Quaking Aspens and American Dogwood
Populus tremuloides - Cornus sericea
In the passage of only one week, the local deciduous forests have gone from green to glowing reds, golds, and yellows! It's absolutely stunning! The temperatures have also gotten cooler, and we received .37" of rain in the past week. Fall is officially here!
Quaking Aspens in misty rain - Populus tremuloides We were out in the woods when the rain came in, causing light mists in the forest!
Quaking Aspens and American Dogwood Populus tremuloides - Cornus sericea
The American Dogwood has turned a gorgeous raspberry color!
Chipmunk eating Bitter Cherries - Tamias sp. - Prunus emarginata
Ripe Berries!
Many of the shrubs in the Lakes Basin are loaded with berries right now. A wide variety of birds and mammals feast on all of them. I took the above photo several years ago, and usually post it every year during the berry season!
Bitter Cherry - Prunus emarginata
Bitter Cherry foliage is a valuable browsing species for mule deer, and black bears. The fruits are eaten by small mammals, rodents, and various birds. Bitter cherry often forms extensive thickets on moist slopes and along stream banks in the Sierra Nevada.
American Dogwood - Cornus sericea
The fleshy white berries of the American Dogwood are very valuable to wildlife, and are a stunning contrast to the raspberry colored fall leaves. Just a week ago the leaves were still green!
Wildlife browse the twigs, foliage, and fruits. Many species of birds feast on the berries including robins, cedar waxwings, woodpeckers, bluebirds, and warblers. Mammals that eat the fruit and foliage include black bear, beaver, mountain beaver, cottontail rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, and rats. Deer only eat the foliage.
Baneberry - Feathery False Lily of the Valley - Red Elderberry
Actaea rubra - Maianthemum racemosa - Sambucus racemosa
The berries of Baneberry, Feathery False Lily of the Valley, and Red Elderberry are poisonous and not edible for humans. However, many species of birds eat them including Robins and Grouse, as well as squirrels, white-footed mice, raccoons, black bears and browsing deer.
California Mountain Ash - Sorbus californica
The California Mountain Ash produces showy white flowers in spring, warm yellow foliage in fall, and fiery red/orange berry clusters in late fall to early winter. It ranges from 15 to 30 feet tall, with a spread of 15 to 25 feet. The berries are eaten by many birds and mammals. They are a favorite of the American Robin and Cedar Waxwing, as well as Black Bears. Again, just a week ago their leaves were green!
Sierra Coffeberry - Creeping Snowberry - Utah Serviceberry
Rhamnus rubra - Symphoricarpos mollis - Amelanchier utahensis
There are also a lot of other shrubs that are "in berry" right now, which I'm sure will get eaten by a variety of critters!
Western Juniper and American Robins
Juniperus occidentalis - Turdus migratorius
To our delight we came across several Western Juniper trees that had many American Robins feasting on their berries this week! They were creating a busy flutter in the trees, while calling and chirping to each other! Western Juniper berries attract a wide variety of birds. Everything from bluebirds and grosbeaks to wild turkeys and grouse devour the fruit. During one frigid day, a single American Robin or Townsend's Solitaire may gulp down more than 200 berries!
What's happening in my neighborhood?
Are the Sandhill Cranes migrating through now?
What other birds going to pass through our neighborhood
on their way "south"?
Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!
Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!
Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment