more than I've ever seen before in one area! Amazing, elaboratley beautiful flowers!  How lucky we were to come across them!!!

Long Lake & Mt. Elwell - 6/3/26

 

6/3/26

On another day, I hiked by myself up to the Helgramite Lakes in the Lakes Basin. It was a beautiful blue-sky day and I had a fabulous time!

un-named lake near Helgramite Lake and Mt. Elwell

As usual there were several ducks on this lake. Hopefully they'll raise some ducklings here. I also heard and saw a Spotted Sandpiper on the shore! I looked for Yellow-bellied Marmots in this area, but only (maybe) saw one duck for cover. Not sure if it was a Marmot or a squirrel. Maybe next time!!!

un-named meadow near Helgramite Lake

This meadow is one of my absolutely favorite meadows!  It was just starting to green-up, and there were some Elephant Heads and a few Shooting Stars in bloom!

un-named pond near Helgramite Lake 

I hiked cross-country up to this vernal pond, and was delighted to find it full of water!  Some years it's dry as a bone. This will be dried out in another month or less, depending on the weather. But that day, it was great fun to take a dip in it!

Mountain Pride - Penstemon newberryi

The wildflowers were really coming in to bloom!  The magenta Mountain Pride stole the show!  

Mountain Pride - Penstemon newberryi

They were in full bloom everywhere, in small to large groups,

sometimes cascading down rocky slopes! 

Spreading Phlox - Phlox diffusa

The Spreading Phlox was carpeting the forest floor in profuse fragrant blossoms! They definitely win the prize for fragrance!  Get down on your knees and inhale their lovely floral scent, it's beautiful!

Torrey's Blue-eyed Mary's - Collinsia torreyi

These Blue-eyed Mary's are tiny but super numerous on the forest floor. They can go undetected, as they are so small, but often carpet large areas of the forest.

 Fendler's Meadow Rue (male-female) - Thalictrum fendleri

Another profusely blooming plant in the damp areas, was Fendler's Meadow Rue . The tiny male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. The male flowers have dangly, pollen-covered tassels that are beautifully delicate.

Veronica Lake 5/26/26

5/26/26

Two weeks ago, my friends Nancy and Patti, and I decided to hike in the Lakes Basin. It was a drizzly day down in my neighborhood, so we grabbed our rain gear and headed up for a hike. When we arrived at the Round Lake Trailhead, it was SNOWING lightly but we decided to hike out to Veronica Lake anyway, just a 3 mile round-trip hike. On the way there it sifted light snow that didn't build up on the ground.

Spotted Mountain Bells - Fritillaria atropurpurea

We were able to find and photograph some cool Spotted Mountain Bells on the way! These flowers are brown and green and hard to spot. They also aren't very common, so we were lucky to find them!

Spreading Phlox - Phlox diffusa

The Spreading Phlox was a bit water-logged, but the pattern of the raindrops was incredibly beautiful!  I'd never seen this before! 

Spotted Mountain Bells - Fritillaria atropurpurea

The raindrops made these fritillaries even more beautiful! Look at how fine a balance they have on the petals!

Unseasonal snow flurry!

By the time we got to Veronica Lake, the rain was really coming down. We took a few photos then hot-footed it back to parking lot as quick as we could, but the rain turned to a snow flurry on the way!!!  Luckily it wasn't building up on the ground and we drove slowly and safely back down the road and home!  What a great adventure that was!!!

What birds are in the Lakes Basin now?

What else is blooming?

What insects are out and about!

Check back in two weeks for my next natural history blog,

on Sunday, June 21st.

Your comments and questions are greatly appreciated. Please email me at northyubanaturalist.com

Sierra Valley and Carmen Valley once again!

 

Yellow-headed Blackbird - Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

Sierra Valley

Last Monday, my friend Mary and I revisited Sierra Valley and Carmen Valley. We saw a variety of birds, tons of wildflowers, a Pronghorn, three Bald Eagles, and a Beaver!  It was a wonderful day!!!

Yellow-headed Blackbird (male - female) - Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

Male Yellow-headed Blackbirds were creating a racket with their coarse, raucous calls from the tules and cattails alongside the road. It's their mating time! Males are polygynandrous and will have up to six mates. The females aren't as gorgeous, being mottled brown in color, but are better camouflaged for nesting.

American Coot and cootling (female) - Fulica americana

To my delight there was one mama American Coot and two cootlings! The cootlings are so comical with their bald heads and colorful downy feathers.

