Lakes Basin Life!

Howard Meadow - 6/19/22

I went up to the Lakes Basin four times this week!  It's so beautiful up there right now, I just can't seem to stay away! There are a few patches of snow in the shady areas and at the higher elevations, but most of it is gone now.  The trails have all opened up and the hiking possibilities are endless!  There were wildflowers and blooming shrubs, in every forest, meadow, and rocky slope I visited this week.  Here's a resulting rainbow of blossoms for you to enjoy!

Buckbean - Feathery False Lily of the Valley - Starry False Lily of the Valley

Menyanthes trifoliata - Maianthemum racemosa - Maianthemum stellatum

Buttercups - Mountain Mule's Ears - Primrose Monkeyflower

Ranunculus sp. - Wyethia mollis - Mimulus primuloides

Applegate's Paintbrush - Snow Plant - Crimson Columbine

 Castilleja applegatei - Sarcodes sanguinea - Aquilegia formosa

Mountain Pride - Penstemon sp. - Mountain Heather

 Penstemon newberryi - Penstemon sp. - Phyllodoce breweri

Common Camas - Velvety Stickseed -  Larkspur sp.

Camassia quamash - Hackelia velutina - Delphinium sp.

Snow Mushroom - Orange Peel Fungus - Puffballs

Gyromita montana - Caloscypha fulgens - species unknown

I recently came across these three kinds of fungi.  The Orange Peel Fungus and the Puffballs are everywhere in the forests, but I only came across three Snow Mushrooms so far.  All of these fungi "blossom" soon after the snow melts!

Sierra Tiger Beetle - Modoc Carpenter Ants - Cyanide Millipede

Cicindela tranquebarica ssp. sierra - Camponotus modoc - Harpaphe haydeniana

I've been watching the trail a lot lately, to make sure no one trips, and low and behold I've spotted some cool critters!  The Sierran Tiger Beetle was a total first!  It really stood out against the bare trail.  Turns out they're pretty cool insects!  

The following information about these beetles is from Wikipedia.,

"Tiger beetles often have large bulging eyes, long, slender legs and large curved mandibles.  Members of the genus Cicindela are usually diurnal and may be out on the hottest days. Cicindela, commonly known as common tiger beetles are generally brightly colored and  often with some sort of patterning of ivory or cream-colored markings. They are most abundant and diverse in habitats very often near bodies of water with sandy or occasionally clay soils; they can be found along rivers, sea and lake shores, sand dunes, around dry lakebeds, on clay banks, or woodland paths.  

All are predatory, both as adults and as larvae. The larvae of tiger beetles live in cylindrical burrows as much as a meter deep. They are large-headed, hump-backed grubs and use their humpbacks to flip backwards, for the purpose of capturing prey insects that wander over the ground. 

The fast-moving adults run down their prey and are extremely fast on the wing. Tiger beetles display an unusual form of pursuit in which they alternatively sprint quickly toward their prey, then stop and visually reorient. This may be because while running, the beetle is moving too fast for its visual system to accurately process images. To avoid obstacles while running they hold their antennae rigidly and directly in front of them to mechanically sense their environment."

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I came across the Carpenter Ants pictured above center, in a fallen dead tree.  They were spitting out mouthfuls of chewed wood.  Carpenter Ants don't eat wood. They excavate homes in damp, rotting logs, and remove excess wood mouthful by mouthful! They live in colonies of one or more queens and thousands of female workers. The workers forage for food at night, enlarge the size of the nest, and care for the queen and her larvae. They eat mainly dead insects, as well as honeydew from aphids. This food is subsequently regurgitated and fed to the queen and larvae! In the summer, 200-400 winged females and some males develop in the colony. These winged ants overwinter in the nest, and disperse in the Spring to mate. After mating the males die, and the females remove their own wings and search for a location to start a new colony!

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The unusually colored Millipede I saw on a damp rock near a creek.  It was about 1.5" long. I had never seen one of these before!  The following information about these milipedes is from Wikipedia.

"Harpaphe haydeniana, commonly known as the yellow-spotted millipede, almond-scented millipede or cyanide millipede is a type of flat-backed millipede. The dark coloration with contrasting yellow-tipped keels warn of its ability to exude toxic hydrogen cyanide as a defense. Harpaphe haydeniana is an important part of the forest ecosystem, breaking down leaf litter and freeing its nutrients for other organisms. Immature millipedes feed on humus."

Wild Turkey - Meleagris gallopavo

To my surprise a huge Wild Turkey bolted into the woods from Howard Meadow while we were there!  This is only the second time I've ever seen a turkey in the Lakes Basin!  Although Wild Turkeys usually inhabit the local foothills, they have been documented in the Sierra up to 10,000' in elevation!  They are not native to Calfornia but were introduced from Mexico in the early 1900's.  They were also introduced as late as 1997 into the higher elevations of Sierra, Nevada, and Placer Counties, by the CA. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Wild Turkey Federation.  This has proven to be a detrimental introduction, as the turkeys compete with the native grouse and quail. They do not stay during the winter snows, so they must walk quite a distance to their winter habitat in the foothills!  Perhaps the drier, hotter, drought years have driven them to higher elevations.

Wilson's Warbler (male - female) - Cardellina pusilla

To our delight, my husband and I encountered a small group of approximately 10-12 Wilson's Warblers on one of our hikes.  They were flying from tree to tree, in a fairly open, sunny slope around 6500' in elevation! Every once in a while one would land in a sunny spot, and I would get a few photos!  Such beautiful, all over, sunflower-yellow birds!  The males can be distinguished by a flat, black cap on the top of their heads.  We watched for several minutes as the flew, perched, and chased each other!  They have migrated from their winter home in Central America, to breed and raise their young here!  Apparently, they are fairly common nesters from about 4,000' and up in the Sierra!  I have only seen two other Wilson's Warblers in my life, so it was a thrill to watch this joyous, singing, little flock!

Yellow-rumped Warbler (female) - Western Tanager (male)

Setophaga coronata - Piranga ludoviciana

Beautiful Yellow-rumped Warblers have arrived in the Lakes Basin along with stunning Western Tanagers.  They will raise their young there, before they return to their winter home.  Tanagers overwinter in Mexico and as far south as Costa Rica. Yellow-rumped Warblers overwinter in Mexica and as far south as Panama!

Mallard female with six ducklings - Anas platyrhynchos

At a small pond where we ate our lunch one day, I was delighted to see a female Mallard with six ducklings!  Wow!  So CUTE!

Mallard female with six ducklings - Anas platyrhynchos

Initially they were out in the open, but then they swam into a tangle of branches where they were so camouflaged they were difficult to see!

Canada Geese adults with 5 goslings

This week I stopped at one of my favorite wet meadows along the road, which is currently a large vernal pond.  Right away I spotted a family of Canada Geese, with five goslings!

Three Canada Geese families, adults and goslings

On my way home, I stopped at the same pond and there were THREE families of Canada Geese visible, all with at least 4 goslings!  What a surprise!

Columbian Black-tailed Deer (buck) - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

Other than chipmunks and squirrels, I don't usually see many mammals in the Lakes Basin.  I was surprised to see this young buck off a trail last week.  In the forest they will eat shrubs, flowers, and even mushrooms!

Recent raindrops on Grasses

Damp Earth Art

We got another quarter of an inch of rain last weekend!  Yay!  Hopefully more storms will keep coming. Please join me in my continuing hope for precipitation! Perhaps our collective efforts may help it happen.

I'm going to keep posting rain inspired writings, art, etc. on my blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com. Any submissions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Wishing for peace in Ukraine and

an immediate end to this senseless war!

What's happening with the local Bears?

What's blooming locally?

What's happening on the river?

Where do all the songbirds in my neighborhood overwinter?

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

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