Greetings!  Two things on my mind today:

Henderson's Shooting Star, a native sandhill species

First: Much of the information for the website is up, or is queued to be published in the next week.  While pages specific to a given invasive species are relatively simple—they are merely compiled data—pages discussing related topics are not so simple!  It seems that every topic is related to another or perhaps two, or three others.  Or more!  It is easy on my end to write  a long editorial style article discussing every aspect of the restoration project, but I do not want to overload the reader.  Instead, there are now a handful of headings in the menu bar, by which one can navigate the site.  Most of the longer articles are broken down by topic and sub-topic.  Those that are not (at the moment) will be shortly.  In my efforts to develop this project I am reminded of a quote from John Muir:

“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.”

- John Muir, My First Summer in the Sierra

Second: In my querying for information, I noted the following numbers.  All numbers are approximate:

	Native	Non-native	Invasive
California (state)	8000	2000	290
Santa Cruz County	1500	500	170

• Numbers derived from queries at Calflora.org

It is common to think “INVASIVE!!!” when we hear the word “non-native”, but this is not always the case.  The vast majority of non-native plants are NOT harmful to their environment in a significant way—many, in fact, come to fill a vital niche in their new homes.  It is our hope that we can help determine the differences between the two, help organize information and resources, set priorities (environmentally speaking) and in the end, make this world a better place for everyone.

Gomes and JC Crumpton Schools: Well Done!

The week of April 13-17, two schools attended Outdoor Science School: Gomes School, from Fremont; and JC Crumpton from the Monterey Peninsula.  Gomes gets a shout out because this was their spring break, and JC Crumpton for working hard despite having far fewer students attending!

Below are pictures and descriptions of some of the work the students did with invasive species while they were here.

Before:

Note the large number of brooms present…

Drumroll please….

After:

Left: A general view of the cleared area.  No weeds in sight!
Right: Bishop’s Lotus, a small native we transplanted into the cleared area.   Pictures of other transplanted plants can be seen in the album, follow the link below.

Click any of the pictures to enlarge, or this link to view the entire album.

More information on broom, other invasives, and tons of other information is available on this website.  The site is still under construction, but a significant amount of information is already posted.  Feel free to take a look around!

Also, remember that Broom and other invasives are not just a problem at Mount Hermon–they are a problem everywhere for both the environment AND human investments (such as water issues, fire threats, land value, and more).

Thank you all again, and if you come back some day we hope to have a healthy forest to show you!

Kenyon

Water in the Sandhills

Water is something that many in northern California take for granted, especially here on the coast.  After all, this is a rain forest, right?  Plenty of water to go around?

Well, technically yes.  Many winters we receive enough rain to qualify as a rain forest (though the last few have been quite dry).  The farther north one goes, the more rain there is.  Here around Santa Cruz it is borderline rainforest/not rainforest (the cutoff is around 40 inches/year–close to the annual average for the area).

As mentioned, the last several winters have been quite dry–yet the area has weathered the drought with relatively little trouble (at least when compared with other areas of the state).

Annual rainfall alone, however, is not the reason for this–if water supplies depended entirely on winter rains, Santa Cruz County would suffer greatly in droughts such as we just witnessed.

Local geology is largely responsible for long term water supplies: scattered throughout the San Lorenzo Valley are small patches of sand where the overlaying soil eroded away (in the distant past).  These sandy areas are not just geologic or ecological oddities though.  They are also essential for the recharging of local aquifers.

Click to open the fold for more discussion, and diagrams:

Spring Flowers–Double Feature!

Today’s Spring Flowers post is a double feature!  Here are two pictures of Western Hounds Tongue, followed by Buckbrush below.

Western Hounds Tongue is a moderate size annual that appears early in the spring.

The common name of this flower, Western Hounds Tongue, is given due to the slight reminiscence between the leaf shape and a dog’s tongue.  This is reflected in the scientific name as well: Cyno=dog, and glossum=tongue, followed by grande=large.  Cynoglossum grande.

Look for Hounds Tongue along trail sides in the mixed-evergreen forests around Mount Hermon.  The leaf bundles begin to appear as early as January, but the flowers (above) do not generally appear until a little later in the spring.  The one featured above was found mid-March, 2009.

The entire picture gallery, including a Hounds Tongue without flowers (yet), can be seen in the gallery here.

And now for the second part of the double feature!

Buckbrush, or Ceanothus cuneatus, is a large evergreen shrub that is actually quite common around Mount Hermon.  Despite it’s common-ness, it is often overlooked due to being quite mundane in appearance for much of the year.  In mid- to late March and through the rest of spring, however, it becomes quite notable.  Here are two pictures (with a link to the album below).

Each buckbrush “flower”, is actually a collection of minute flowers, as can be seen by comparing these two pictures.  Apologies for the rain drop on the lens in the second picture.

Although similar in appearance to domesticated lilacs, Buckbrush is actually in the family Rhamnaceae along with another common bush of the area–Coffee Berry.  Domesticated lilacs are in the Oleaceae (Olive) family.  Like lilacs, Ceanothus flowers release a very strong (and sweet) odor, which can be often smelt wafting on the breeze all spring long.  Crush some in your hands–along with a little water–to create a sweet smelling lotion/soap.

There are several species of Ceanothus around Mount Hermon, although Buckbrush (cuneatus) is the most common.  The other species will be featured as they blossom throughout the spring.

Here is a link to the Buckbrush album.

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And as always, if you have a picture of a spring flower or any other interesting thing you would like to submit, please mail it to: mail.perc@gmail.com!

Spring Flowers

The first Silver Lupine blooms appeared this last week!  Look for them to be blossoming all spring.  Here are some pictures:

Nitrogen and Sandhills part 2

It should be noted here that broom is capable of growing outside the sandhills as well, and creates many threats aside from changing soil qualities. As you read, keep in mind that there are not one or two broom plants, but thousands of individuals in the greater Mount Hermon area.

If you have not done so already, read Nitrogen and Soil part 1 to catch up on the information we will be discussing here.

The Santa Cruz Sandhills ecosystem is one with soil that is–you guessed it–primarily sand. While surrounded by Mixed-evergreen and Redwood forests with moderately ‘rich’ soils, the sandhills have little to no topsoil.  The largest contiguous patches of sandhills and/or sandy soiled areas are around Ponderosa Lodge, up to the summit, and on adjoining properties such as the quarry, the county Juvenile Hall, and parts of Henry Cowell State Park.  There are numerous smaller outcroppings around Mount Hermon though, in both private properties and along common areas such as trails and roadsides.

This exposed sand is very poor in most nutrients, and nitrogen is no exception. That said, there are a few native species which fix nitrogen:

• Fabaceae (Pea) Family

• Silver Lupine (Lupinus albifrons)
• Miniature Lupine (Lupinus bicolor)
• California Broom/Deer Weed (Lotus scoparious)

*Two notes: 1) California Broom is native, and 2) the invasive French and Portuguese Broom are both members of the Fabaceae family.

• Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn) Family
  • Buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus)
  • Warty-leaf Ceanothus (Ceanothus sp.)
  • California Wild Lilac/Blue Blossom (Ceanothus sp.)

*Please note that the Ceanothus species are not the same group as cultivated lilacs. The name reflects the similar appearance rather than a close relationship.

Sandhill fauna (plants) are adapted to low levels of nitrogen and other nutrients. Some is made available through the above species, and some is recycled as plants absorb it from decomposing matter of the previous years’ growth. Ultimately, the system is balanced-the amount of nitrogen that is in the sandhill ecosystem remains constant despite some coming in and other molecules exiting (usually through animal transport), and some of course will remain to be recycled.

Under normal conditions, woodland species can not grow in the sand hills for a variety of reasons, one being the extremely low levels of nutrients. Broom in the sandhills are what can best be termed a pioneer species, enabling plants or animals which could not otherwise survive in that area to do so.

Non-native species have been around in California (and indeed, everywhere that humans move) for decades, if not centuries. Some naturalize and become a functioning part of their new ecosystem. Others become invasive and wreak havoc-havoc that can even affect humans. Brooms are only one of dozens of non-native species, and they (like many other species) pose threats to both natural and human interests in the areas they affect.

Non-native brooms are a serious issue everywhere they grow, and Mount Hermon is no exception. The largest stand in Mount Hermon is above Ponderosa Lodge, between there and the summit. There are other stands however, many in sandy areas. These are areas of concern that, left unmaintained, will grow into serious problems.

Due to the porous nature and low nutrient levels of the sand (a large part of Mount Hermon is sandhill, or a similar sandy soil), the sandhills were long thought to be resilient against (significant) invasion by non-native species present in surrounding areas. Due in part to their ability to fix nitrogen, however, broom are capable of growing in the sandhills and in so doing create a number of issues–some of which are normally associated with invasive species, and some which are unique to the sandhills and local residents.

In addition to pushing out native species, creating a significant fire hazard, and upsetting existing ecological balances, broom problems such as: potentially threatening human water supply, causing extinction of several already rare species, and permanently changing the soil and inhabitants of an endangered ecosystem.

All of these topics are (or will be) discussed in great detail on this site and elsewhere, stay posted for updates!

Spring Flowers

In addition to informative articles, there are times when one just wants a pretty picture.  Here is one you may see if you hike through the sandhills in the next few weeks as spring approaches.  Click to enlarge, and again to view full size.  Then scroll down to learn what they are.

I like this picture because the poppies seem so wild, yet so caught–and yet so content.  Sitting in the fence, looking over the quarry with the town beyond, they are growing as though there were not a care in the world.  There is something curious about the whole thing, and it is beautiful.

Here is another picture, scroll down to discover the species (hint, you may be surprised):

Technically it is a California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) but notice the color–we are used to orange California Poppies, no?  There are a couple possibilities here–it could be a genetic issue causing the yellow color, or it could be something in the environment.

This poppy has, under some basic tests, been shown to have a genetic basis for its color rather than a reason such as soil makeup, sun exposure, etc.  With the potential of being a subspecies, this has been dubbed the ‘Sandhills Poppy‘.

• Is it a new species? This is unlikely, notice the mixed colors in the first picture.
  
• Or (more likely) a sub-species that could some day become its own species?
  

With more testing and some careful investigation, we may find out. Could you be the person who figures it out?

Enjoy your hikes this spring, and send in your pictures to mail.perc@gmail.com, and we may post them here!