American Coot cootlings  - Fulica americana

Apparently their colorful and unusual head markings stimulate their parents to feed them!

Sage Thrasher (adult) - Oreoscoptes montanus

For the second time in my life, I saw a Sage Thrasher!! They feed mainly on insects, but will eat small fruits and berries if available. They generally nest in or under Sagebrush bushes. Both the male and female construct their bowl-shaped nest with twigs, lined with grasses, fur, and horsehair. They will both incubate their 4-5 eggs for 11-13 days, feed the nestlings for 10-14 days, and care for the fledglings for 7 days or more. How cool to see this uncommon bird!!!

Willet (adult) - Tringa semipalpata

We saw and heard LOTS of Willets over on Harriet Lane. I have always seen them walking in the water among the tules, rushes, and cattails. I've never seen them on a post, but several were on posts that morning!

Yellow Owl's Clover - Lemmon's Onion - Porterella
Castelleja campestris - Allium lemmonii - Porterella carnosula 

There were carpets of wildflowers in some areas, more will be blooming in the near future! 

 American Pronghorn (female) - Antilocapra americana

We visited the Feather River Land Trust Visitor Center while we were in Sierra Valley, and the staff pointed out a very distant female Pronghorn from their back window, that had had her baby that morning!!! We didn't see the baby, but it was super cool to see her!!! She was such a far distance away that the heatwaves made photos impossible.

Pronghorns are not antelopes, and are not related to antelopes, but are often known colloquially in North America as the American antelope, prong buck, pronghorn antelope, prairie antelope, or simply antelope. They are the ONLY species in their Antilocapridae Family, and the only animal on earth that has branching horns that are shed annually. Many (but not all) pronghorn herds are migratory, traveling long distances to warmer climates in the fall, and back to greener locations in the spring.

Mt. Beckwourth from Carman Valley - 5/18/26

Carman Valley

 

This time we went to the wetlands in Carman Valley.  I love this small wetland! It's off the beaten path, and I rarely see anyone else there. The view is expansive and so peaceful! Additionally, we saw some surprising wildlife while we were there!

Northern Pintail (male) - Mallard (male)

Anas acuta - Anas platyrhynchos

We didn't see many ducks that day, except for some unknowns that flew off and these two males!

Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus

However, we did see a Bald Eagle! It flew over the wetlands, perched in a pine tree for a while, and then flew off! Bald Eagles are LARGE birds, measuring 31" in height, with a wingspan of 80" (6.5 feet!)!! Fish, waterfowl, and mammals are their main prey. They are uncommon in our area, and it's a rare privilege to see one!

The following information about Bald Eagles is from the Cornell Ornithology website birdsoftheworld.org :

"The Bald Eagle is a large fish-eagle with a dark brown body and a distinctive white head and tail acquired at 4 to 5 years of age. It is opportunistic forager, scavenging prey items when available, pirating food from other species when it can, and capturing its own prey when needed. It consumes a variety of vertebrate prey, but generally selects fish over other food types.

The list of aquatic birds serving as live prey includes not only waterfowl and waterbirds like American Coots, but also gulls, and Great Blue Herons. Large mammals are most often eaten as carrion, especially in winter; small to medium-sized mammals such as hares, rabbits, muskrat, and ground squirrels may be taken live."

Forster's Tern - Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Inset photos by Mary Abbott

My friend Mary Abbott spotted this Forster's Tern circling the wetlands!  It repeatedly flew over us as it circled about, and we could definitely see it's dark cap and red/orange beak! Neither one of of us had ever seen one of these birds before! Apparently, it was probably on its way north to its breeding grounds.The overall appearance was a bright white bird with long slender wings!  It would periodically dive into the wetland to presumably catch fish! It flew so fast, it was super hard to get a photograph, but Mary got some good distance shots with her phone! The inset photos above are her photographs! How lucky we were to see this lovely tern!

Carman Valley - 5/22/26

Five days later, we revisited Carman Valley again! This time we went to some wet meadows, a little distance from the wetlands. To our delight they were in absolutely profuse full bloom!!! There were thousands of Bistorts and Camas filling the meadows!!! Such beauty! We wandered in them for several hours, while big cumulus clouds cast shadows and lovely light on the wildflowers!

Western Bistorts - Common Camas Lily - Sticky Cinquefoils
Polygonum bistortoides - Camassia quamash - Potentilla glandulosa

Among the Camas and Bistorts were bright, shiny, butter-yellow, Sticky Cinquefoils! It was a botanical paradise!

