In the Spirit!

Whether you celebrate it or not, 

I hope nature casts a spell on you!

Happy Halloween!

Check back next week for the latest natural history news from my neighborhood!

Down in the Garden

Unknown Dragonfly

 

Right now it's raining and they're predicting a nighttime temperature of 26 degrees for tonight!!!  We've picked all of our garden tomatoes, tomatillos, and peppers so they won't freeze. As soon as I finish this blog, I'm going down to pick an armload of zinnias, marigolds, Mexican sunflowers, and roses that won't survive the frost!  How fun!  The frost will probably put an end to the bothersome eye-gnats, as well as most of the insects in our garden and neighborhood!  We are so thrilled that it's raining!!! It's been an incredibly beautiful Fall day!

I've been seeing dragonflies cruising through our garden lately.  Usually I see them flying above the river.  Maybe they're done laying their eggs underwater and have expanded their feeding territory! 

Dragonflies are in the order "Odonata", which means "toothed ones"! Their sharply serrated mandibles earned them this name! They will catch an insect in the air, tear off its wings with their mandibles, and eat the prey while still flying! Dragonflies can move each of their wings independently and can fly in any direction, including sideways and backwards. They can also hover in one spot for a minute or more! Some dragonflies can fly fast, up to 18 mph! They can also fly long distances! One species of dragonfly holds the record for the world's longest insect migration, a distance of 11,000 miles! 

 Pacific Spiketail Dragonfly - Cordulegaster dorsalis

I found this dead dragonfly on our road and photographed its huge eyes up close. This dragonfly has blue eyes. Other species have brown, red-brown, black or green eyes. Dragonfly eyes have 30,000 facets and a near 360 degree vision! They also see in color, usually up to 4x more colors than humans see!

Widow Skimmer (male) - Libuella luctuosa

With over 1,000 species, Skimmers are the largest dragonfly family (Libellulidae) in the world.  This Widow Skimmer can be identified as a male by the white patches on its wings.  Females don't have the white patches.  These dragonflies are found across the U.S., except for the Rocky Mountain area, and in parts of Mexico and Canada as well.

California Sister Butterflies - Adelpha bredowii californica

I've been seeing lots of California Sister Butterflies in our neighborhood and up in the Lakes Basin lately. The following information about them is from https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/butterfly.

"California Sisters are a common species of oak woodlands. Most abundant in the foothills (Sierra and Coast Range/Bay Area) and lower montane zone. Glides back and forth along streambeds and roads; males perch on branches and foliage, frequently in oak. Both sexes visit mud puddles. (This is unusual; in most butterflies only males "puddle.") The female is larger than the male, with broader wings and a less pointed forewing apex. There is no variation in color and pattern. This butterfly has been shown to be mildly distasteful to birds. Two to three broods, flying March or April to November at lower elevations."

 

California Sister Butterflies - Adelpha bredowii californica

I came across this pair interacting with each other down by the river!  I haven't found any literature on this kind of behavior, so I don't know if it was typical for these butterflies, or what they were doing, but it was fun to watch!

Common Checkered Skipper - Monarch - Orange Sulphur

 Pyrgus communis- Danaus plexippus - Colias eurytheme

Battered Butterflies!

Butterfly adult lifespans range from 2 weeks to 9 months! By the end of their adult life their wings can be quite tattered! Right now most of the butterflies flitting around in our garden are looking pretty worn. Before it gets too cold, some will lay eggs that will overwinter. Some have already laid eggs, which have hatched into caterpillars. Some of these caterpillars will overwinter as caterpillars, others will overwinter in a chrysalis. Some butterflies even overwinter as adults!

Small Milkweed Bug - Yellow-faced Bumble Bee - Grasshopper sp.

 Lygaeus kalmii - Bombus vosnesenskii - unknown sp.

These are few of the insects I watched this week in our garden. Check back next week to see which ones are still around!

