What's blooming in Laguna Canyon?

Out on Willow with a new good friend this morning, I came across some flowers belonging to the Cucumber Plant (Marah fabaceus; California Manroot). These are among the first flowers in sight on the Willow/Laurel loop as of yet (previously, I mentioned the Deerweed sightings and the Sticky Monkeyflower sightings, both at the Nix center/ Little Sycamore Canyon). We also saw some Deerweed in early bloom at the very beginning of Lower Laurel, right before the faultline. And if we're really going to be specific and include every single flower we saw, there was a bit of California fuschia still in bloom today, also on Willow.

Here are two photos of the Cucumber flowers. To view more photos from other, previous dates, please click HERE.

Fire in Laguna Beach

For those of us who love our canyon dearly, seeing a Laguna home on fire up on the hillside brings back flashbacks of pain and sorrow. Tonight, our hearts go out to the family that lost their home this afternoon, at 650 Mystic View.

An article by the OC Register online can be found HERE.

This is also a good moment to be reminded of the absolute necessity of making sure that our appliances, holiday decorations, and all other potential fire hazards are properly secured in our homes. Watch out for those Christmas trees, and check on those space heaters during this chilly, wet week.

Though we are grateful for the rain and cooler temperatures which decrease the risks of fire out in the canyon, one should never forget how quickly our homes and canyon can go up in flames. Please take all precautions possible in your efforts to preserve our beautiful Laguna Beach.

The Gall of it All! ...at Little Sycamore Canyon

Found a neat gall on Little Sycamore Canyon trail yesterday, 14 December 2008. Research has led me to believe that this is a Disholcaspis plumbella; Beaked Twig Gall Wasp, On a Scrub Oak (Quercus berberidifolia).


Laura Cohen at the Nix Nature Center wrote a lovely word document on galls back in October 2008, AVAILABLE HERE.

Trails will be closed until the rain and muddy conditions subside. Keep checking www.ocparks.com for park news and reopenings.

Early Blooming for Common Deerweed (CA Broom / Broom Lotus, Lotus scoparius)

Early Blooming for Common Deerweed on Little Sycamore Canyon Trail today, 14 December 2008. Read article here: http://natureinorangecounty.blogspot.com/2008/12/early-blooming-for-common-deerweed-ca.html.

Stagecoach North Trail is Open

NEWS! Stagecoach North Trail is finally open to the public. What does this mean?

A loop is now possible for hikers who want to start at the Nix Nature Center and go up Little Sycamore, up and along Serrano Ridge, down to Stagecoach North Trail, around to the lake, under the 133 back to the Nix. Bikers can now access the opened trail, probably making it possible to go further than before.

However, while this opening is great news to us who love to be outside, I am sadly disappointed... For today, while hiking along Serrano Ridge with the intention of going on this newly opened trail, I couldn't help but notice how noisy it all was - the cars whizzing by on the 133, the distant grumbling from the 5 and 405, plus all the side street traffic - I simply could not "get away from it all." In fact, with all of our urban conglomerations monopolizing the view, plus the newly ravaged section of the hills now bulldozed down to flat nothingness in preparation for new homes, there was little for the naturalist, the nature lover to get excited about.



So, before going any further towards Stagecoach North trail, yet after having passed up the entrance for "Rabbit Run," (an Irvine trail that is closed to the public), I decided to turn around and go back towards Little Sycamore, where the noise of our civilization faded back out into oblivion. As I looked down over the edge of the trail onto Stagecoach, which parallels for a long while the 133 as a large fire road, I was happy to be returning to the vantage points from which I could look out onto rolling hills and our sage scrub habitat.


Although I will say one thing in Stagecoach North's defense - or rather, the part of Serrano Ridge that leads to it - it gives the Southern OC native a nice overview of the area, from a new perspective. And it definitely leaves a lasting mark on your conscience - with all of that urbanization out there, and with so little wild land around it, it makes one wonder just where we are going with all of our new construction, and how much we are damaging our natural resources...

So, if you see me on the trails and want my advice on where to go, I will probably suggest you take Serrano Ridge to Camarillo Canyon, to Stagecoach South, or that you go to the Willow Staging Area on Laguna Canyon Road right after the stoplight at El Toro (heading south) and take Willow to any of the multiple trails up at the top. Those are the trails where, in my opinion, you'll find you can connect to nature the best.