Western Bistorts - Common Camas Lily 
Polygonum bistortoides - Camassia quamash

I took way to many photos, but couldn't help myself!  Such beauty!

Western Bistorts - Common Camas Lily
Polygonum bistortoides - Camassia quamash 

The Western Bistorts were in their prime, but the Camas flowers were already starting to dry out!  How lucky we were to be there during peak flowering!

Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus

Several Red-winged Blackbirds were perched on the Corn Lilies, hawking insects out of the air!

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias

These meadows were right next to the beaver pond we visited two weeks ago. Mary and I decided to walk over and see if there were any beavers present. The first critter we saw was a Great Blue Heron, standing on the beaver lodge!! It really blended in with all the dead, gray branches covering the lodge!

Beaver Lodge and the back of a North American Beaver!

To my delight I spotted a North American Beaver!!! As soon as I saw it, it dove underwater and I didn't get a photo. However, we waited another minute and it surfaced over by the beaver lodge. I managed to quickly get a photo of its backside as it dove underwater again!  How exciting to see a beaver!  We were thrilled!  Wow!!! I'm going back again today to hopefully get some better photos, and to see what else we might be residing in the pond! Can't wait!

What's blooming in my neighborhood?

What migratory songbirds have arrived?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

Check back for the answers to these questions and more  in two weeks, on Sunday, June 7th!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated! Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!

Black Swan Preserve & Carman Valley

Green Lynx Spider - Peucitia viridans

Black Swan Preserve

Last Monday, my friends Patti and Mike and I were led on a hike by Hank Meals through the Black Swan Preserve. It was a beautiful Blue Oak Woodland, filled with waist-high grasses, wildflowers and RAIN!  One of the absolutely coolest critters we saw was the Green Lynx Spider pictured above!  I spotted it on a yellow wildflower where it's green body stood out!  I had never seen a GREEN spider before, in my whole life, neither had any of my friends! However, it turns out that these spiders are fairly common in California, just super camouflaged! How cool to see one of them! WOW!!! Apparently, instead of making webs, they hangout on or near flowers and prey on insect pollinators!

The following information about them is from bugguide.net. "The lynx-spiders are so called because some species chase their prey with great rapidity over herbage and the foliage of trees and shrubs; they even jump from branch to branch like the attids; but other species lie in wait near flowers and spring upon insects that visit flowers." J.H. Comstock 1912

Hank wrote a blog about the Black Swan Preserve in 2019. Here is an excerpt from that blog, about the history of the preserve. You can read the whole blog at https://yubatreadhead.blogspot.com/2019/01/black-swan-preserve-where-deer-creek.html.

"On the border between Yuba and Nevada Counties is a former gold mining location where nature is reclaiming what was once a stark industrial site. The Black Swan Preserve is located in the blue oak–gray pine savannah belt near Smartsville, CA and it’s at a low enough elevation to be accessible all year. Here the Bear Yuba Land Trust maintains a two-mile loop trail circling a pond and wetland where there was once a hydraulic mine. The trail was made possible by a partnership between the Bear-Yuba Land Trust and California Fish and Wildlife. It’s the first trail in what will eventually become a larger network of trails accessing more diverse ecosystems in the area.

The trail circles an intact wetland that is critical habitat for the endangered Western pond turtle, as well as bass, and an array of waterfowl including the American Dipper and Belted Kingfisher. Known endangered species on the properties include Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle, Western Burrowing Owl, and Black Rail. Adjacent grassland pastures, rolling hills and meadows provide habitat for bears, bald eagles, mountain lions and deer. Near the confluence of Deer Creek and the Lower Yuba River there is riparian habitat, blue oak woodland, wetlands and groundwater-fed ponds."

Looking down at the former Black Swan Hydraulic Mine site

Initially the trail led us up to the top of a hydraulicked butte, where we could look down at the pond that was formed after the mining operation ended. Currently, you cannot hike the traditional two mile loop trail, as beavers have taken over the last section of the trail by the pond, and the water is too deep and muddy to hike through.

Hydraulicked Bluff

We then hiked down to the pond's edge, where we could see the hydraulicked bluff we had just been on top of. The overcast created beautiful, soft lighting on the landscape.

Mallard - Canada Geese

Anas platyrhynchos - Branta Canadensis

We didn't see any beavers on the pond, but there was one lone female Mallard and a group of four Canada Geese with one gosling!