Lesser Goldfinch - Pine Siskin - Ruby-crowned Kinglet

 Carduelis psaltria - Spinus pinus - Regulus calendula

The Goldfinches and a few Pine Siskins are still feeding on the sunflower seeds in our garden. The Ruby-crowned Kinglets have arrived and are gleaning insects from the twigs and leaves of shrubs.  

Red-shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus

 

To my delight a beautiful, adult, Red-shouldered Hawk was perching on the Alder tree in our garden one evening this week!!!  It was only there for a few seconds before it took off.  The light was low, so the photo is blurred, but you can still see the incredible feathering this raptor has!  I've written about these hawks in past blogs, just type "Red-shouldered Hawk" in the search bar on the top right of this page to access more information about them.

Lodgepole Pines &  Mtn. Spirea - Red Osier Dogwood, Willow, & dry grasses

Pinus contorta & Spirea splendens- Cornus sericea - Salix sp. & unknown sp.

Autumn in the Lakes Basin

We went hiking in the Lakes Basin twice this week to see the progression of the fall colors.  We were delighted to find that the ground cover and shrubs had changed to golden-yellows, cranberry, rusty-orange, and red!  Just incredible!  In one area the Mtn. Spirea was an usual cranberry color.  Along the shore of a lake, it was orange in color! Typically, Spirea turns yellow in the Fall.

Mtn. Spirea & Willow - Mtn. Spirea

Spirea splendens - Salix sp.

Black Cottonwood - Willow

Populus balsamifera - Salix sp.

In addition to Aspen trees turning yellow, there are lots of Cottonwood Trees that have turned to gold up in the Lakes Basin.  One of the best areas to see them is in the Salmon Creek Campground, go soon before the leaves are gone!

The local willows are also in full Fall color!  Beauty everywhere!

The lower angle of the sun, along with the wind, has been creating lots and lots of sparkles on the ponds and lakes.

They are also filled with gorgeous, colorful reflections, especially in the late afternoon.  I found this lone Common Merganser on an unnamed, reflection-filled pond around 4:00 one day!

Such amazing colors everywhere!

Sugar Maple and Grizzly Peak - Raindrop Ripples

Damp Earth Art

Once again, the weather was sunny and in the 80's during the day, but a bit cooler at night. We're getting a little rain today and a slight chance of more rain is predicted for later this week. Fingers crossed! 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.

What insects are still out and about?

What's happening on the river?

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

Unfortunately, you can no longer sign up to get my blog via email. Just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com directly.

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

Aspens & Arborglyphs

Quaking Aspens - Populus tremuloides

 

 Thanks to the cooler nights we've been having this week, the Lakes Basin Aspens are really starting to turn a brilliant yellow.  Fall color, in general, is more intense if the days are warm and the nights are cold.  Just a few days ago the aspens in the Lakes Basin campground were mostly green!  Now, some of them are a glorious brilliant yellow, while others have just a hint of yellow.

Quaking Aspens and Grassy Lake

Apens prefer to live in moist meadows or areas where there's lots of groundwater. Aspens usually live for 50-60 years, attaining about 1' in diameter, and 50'-60' in height. Their buds, bark, and shoots are a favorite food of wildlife.

Although a grove of aspen trees may produce millions of seeds, not many are viable! Pollination is inhibited by the fact that aspens are either male or female, and large stands are usually all clones of the same sex. Even if pollinated, the small seeds can only survive for a short time as they lack a stored food source or a protective coating. Instead, aspen reproduce from root-sprouting seedlings! A grove of aspens is also a group of "clones"! Each tree grows from a common root system, expanded by root-sprouting seedlings! The trees in a group of "clones" are genetically identical!  One clonal aspen colony in Utah is considered the heaviest and oldest living organism in the world, at 13,227,720 lbs. and perhaps 80,000 years old!!! Wow!

Common Mergansers (females or juveniles) - Mallard (male)

Mergus merganser - Anas platyrhynchos

While we were at Grassy Lake admiring the aspens, we were delighted to see 2 Common Mergansers, 1 molting male Mallard, and 5 Canada Geese in the lake!