To View All Serrano Ridge photographs, Please Visit Nature In Orange County's Photo Albums online - Serrano Ridge Photographs

Western Patch-Nosed Snake (Salvadora Hexalepis)

Today on top of Serrano Ridge, at 1:45 PM, about 300 feet north from the intersection of Little Sycamore Canyon Trail and Serrano Ridge, a Western Patch-Nosed Snake crossed the road. It was no warmer than 58 degrees Fahrenheit, and with a little breeze, it felt a lot colder!


Estimated size was approximately 24 inches long at full extension.



Here is a bit of information about the Western Patch-Nosed Snake, taken from CaliforniaHerps.com (http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/s.h.hexalepis.html):

Nonvenomous

Considered harmless to humans.

Size

Salvadora hexalepis ranges in size from 10 - 46 inches long (25 - 117 cm). Most snakes seen will be around 26 - 36 inches (66 - 91 cm).

Appearance

A fast, moderately-sized slender striped snake with smooth scales, large eyes, and a large scale over the tip of the snout. Well-camouflaged, this snake is pale gray with a broad yellow or tan stripe down the middle of the back, and dark stripes on the sides. The top of the head is gray. The underside is cream, sometimes shading to pale orange at the tail end.

Behavior

Little is known about the natural history of this species. Active during daylight, even in times of extreme heat. Terrestrial, but may climb shrubs in pursuit of prey. Burrows into loose soil. Able to move very quickly. Their acute vision allows them to escape quickly when they feel threatened, making this snake sometimes difficult to capture during the heat of the day. When cornered, they will inflate the body and strike.

Diet

Eats mostly lizards, along with small mammals, and possibly small snakes, nestling birds, and amphibians.

Reproduction

Lays eggs, probably May to August.

Range

Occurs in California in the southeast, from the desert slopes of the mountains north to roughly Riverside County, south into Baja California and Sonora, Mexico, and east into southeastern Arizona.

Habitat

Inhabits open arid and semi-arid areas - deserts, brushland, grassland, and scrub in canyons, rocky hillsides, sandy plains.

Taxonomic Notes

There are four subspecies of Salvadora hexalepis, with three occuring in California: S. h. hexalepis - Desert Patch-nosed Snake, S. h. mojavensis - Mohave Patch-nosed Snake, and S. h. virgultea - Coast Patch-nosed Snake. S. h. deserticola - Big Bend Patch-nosed Snake, which occurs in the Southwest, is recognized by many taxonomists as a unique species, Salvadora deserticola, leaving them to recognize only three subspecies of Salvadora hexalepis.

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

None.

Jepsonia, Nightshade, Bees and Scat Beetles

This morning I just could not resist stopping by the Nix Nature Center to take pictures of the Jepsonia, Nightshade and Scat Beetles that I had noticed on Monday (yesterday). Many of us LCF volunteers were put on alert for the Jepsonia sighting - for it is quite a rare flower for the canyon - Click on this link HERE to see the photos of Coast Jepsonia!

HERE are the new photos of nightshade, now forever in the NIOC Photo Database!

HERE are some photos of bees on beautiful California Encelia, right out in front of the Nix Nature Center.

And, to top things off, HERE are some lovely scat beetles, enjoying a yummy breakfast. They've been working at that piece of scat for quite a while now.

Tracks at Emerald Canyon Road

Hiking Down Emerald Canyon Road this morning was a blast! So many fun tracks to see! :)



Click on this link to access Nature In Orange County's Tracks Photo Album.
Click on this link to access Dick Newell's website, OC Trackers.

Friendly Lizard Photo Shoot

At the Willow Staging Area today, a friendly Fence lizard allowed me to do a photo shoot of him!

Where's the lizard?














Here he is! (Click on the Photo Below to Access Our Lizard Photo Album!)

Birding Hike at Willow

This morning at 8 AM, a lovely group of people met at the Willow Staging Area in Laguna Canyon for a Birding Hike led by Paul Klahr and John Heussenstamm, as was advertised on Laguna Canyon Foundation's Events Page at: http://www.lagunacanyon.org/events.html

Sunday, November 30
8:00-10:30 a.m.

Birding Hike
Spot fall and migratory birds with Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteer naturalist Paul Klahr and bird expert John Heussenstamm on this hike through one of the most diverse plant communities in the United States. Bring binoculars. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Willow Canyon Staging Area (20101 Laguna Canyon Road, just south of El Toro Road intersection). Reservations required: 949-923-2235. Parking: $3.