Lark Sparrow - Chondestes grammacus

We heard lots and lots of birds, but the rainy weather kept us from stopping and looking for them. I did manage to get a photo of a Lark Sparrow! Love their rusty cheeks and crown!

Deer Creek

Hank led us to this beautiful view of a Deer Creek waterfall! There were lots of swallows nesting along the rocky, bedrock and boulder-lined creek.

Blue Oak Woodlands

We only saw a few other people that day as we hiked a 6 mile loop through the Oak woodlands. The rain started falling around 11:00 am, and by 3:00 pm we were pretty soaked! It was wild and fresh, but luckily not cold! Everything was bespotted by raindrops, which made it even more beautiful! 

Leichtlin's Mariposa Lily - Calochortus leitchtlinii

There was a wide variety of wildflowers growing amongst the grassy fields! Here are some of the ones we saw! Such beauty!

Winecup Clarkia - Common Madia - Narrrowleaf Flax

Clarkia purpurea - Madia elegans - Linum bienne

Roundtooth Ookow - Bridge's Triteleia - Twining Brodiaea

Dichelostemma multiflorum - Triteleia bridgesii - Dichelostemma volubile 

Inside Out Lily - Fairy Lanterns - White Brodiaea

Odontostomum hartwegii - Calochortus albus - Triteleia hyacinthina

Foothill Penstemon - Chines Houses - Slender Larkspur

Penstemon heterophyllus - Calochortus albus - Delphinium gracilentum

California Buckeyes - Aesculus californica

The California Buckeyes were in total full bloom, and so beautifully fragrant!

Hank enjoys the view to the northwest!

It was a fabulous rainy day in the foothills, with Hank as our guide. 

We hope to visit this amazing area for years to come!

Western Buttercup - Ranunculus occidentalis

Carman Valley

On the previous Friday, my husband and I, along with our friends Mary and Patti, drove over to Carman Valley to see what was blooming! Carman Valley is located near Sierra Valley. We were a bit early for the full bloom, but thousands of Western Buttercups filled the meadows as far as we could see! Mixed in with the Buttercups were lots of American Wintercress flowers (pictured below), which are also bright yellow in color. We hope to come back in another week or so, to see the usual thousands of Common Camas, Bistort and Larkspurs in bloom!

American Wintercress/Yellow Rocket - Western Peony - Snowplant

Barbarea orthoceras - Paeonia brownii - Sarcodes sanguinea

On the pine-needled covered, shady forest floor we discovered Western Peonies, Woolen-Breeches, Mahala Mat, and Snowplants in bloom!

Woolen-breeches - Mahala Mat

Hydrophyllum alpestre -Ceanothus prostratus

Unusually the Woolen-breeches have their flowers at the base of their stems, not on the tops! The Mahala Mat flowers are quite tiny, but up-close their yellow stamens, spoon-shaped exerted petals, and folded-in central petals are amazing!!!

Mountain Bluebirds - Sialia currucoides

Perched on an old wooden corral, we were lucky enough to see several brilliant-blue Mountain Bluebirds!  The males are just exquisite with their sky blue heads, breasts and backs, highlighted by their even deeper-blue wings. The females are overall gray in color, with some blue on their wing tips. In the past, I saw one Mountain Bluebird nest in a fence post. Hopefully these will nest here, and we'll see them feeding their young when we come back in a week or two! Apparently they spend their winters in northern Mexico and come here to breed and raise their young!

Wood Ducks - Aix sponsa

We also visited a pond in another part of Carman Valley, and right away I spotted a pair of Wood Ducks! Wow!!! These have probably spent the winter in the foothills or Central Valley of California, and are here to breed and raise their young. The males have such striking, colorful plumage! What a lucky sighting!

Beaver Lodge

The pond may have been created years ago by the damming of beavers! There is a beaver lodge visible at the far end of the pond, and the trees along the edge of the pond have been cut down by beavers for use in the dam as well as their lodge.  Their favorite food is the cambium layer of deciduous trees, not evergreen trees.

 A tree recently being "cut" by beavers. 

They will gnaw a "waist" into the tree, which eventually causes the tree to fall down.

Beaver cut evergreen trees

Here are just a few of the many beaver-cut trees bordering the pond. Since they are gray and bleached by the sun, they were apparently cut down quite a while ago. I hope when we return in the near future, that we get lucky and maybe see a beaver or two!

What's happening on the river?

What migratory songbird birds have arrived recently in our neighborhood?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

Check back for the answers to these questions and more on Sunday, May 24th.

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated! Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!