Canada Geese - Branta canadensis

All of these birds will probably migrated down to California's Central Valley

for the Winter.

Arborglyphs on Aspen trunks

Arborglyphs!

Several of the aspen trees in certain parts of the Lakes Basin have arborglyphs, or carved symbols, pictures, or names, on their trunks.  These images were carved by Basque Sheepherders sometime in the last 100 years!  I have a lot more photos of these arborglyphs, but don't have a CD reader to access them.  Rats! Just google "Arborglyphs, Tahoe National Forest" to see lots more images! 

The following information at https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/ltbmu/learning/history-culture/?cid=FSM9_046612, briefly describes the sheepherders history in the Tahoe National Forest. 

"In 1849, Basques joined throngs of other young men from around the world seeking their fortune in the American West. Before long many were employed in the sheep business and by the turn of the century, "Basque" and "sheepherder" became synonymous. To pass the long, lonely days of summer in the "high country" Basque sheepherders created a unique western cultural phenomenon: they carved on aspen trees, tens of thousands of them in ten western states.

Arborglyphs

Called arborglyphs, these carvings give us information unavailable elsewhere. If you want to know when and where sheep grazed or who the sheepherders were, chances are only arborglyphs could provide answers. Though carving was a widespread activity, the sites were remote and often the trees died before their messages from the past could be recorded. Today, there are very few left dating before 1900, since aspens only live about 100 years.

Most carvings are names and dates, the dry stuff of history. Most of the messages are hard to understand as most are in the Basque language, Euskara. The pictures, however, are easily read (some not necessarily suited for children). Carving topics included news on sheep herding, erotic messages and graphics, Old Country memories, loneliness, references to America, interpersonal matters among herders, humor, swear words, the "goodbye ritual", self-portraits, and Basque symbols. These personal details regarding the lives and thoughts of young Basque men shed light on roughly one hundred years of American Western history."

Common Merganser - Mergus merganser

North Yuba River Update!

The river is low but incredibly clear and green!  With the lower angle of the sun right now you can really see into it's depths!  The Common Mergansers are still around feeding on fish and underwater invertebrates.  

Common Mergansers - Mergus merganser

I love watching them swim underwater in these emerald-green pools! So, so, beautiful!  They will probably leave soon for lower elevations as the days get shorter and the temperatures cool off.

Signal Crayfish - Pacifastucus leniusculus

I found a dead, whole Signal Crayfish in the river last week! Signal Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans, that are native to Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. They were introduced to California in 1912, and have spread throughout the state. I only noticed them in our river, about 6 years ago, at the beginning of the California drought. I don't see lots of them, but they are definitely residents. Large fish, raccoons, minks, river otters, and Great Blue Herons all eat adult crayfish. I don't know who got this one!

Crayfish mate in the Fall. After mating, each female lays 200 to 400 eggs, which she carries under her tail until they are ready to hatch the following Spring. The eggs hatch into juveniles and molt 3 times before they leave their mother! The main predators of crayfish eggs and young, are other crayfish and fish. They reach sexual maturity in 2-3 years, and can live as long as 20 years! As youths and adults, crayfish feed on animals and plants, living or deceased, and detritus. They are omnivores!

A Crayfish is the same thing as a Crawdad! They are also commonly called Mountain Lobsters, Freshwater Lobsters, Mudbugs, and Yabbies!

Osprey - Red-tailed Hawk

Pandion haliateus - Buteo jamaicensis

The Osprey and the Red-tailed Hawk are still along the river edge.  The Osprey is eating fish out of the river, while the Red-tailed Hawk is hunting mainly for small mammals in the area, not fish.

Coastal Rainbow Trout - Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus

I don't fish, but I went looking for them in the North Yuba River this week! I found a few "fingerlings" in the shallow, slow waters along the river, as well as lots of "fry". I also spotted this medium sized trout in some shallow water!

Fish start as eggs which hatch into larvae. The larvae are not able to feed themselves, and carry a yolk-sac in their bellies which provides their nutrition. At this stage they are called "alevins". When they have developed to the point where they can feed themselves (mainly zooplankton), the fish are called "fry". When they develop scales and working fins they are called "fingerlings". This juvenile fingerling stage lasts until the fish is fully grown, sexually mature, and interacting with other adult fish.

It sounds like the most common fish in the North Yuba River are Coastal Rainbow Trout, which are native to California, but have been planted locally. There are also non-native German Brown Trout, that swim up to spawn from Bullard's Bar Reservoir. Occasionally you might also find a non-native Brook Trout that has flowed out from a higher elevation lake, during the high water of Spring.

Maybe all these fish will attract a River Otter to our local stretch of the North Yuba River! I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Damp Earth Art

Once again, the weather was sunny and in the 80's during the day, but a bit cooler at night.  No rain is in the immediate forecast. 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.

What's going on down in the Garden?

What insects are still out and about?

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

Unfortunately, you can no longer sign up to get my blog via email. Just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com directly.

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

Migration!

Sandhill Cranes - Antigone canadensis

We went up to the Lakes Basin to hike three times this past week, and to our delight large groups of Sandhill Cranes flew over us several times each day!  I love hearing their loud rubbery calls as they fly by, as much a part of Fall as the lower angle of the light and the brilliant changing colors of the vegetation.  These Sandhill Cranes migrate down the Pacific Flyway from British Columbia, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and northeastern California, to overwinter in California's Central Valley.

Sandhill Cranes - Antigone canadensis

Most of the groups of cranes flying overhead numbered from 70 to 90+ in size!  The following information on bird migration is from the Cornell website https://www.allaboutbirds.org

"Why Do Birds Migrate?"

"Birds migrate to move from areas of low or decreasing resources to areas of high or increasing resources. The two primary resources being sought are food and nesting locations.

Birds that nest in the Northern Hemisphere tend to migrate northward in the spring to take advantage of burgeoning insect populations, budding plants and an abundance of nesting locations. As winter approaches and the availability of insects and other food drops, the birds move south again. Escaping the cold is a motivating factor but many species, including hummingbirds, can withstand freezing temperatures as long as an adequate supply of food is available.

Types Of Migration

The term migration describes periodic, large-scale movements of populations of animals. One way to look at migration is to consider the distances traveled.

Permanent residents do not migrate. They are able to find adequate supplies of food year-round.

Short-distance migrants make relatively small movements, as from higher to lower elevations on a mountainside.

Medium-distance migrants cover distances that span a few hundred miles.

Long-distance migrants typically move from breeding ranges in the United States and Canada to wintering grounds in Central and South America. Despite the arduous journeys involved, long-distance migration is a feature of some 350 species of North American birds."

Golden-Crowned Sparrow - Townsend's Solitaire - White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia atricapilla - Myadestes townsendii - Zonotrichia leucophrys

"What Triggers Migration?"

"The mechanisms initiating migratory behavior vary and are not always completely understood. Migration can be triggered by a combination of changes in day length, lower temperatures, changes in food supplies, and genetic predisposition.

How Do Birds Navigate?

Birds can get compass information from the sun, the stars, and by sensing the earth’s magnetic field. They also get information from the position of the setting sun and from landmarks seen during the day. There’s even evidence that sense of smell plays a role, at least for homing pigeons.

Some species, particularly waterfowl and cranes, follow preferred pathways on their annual migrations. These pathways are often related to important stopover locations that provide food supplies critical to the birds’ survival. Smaller birds tend to migrate in broad fronts across the landscape."

Bufflehead (female) - Mallards (adults)

Bucephala albeola - Anas platyrhyncos

We've seen a few waterfowl still lingering in the Lakes Basin, including Buffleheads and Mallards.  They will be migrating down to California's Central Valley as the weather gets colder.