They went up Laurel Canyon and down Willow, and had a great time! By the end of the hike, John and Paul said that they had seen about 22 different birds!

Of particular note were the Canadian geese that flew overhead at 9 AM!

To check the upcoming Laguna Canyon hikes, click HERE.

With A Month's Rain in 6 Hours, Laguna Canyon Trails are Closed

What rain we got last night! All OC Wilderness parks close down for anywhere from 48-72 hours following 0.25 inches of rain ~ you can expect the Laguna Coast Wilderness to be closed for a few days, with more than 1.54 inches falling down last night.

Take a look at the amount of rain that poured onto Orange County from 9 pm on 25 November to 5 am 26 November, as seen in THIS ARTICLE:

Yorba Linda: 1.93 inches

Huntington Beach: 1.81 inches

Corona del Mar: 1.81 inches

Costa Mesa: 1.85 inches

Westminster: 1.69 inches

Newport Coast: 1.65 inches

Brea-Olinda: 1.57 inches

Laguna Canyon: 1.57 inches

Laguna Beach: 1.54 inches

Irvine: 1.38 inches

Laguna Niguel Lake: 1.38 inches

Villa Park Dam: 1.34 inches

Garden Grove: 1.26 inches

Santa Ana: 1.28 inches

Anaheim: 1.22 inches

San Juan Capistrano: 1.22 inches

El Toro: 1.22 inches

Upper Oso Creek: 1.22 inches

Upper Harding Canyon: 01.10 inches

Upper Silverado Canyon: 1.02 inches

Coto de Caza: 0.91 inches

---> Keep in mind that OC's November Rainfall Average is 1.31 inches!

OC Parks Are Closed Due to Muddy Conditions today. You can check the status of OC Parks Closures at: www.ocparks.com

Laguna Canyon Foundation is on Facebook!

Want to know what's going on in Laguna Canyon? (Of Course!)

Want to meet some really fun people, and join a community of volunteers, docents and naturalists? (YES! YES! YES!)

Check out Laguna Canyon Foundation on Facebook, HERE:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Laguna-Canyon-Foundation/31600053858

Don't throw your cigarettes out the window!!!

There must come a point in time when people, young and old alike, will start to take care of their surroundings.

When they will stop littering and look for a trashcan.
When they will stop spilling their oil into the ocean.
When they will do everything that they can to convince lawmakers to approve of and enforce clean energy laws.
When they will realize that we don't inherit the earth from our ancestors, but borrow it from our children (old Indian proverb).

We are the only ones who can take care of this land. Stewardship must be on our minds at all times - simply because our happiness and well-being depends on the happiness and well-being of the earth!

So, tonight, I address myself to the young brunette driving the Silver Toyota Corolla S, with the Laguna Beach parking sticker in the left corner of her tinted back window, CA license plate 5RFA827, who threw her burning cigarette out of her window while driving north on Laguna Canyon road right after turning around Big Bend, just one week after the big Fire Alerts in the canyon.

Miss, I do acknowledge that using the ashtray in your car might stink your car up a bit. It might mean having to clean out the ashtray once you're back home. Or getting on some kind of smoking schedule where you don't smoke in the car but before/after your trips. But chucking your well-lit cigarette out the window in the canyon isn't worth it - you're putting an entire community of people, plants and animals at risk of death, destruction, and long-lived negative consequences. And frankly, that's a situation that I don't appreciate being put in.

Which is why I tried my best to extinguish your cigarette under my car's two left tires, why I wrote down your license plate, and why I am writing this post tonight.

Let us truly answer the call of responsibility - think before acting - and protect to our best ability the natural resources that we are so blessed to have.

All OC Parks Reopened; Red Flag Warning Remains

From the www.ocparks.com website: http://www.ocparks.com/newsroom/default.asp?Show=1001885&subshow=A

All Parks Reopened; Red Flag Warning Remains

Four parks closed due to high winds on Monday.

by Marisa O'Neil, Public Affairs Manager on 10/14/2008


Four OC Parks facilities that closed due to high winds reopened to the public on Tuesday morning.

Rangers on Monday closed Laguna Coast and Aliso & Wood Canyons wilderness parks and Irvine and Santiago Oaks regional parks as a fierce Santa Ana windstorm blew across Orange County. Though the parks reopened on Tuesday morning, the County remains under a red flag warning, meaning a high fire danger, until 6 p.m. Tuesday night.

Park visitors are asked to exercise caution and to remain aware of their surroundings. Report any wind damage, smoke or fire to the Park Ranger.

