Rain bejeweled leaves
We got 1.81" of rain in twelve hours last Wednesday!!! It started raining around 5:00pm and quit around 5:00am. On several instances it POURED! In the morning everything was bejeweled with rain and glistening! Nature's camphor was in the air and it was deliciously humid! We haven't had any rain in quite some time and it's been unusually HOT, so this downpour was a real blessing. Additionally, the previously imminent danger of forest fire has been washed away! Yay!!
The North Yuba River in the Rain
I could watch the rain fall on the river for hours! It is so beautiful! The concentric rings of water that fluidly overlap each other, the blurred greens of the underwater river rocks, and the ever changing movement of the raindrops is a performance in itself!
Rain in the forest
Years ago I wrote a small simple song to hopefully encourage rain to fall! We sing it in the spring and fall when rains are so needed. Here it is, without any music, but make up your own version!
Rain, rain, come on down,
Come and quench this thirsty ground,
Come and let wet smells abound,
Fill the air with a joyful sound!
(repeat in a round)
Sierra Buttes in the mists
Deer Lake to Salmon Lake Hike
The day the rains came, my friend Patti and I decided to hike up to Deer Lake and then down to Salmon Lake, in the Lakes Basin. The Deer Lake trail has incredible views of the Sierra Buttes along the way. That day the clouds were beautifully dark and misty on the Buttes!
beetle-engraved tree trunk
The overcast of clouds provide soft even light on the landscape. We came across a group of bark-less dead trees that had beautiful patterns engraved in them, from wood-boring beetles and their larvae. I think these dead "silver" trees are so elegant!
Deer Lake
We were the only ones on the trail and at the lakes that day! It was quite cold and windy so we didn't go swimming, but enjoyed our lunch on the lake shore! Then we headed down the trail to Salmon Lake.
Dry Bunch-Grasses
The trail down to Salmon Lake is quite steep, but there were lots of beautiful, blond, dry grasses to see on the way!
early Fall colors
The fall colors were just starting. The dry grasses and silvered dead trees were lovely together, along with thin patches of dry Alpine Knotweed.
Mountain Ash - Sorbus californica
This year is an incredible year for wild berries! We saw tons of berries, Elderberries, Silk-Tassel Berries, and American Dogwood berries along the trail!!!
Mountain Ash have bright red berries that are edible, however they are quite bitter to eat raw. It is recommended to freeze or cook them before eating. They contain cyanide, which reduces naturally as the berries get frozen. The berries also contain parasorbic acid, which can cause stomach upset. Cooking changes it to palatable sorbic acid.
Lots of critters eat Mountain Ash. Robins, Jays, Cedar Waxwings, finches, woodpeckers, and Chickadees all feed on Mountain Ash berries. Mammals also feed on the berries, or twigs, bark and foliage, such as squirrels, rodents, rabbits, bear and deer.
Blue Elderberry - Silk Tassel
Sambucus mexicana - Garrya fremontii
Most of the berries aren't edible for humans (Yes, even elderberries aren't recommended!), but lots of wild birds and mammals have no trouble eating them!
The following information is from
The Law's Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada.
"Although Blue Elderberry fruits can be eaten raw, all other parts (even small stems) can produce a bitter alkaloid and also a glycoside that, under certain conditions, can produce poisonous hydrocyanic acid. I do not recommend eating this or other elderberries."
On the other hand, lots of birds and mammals feast on the berries. The following information about them is from https://nativeplantspnw.com.
"Blue Elderberry is an extremely valuable shrub for wildlife. It provides valuable cover and nesting sites for birds and small mammals. Its fruit provides food for many species of birds including: jays, woodpeckers, pigeons, grosbeaks, robins, thrushes, bluebirds, towhees, tanagers, and many others. Squirrels and other small mammals also eat the fruit. Flowers are mostly pollinated by insects but hummingbirds will visit the flowers for nectar. Elk and deer browse the foliage."
Silk Tassel is browsed by Mule Deer in winter and spring. Songbirds, mountain quail, gray fox, and rodents consume the berries. I got a video of a Mule Deer browsing on shrubs this Spring!!!
video of Mule Deer browsing on shrubs
These whitish berries are unpalatable to humans, but are consumed by a variety of birds and mammals. The following information about them is from the website https://plants.usda.gov/Wildlife.
"The fleshy fruits of dogwoods are very valuable to wildlife. The fruit ripens in late summer, and besides being available through the fall, some of the berries may persist on the plants into the winter months. Wildlife browse the twigs, foliage, and fruits. Birds known to eat the fruit include: grosbeaks, orioles, robins, sapsuckers, tree swallows, tanagers, vireos, warblers, cedar waxwings, grouse, and woodpeckers. Mammals that eat the fruit and foliage include black bear, beaver, mountain beaver, cottontail rabbits, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, and rats. Deer, browse the twigs and foliage."
Salmon Lake
Salmon Lake was gorgeous with the overhanging clouds and changing sunlight!
Salmon Lake and the Buttes
We ended our hike here at Salmon Lake! What a gorgeous day it had been!
How lucky we are to have the Lakes Basin in our "backyard"!
The North Yuba River had definitely cooled off with the recent change in the weather. However, although swimming may not be an option in the near future, it's still a lovely place to hang out for a day! You never know what you might see, and the cooler weather has made the algae on the rocks less prevalent. Which has made it easier to wade without slipping!
California Fuchsia - Epilobium canum
One of my absolutely favorite flowers is the California Fuchsia. Right now they are blooming in profusion. I found this batch on a rocky peninsula that was bordered by the river. They are definitely fire-engine red and attract lots of pollinators!
possible Bobcat skull
I found this old very dry skull a bit inland from the river. I asked for an ID on iNaturalist, and I'll let you know what they think! Very cool find!
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodia
A huge Great Blue Heron flew past and then landed nearby. One or two of these herons live here year-round.
What fall changes are happening locally and in the Lakes Basin?
Are any migratory bird passing through?
Check back for the answers to these questions and more, in two weeks on Sunday,
September 20th.
Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated. Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com.