Mallard feathers

Another thing that is happening right now, besides migration, is feather molting.  After the breeding season, most strikingly feathered male birds loose (molt) their brightly colored feathers.  Birds also molt feathers annually to replace any damaged or missing ones. Molting doesn't happen all at once in most birds.  It may take a month or more to molt all their feathers.  We found these feathers floating on the pond where we saw the Mallards!  So pretty!

Mountain Spiraea - Dwarf Bilberry 

Vaccinium cespitosum - Spiraea splendens

Fall Colors in the Lakes Basin

The fall colors are really starting to happen in the Lakes Basin!  One of my absolute favorites is the Dwarf Bilberry that turns an amazing brilliant red!  When it's next to a Spiraea that has turned yellow, the combination of colors is unbelievably gorgeous!  I'm going back again next week, and hope to see the Aspens and Cottonwoods turning yellow!  Can't wait!

Bracken Fern - Dwarf Bilberry - Mountain Spiraea - Willow

Pteridium aquilinum - Vaccinium cespitosum - Spiraea splendens - Salix sp.

Davis's Knotweed (red color) - Groundsel (going to seed)

Polygonum davisiae - Senecio sp.

Willow - Salix sp.

Blue Elderberry - Sambucus mexicana

Almost all the Bitter Cherry, Red-Osier Dogwood, and Mountain Ash berries have been eaten, but to our surprise the Blue Elderberry bushes are loaded with berries.  These plants are taller than me, about 6 feet in height!  The clusters of berries are 10"-12" wide!

Blue Elderberry - Sambucus mexicana

Some of them weren't quite ripe and still powdery blue in color, others were dark navy blue and the birds were feasting on them!  I don't eat plants out in the woods.  I prefer to leave them for the wildlife.  However, if you do decide to taste a few, eat only the berries, as the stems can make you sick.

unknown mushrooms in the Lakes Basin

New this week, mushrooms have sprouted in the Lakes Basin and in our neighborhood!  WOW! That recent rain must have triggered their growth! I don't know what kind they were but they were fun to discover!

unknown mushrooms in our garden

Storm clouds over Smith Lake 

Damp Earth Art

Once again, this weather was sunny and in the 80's during the day and 50's at night this week. No rain is in the immediate forecast. 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.

What's happening on the River?

Have the aspens turned in the Lakes Basin?

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

Unfortunately, you can no longer sign up to get my blog via email. Just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com directly.

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

Signs of Fall

 

Most of the deciduous trees and shrubs are still green up in the Lakes Basin.  The meadows however, have dried and turned a rich golden color.  Now is the time to walk out in them!  You won't get your feet wet or covered in mud, and there are hundreds of beautiful, copper-colored, dried plant stalks carrying a variety of seed heads scattered throughout the meadows. 

This past summer these meadows were filled with green grasses and a rainbow of wildflowers that provided pollen and nectar for insects and birds, as well as forage for large mammals. Now that the plants have dried and produced seeds, they provide even more food for birds and mammals! 

There are five main modes of seed dispersal: gravity, wind, ballistic, water, and animals. The gravity and wind methods are self-explanatory. The "ballistic" method refers to seed pods that burst open and propel seeds. The water method is the dispersal of seeds via rain, rivers, streams, and lakes. The animal method has two processes of dispersal; through the droppings of animals, and by "sticking or hooking" on to an animal's fur or feathers.

Gray's Lovage - Ligusticum grayi

The flowers in the Carrot (Apiaceae) family form beautiful, brittle, seed-filled umbels in the fall. Gray's Lovage is one of the most common ones. When we found them last week they still had thousands of dry dill-like seeds. They were so beautifully delicate and golden!

Cow's Parsnip - Heracleum maximum

Cow Parsnip is also in the Carrot family but is much larger than Gray's Lovage.  It's taller, 3-10' compared to 1-2', and the umbels are much bigger.  The seeds are not ribbed like the Gray's Lovage, and are flat and thin.  Like Gray's Lovage, they grow in wet/damp meadows.