Rangers will be keeping a close eye on areas of dry brush.

Monday's windstorm damaged trees and signs in some OC Parks.

Check your park of choice's page on this site for the most up-to-date information on conditions and closures.

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park CLOSED - RED FLAG WEATHER

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is closed until further notice due to adverse weather and red flag warning conditions. For more information: http://ocparks.com/lagunacoast/

Please be vigilant when driving through the canyon - there is a high risk of Fire - no throwing your cigarettes out of your car window! (Why would you throw anything out your window, anyway?)

How many cars drive through Laguna Canyon daily?

Have you ever wondered just how many cars pass through Laguna Canyon daily, on Laguna Canyon Road?

CAHighways.org says the following:

"There are 29,000 cars that use the road each day in 2006; in 2020, that number will swell to 32,000 to 56,000 cars a day. The road was originally a stagecoach route."

(http://www.cahighways.org/129-136.html#133)

A PDF showing data from 1990 to 1998 shows daily averages of around 39,000 cars... as we can see here: www.lagunabeachcity.net/community/visionlaguna/ataglance/vlgl-pg13b.pdf

While these numbers shouldn't surprise me (considering all those cars that I see in the canyon) THEY DO...

Who wants to carpool?

How to Get Involved - Adopt-A-Park Program

Ok, so you're driving past the parks of Orange County, walking on the beaches, or just watching the grass grow in your front yard, and then it hits you - you feel the need to get involved in the natural community! You're not sure when, where, or how... but you know that it would feel great to meet new people, discover the natural history of your surroundings, and help promote an increased awareness of OC's resources.

If you turn to the internet for guidance, I suggest visiting Adopt-A-Park, OC Parks' Volunteer Program, which serves over 30 OC Parks facilities in Orange County. Here are a few Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Adopt-A-Park, taken directly from the Adopt-A-Park Volunteer Manual:

What does it mean to Adopt-A-Park?
As an Adopt-A-Park volunteer, you can assist with beautification of over 39,000 acres of spectacular resources. We want you to help in preserving and maintaining the natural beauty and allure of these distinct landscapes and facilities, striving to maximize the outdoor experience for locals and visitors alike.

What can I do as an Adopt-A-Park Volunteer?
There are many ways you can be a part of our Adopt-A-Park Volunteer Team. From being a trail monitor, to creating a new trail; Planting gardens to maintaining present ones; Staffing an interpretive center to leading nature walks for visitors, the possibilities are endless.

There are many perks in being an Adopt-A-Park Volunteer - besides the obvious joy in working in/for nature with other like-minded individuals, you often get free access to the parks (no parking fees), expense reimbursement, formal and informal recognition - and the Adopt-A-Park program carries Volunteer insurance.

If you are looking to make a difference in your community, to add more joy into your life, and to connect with nature in Orange County, this is an excellent way to go!

(All information has been taken from the Adopt-A-Park Volunteer Manual; the author of this post is, as of the posting date of 1 Oct 2008, not affiliated with Adopt-A-Park in any way. Please contact Adopt-A-Park directly for more information on their program. Thanks!)

Rain and Photos from Wood Canyon

Well, looks like we got our first real rain in a long time here today in Southern Orange County!

Yesterday, Sept 28th, I went to Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park and took some more photographs of the plants along the trail... I also got some nice insect and snake shots!

After taking about 80 high-resolution shots from that little walk, my photo albums on Picasa have increased in size (and there are a lot of plants that I still need to identify... bear with me, it's a lot of work!) You can see the increase in volume here: Nature In Orange County's Photos.

On September 27th, the Laguna Canyon Foundation had their Volunteer Orientation from 9-1:30 at the Nix Nature Center. What a wonderful group of volunteers, rangers and staff! Everyone had a great time learning about the various volunteer possibilities - from trail maintenance and native plant restoration, to participating in the various hikes, tours, and events, there was something for everyone to get excited about! For more information on the next orientation, visit: http://www.lagunacanyon.org/

Make sure to check out www.natureinorangecounty.com to access Nature In Orange County's BLOG and WEBSITE! And thanks for checking in with us here, too!

www.natureinorangecounty.com

I am happy to announce the creation of Nature In Orange County's WEBSITE (and continued success of Nature In Orange County's BLOG), both accessible at www.natureinorangecounty.com.

Please check it out - general information on Laguna Canyon will be available there from now on - but this blog will remain to keep you updated on special events in the canyon.

