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.