Skeleton Weed Seeds caught in Spider Threads - Chondrilla juncea

With wind dispersal, the seeds are simply blown about and land in all kinds of places. To help their chances that at least some of the seeds land in a place suitable for growth, these plants have to produce lots of seeds.

Fireweed Seeds - Chamerion angustifolium

Fireweed produces lots of hairy, fluffy, tiny seeds that glow in the afternoon sun!

Dandelion seed head - Agoseris grandiflora

These seeds have bristles that function like a parachute and float on the wind. On average, a single dandelion plant can produce 10 flower heads. Each flower head has 150-200 florets, and each floret produces 1 seed. That means that a single plant can produce up to 2000 seeds!

Chickaree or Douglas Squirrel - Tamiasciurus douglasii

Down in the Garden!

There are still lots and lots of dried sunflower heads down in our garden that a variety of critters are eating right now.  Interestingly, our local Chickarees have been climbing the sunflowers, cutting off the entire seed heads, and carrying them off to eat in the future!  This year there aren't many walnuts available for them to store, due to a late frost last spring, so they're stashing sunflower heads instead!  We love watching them run along the top of our garden fence with a sunflower head in their mouth!  I haven't yet found out where they're stashing them, but maybe I will soon!

Chickaree or Douglas Squirrel - Tamiasciurus douglasii

Steller's Jay - Cyanocitta stelleri

A variety of birds are also feasting on the seeds.  Some are year-round residents, while others are just migrating through.  The Steller's Jays live here all year, and are quite acrobatic when eating sunflower seeds!

California Scrub Jay - Aphelocoma californica

Just this week a pair of Scrub Jays showed up for a day in our garden!  Normally these birds live down in the foothills, but every once in a while they visit our neighborhood, usually in the fall.  What a treat it was to see them!

Green-tailed Towhee (adult) - Spotted Towhee (male)

 Pipilo chlorurus - Pipilo maculatus

A beautiful Green-tailed Towhee showed up this week in our garden! It was probably on its migration south to Mexico for the winter. They pass through our neighborhood every year in the Spring and Fall. The Lakes Basin is one of their  favored breeding and nesting grounds.

The Spotted Towhees live here all year.  I love their striking red, black and white feathering!  They forage on the ground for fallen seeds, rather than feed on the seed heads.  They use a backwards-forwards hopping-scratching method to uncover seeds.

Lesser Goldfinch (female) - Lesser Goldfinch (male) - Carduelis psaltria

The Lesser Goldfinches are still foraging on the sunflower seed heads that the Chickarees haven't been able to harvest! I love their tiny little calls to each other.  There has also been a juvenile goldfinch that flutters and flutters its wings ever hopeful that an adult will feed it, which I never see happen.  It is full-sized and fully capable of feeding itself so I'm sure it's fine!

White-crowned Sparrow (first year) - White-crowned Sparrow (adult) Zonotrichia leucophyrs

The White-crowned Sparrows have just arrived in our garden.  They have come down from the higher elevations to spend the winter.  The first-years look so different than the adults, that I initially thought they were a different species!

Lincoln's Sparrow - Golden-crowned Sparrow

Melospiza lincolnii - Zonotrichia atricapilla

The Song Sparrows and the Golden-crowned Sparrows have just arrived for the winter as well.  They may stay here all winter or migrate down to the foothills if the winter is too snowy.  I'm love seeing them return to our garden!

Convergent Lady-beetles - Hippodamia convergens

Just this week thousands of lady-beetles have arrived for the winter in our neighborhood!!!  Right now they are busy mating, and will become dormant as the temperatures become colder.  They are just one of the numerous seasonal changes that we're experiencing in these first days of Autumn!

Damp Earth Art

This week was sunny and in the 80's during the day and 50's at night. No rain is in the immediate forecast. 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.

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

What's happening on the River?

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

Unfortunately, you can no longer sign up to get my blog via email. Just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com directly.

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