Cheers!

The Nursery At Willow

Another great blog to check out (especially if you're a local and want to get involved, or are looking for more information about the canyon's happenings and native plants) : http://hijoley.blogspot.com/
Thanks Robert!

When Driving through the canyon, SHARE THE ROAD with bicyclists!

Hello all,
Just a quick little note to remind you of the importance of driving safely, especially through the canyon.

On Saturday morning, I was coming down Laguna Canyon Road (towards Laguna Beach) at 60 MPH (the part by the Nix Center that becomes the 133, where the speed limit is 65). A bunch of bicyclists were riding in the bike lanes, enjoying the beauty of the canyon as much as I was. As I was approaching the 73 toll road ramps/bridges, I saw a bicyclist on the ground, lying on his back, with his legs in the right hand lane, his upper body in the bike lane. I immediately hit the brakes, put my emergency flashers on and pulled over, went over to help, called 911, etc. It turned out that two bicyclists were down, the second being a woman lying on the dirt by the side of the road, with her bicycle still between her legs, and bleeding from the knee. The first bicyclist, a man in his late forties, was bleeding from the head (luckily he was wearing a helmet!)...

Other bicyclists coming up and down the road came over to help, yet it was amazing to see how many cars passed us by before another auto driver decided to pull over and ask if we needed assistance.

While it remains unclear what really caused the accident, scenes like these remind me of how quickly lives can be taken away, and of how important it is for us to SHARE THE ROAD while driving through the canyon, to DRIVE SAFELY, and to RESPECT THE SPEED LIMITS! All too often, there are people going 80-85-90 MPH on this road!!!! Even though there are now two lanes per direction, that doesn't mean Laguna Canyon Road has become a race course!!!

Also, if you are a bicyclist, might I recommend not blaring your ipod music in your ears while on the road. I did notice that the man down on the ground still had his iPod earphones in his ears - was he attempting to pass the other hurt bicyclist? Was she trying to pass him and he didn't hear her? Did a car hit them both and he wasn't aware of the cars because he was into his music? Of course, my hypotheses can be way off, and I am not going to try to guess the real cause of the accident... but it is something to think about, at least.

And even if your iPod music isn't distracting you from the road or taking away from the appreciation of nature, isn't it often much more enjoyable to listen to the sounds of the canyon, to take a full break from your daily grind, leaving all the known factors at home and taking a plunge into an environment that always has something more to offer, everyday that you go out and connect with it?

Just a thought. Be careful out there.

The Nix Nature Center and Little Sycamore Trail

This article has been taken from my other, more general blog on nature in Orange County, found here: www.natureinorangecounty.blogspot.com

The Nix Nature Center and Little Sycamore Trail

Hello all ~

Today was my first time visiting the Nix Nature Center, located at 18751 Laguna Canyon Rd/SR-133, approximately two miles north of El Toro Rd and 5 miles south of the I-5. This weekend was the official re-opening of the center since its construction/renovation.

Upon entering I was pleased to see the work that had been done, with the various educational displays on the rocks, fauna and flora of the canyon. I then met a fantastic ranger who was kind enough to inform me of the volunteer opportunities within the park and the Laguna Canyon Foundation. It was almost 1 PM, and very hot outside, but I wanted to take a little hike to discover this part of the canyon that I had never seen before. When I asked about the trails starting from the lot, the ranger recommended the Little Sycamore trail, a "quick" one-mile trail up to Serrano Ridge (Elevation 500'). Little Sycamore is fun, uphill for a lot of the short trek, with little two-board bridges from time to time, narrow pathways once you get half-way into the hike (brush/bushes/trees surround you on either side, you've got a 15" wide path to stick to). As you climb and look back towards your starting point, you begin to see much of the larger canyon hills behind you, the 133 and the 73 Toll Road begin to shrink into oblivion and you realize how grand and important our nature preserves truly are. At the end of Little Sycamore, you end up on a crest and look out over towards Irvine, Newport Beach, Santa Ana, and the likes... a little disappointing if you expect to see more rolling hills once you reach the top, but a good reminder of the necessity to keep what natural land we still have protected!!!

Click on the following link to watch the little video I took while on the trail (sadly a plane started to fly overhead, but you can still hear the birds' songs) Little Sycamore Trail Video

Pictures of the plants and scat I found are available HERE: Little Sycamore Trail Photos

(For more information on the Nix Nature Center, call 949-923-2235, or visit www.ocparks.com/lagunacoast).