After the Rain

 Lupine leaves  - Lupinus sp.

I went rambling through my neighborhood after the recent rains, enjoying the heavenly, damp, camphor-like fragrance!  Everything was glistening wet and jewel-like in the sun!  I came across these newly emerged lupines with water drops acting like magnifying glasses on their leaves!  I hadn't realize how hairy the lupine leaves were.  Densely haired plants can survive colder temperatures.  The hairs trap air and keep the plants warmer!  Snow is predicted for this coming weekend!  Hopefully all the young plants that are sprouting will survive, including these lupines!

 Lupine leaves  -  Blue Clerid

Lupinus sp. - Chariessa dichroa

I love how the water drops magnified the plant parts!  This little beetle, was busy climbing on the leaves.  It is a "Blue" Clerid.  You would think it would be named a "Red" Clerid!  I haven't found much information on this little beetle, but I'll keep looking and post what I find.

Dendroalsia Moss - Dendroalsia albietina

 (Happy St Patrick's Day!)

All the mosses and lichens have been doing good this winter.  They thrive in damp or wet conditions.  To keep from freezing in the winter they replace the water in their cells with glycogens (sugars), that work like anti-freeze.  Right now, because of the recent rains, they are lush and vibrant!  I found this heart shaped piece of moss on one of my walks along the highway!

Dendroalsia Moss (left & center) - Star Moss (rigiht)

Dendroalsia albietina - Tortula ruralis

Moss is a non-flowering plant, that has no roots, no vascular system, and reproduces mainly through spores not seeds. There are approximately 12,000 species of moss in the world! It needs wet or moist conditions to grow. In the hot and dry summer, moss becomes dormant. Dendroalsia Moss is the most commonly found species in our neighborhood. It grows on rocks, tree trunks and branches, deadwood, cement, and even fences!  Star Moss is also common and easily identified by its shape.

Witch's Hair Lichen - foliose lichen (sp?) - Forked Tube Lichen (with brown apothecia) 

Alectoria sarmentosa - species unknown - Hypogymnia imshaugii

Lichens!

Lichen, like moss, is a non-flowering plant, that has no roots nor vascular system, reproduces mainly through spores not seeds, and is dormant during the hot and dry summer. In the Forked Tube Lichen, above right, you can see the apothecia (roundish brown "cups") where the spores are held.  Unlike moss, lichen is a combination of a fungus and an algae or cyanobacterium, living together in a symbiotic relationship! The fungus forms the external shape of the lichen, and it lives off the sugars produced by the photosynthesis of the "housed" algae! Wow! There are about 17,000 species of lichen worldwide!

There are three main forms that lichens are grouped in, fruiticose, crustose, and foliose. The fruticose form (above) usually grows on shrubs and trees. It is multi-branched, and can be found growing either upright or hanging down.

Bufflehead (female) - Mallards (female & male)

Bucephala albeola - Anas platyrhynchos

Pond Life Update!

I decided to walk down to a pond I've been watching from about 200' above it.  It seemed so different from the duck's-eye view!  I saw two pairs of Bufflehead Ducks swimming around and diving for food.  I also found another small pond, that I couldn't see from above.  Secreted in the back tangle of the pond, I spotted a pair of Mallards!

I'll have to go back again and see what else I can find!

Scotch Broom - Cytisus scoparius

Since the recent rains, I've been pulling up lots of  Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius) bushes, a non-native, invasive species.  I've been watching it move further and further up the North Yuba River Canyon over the past several years.  Last year I cut back a big patch of Scotch Broom along the highway, and hope to get a lot more removed this year.  This is the time of year to get rid of it, when the ground is damp and they haven't gone to seed.  There are special "puller" tools available on the internet for removing large Scotch Broom bushes.  I don't have one, but right now the small bushes are easily pulled out by hand!  Scotch Broom is such a fast prolific grower that it outcompetes native shrubs, and its woody limbs provide volatile fuels for wildfire.  While I was pulling out plants, I noticed that some of them had lots of woolly galls on their stems. It turns out that gall mites have started attacking Scotch Broom and are killing them! Wow! 

 The following information, from http://www.ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=17357, explains the history and current status of these gall mites.

"Scotch broom was introduced into North America in the mid-1800s from Europe as an ornamental and for erosion control. The bright yellow flowers and rapid growth has made it a prized ornamental however its ability to out-compete native plants and form dense stands has also made it one of California's worst wildland weeds. Since its introduction it has invaded millions of acres throughout the golden state. 

The broom gall mite (Aceria genistae) which is actually not an insect but more closely related to spiders and ticks has recently taken residence on the invasive plant Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius). It attacks Scotch broom by forming small growths on the plants buds which greatly reduces the ability for it to grow and reproduce. In some areas, the gall mite has even killed large stands of broom. Native to Europe, the mite was first found on Scotch broom in the Tacoma, Washington and Portland, Oregon regions in 2005. Since that time the mite has become established throughout western Washington and Oregon and even into parts of British Columbia. As of 2013 the mite had been found as far south as Ashland, Oregon with no occurrences in California. 

However, beginning in 2014, the mite has been found in many areas throughout El Dorado, Placer and Nevada counties in California. How the tiny insect got there is another mystery. The mites are nearly invisible to the naked eye and only measure about 50-60 µm or roughly the width of a human hair. Mites are known to travel long distances by wind currents or by animals, humans and equipment.

If you suspect evidence of Scotch broom gall mites, the University of California Cooperative Extension asks that you report it on their website http://ucanr/edi/broomgallmite."

If everyone got out and pulled out 50 or 100 of these plants, the benefits would be huge!  So if you're looking for something to do, get out there and start pulling!

 Galls formed by Broom Gall Mites - Aceria genistae

I'm going on a road trip tomorrow and won't be back for a week.  That's why I published my blog early this week.

What's happening with Project FeederWatch?

What new birds have arrived?

Where are the deer and bears?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

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