Katie's Sightings
2 min read
Haskell Peak
Haskell Peak 5/9/2013 - Haskell Peak Cairn (inset) 8/6/23Last Sunday I hiked up to Haskell Peak, at 8,107', with several friends! It's a steep, two mile, uphill climb, with a gain of 1,000+' in elevation, but the view is worth it! Unfortunately, it was hazy and not that great for "vista" photos, but it was still lovely to be up there! I hadn't been up to the peak in ten years, and the rock cairn had changed shape since then!
Brewer's Angelica - Scarlet Gilia - Western Eupatorium
Angelica brewerii - Ipomopsis aggregata - Ageratina occidentalis
All the meadows we encountered on the hike up to the peak were filled to overflowing with flowers!!! Up near the peak itself were quite a few Brewer's Angelicas, Scarlet Gilias, and a few Western Eupatoriums. So lovely!
Un-named spring-fed pond
On the way up to the peak, we looked for and found a lovely, small, spring-fed pond that a friend of mine had told me about. It had lots and lots of tadpoles and other critters living in it, so we stayed, explored the pond, and had our lunch there!
Common Garter Snake - Sierra Chorus Frog - Tadpole unknow sp.
Thamnophis sirtalis ssp. fitchi - Pseudacris sierra - unknown sp.
This Valley Garter Snake is not poisonous, but can bite! They tend to live near wet areas where they eat fish, toads, frogs, tadpoles, salamanders, birds, small mammals, earthworms, slugs and leeches.
There were a zillion tadpoles and lots of tiny frogs in the pond. Pacific Tree Frogs breed from January to May. The female lays an egg mass containing 10-70 eggs. It takes about 3-4 weeks for the eggs to hatch. The colder the water is, the longer it takes for the eggs to hatch. This is the embryonic stage of a frog. Once they hatch, they will remain tadpoles for approximately 3 months before they are fully formed adults!!
We also saw some salamander larvae, but I couldn't get a photo of them!
Your questions and comments are appreciated. Please feel free to email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!