Katie's Sightings

Fall Has Arrived!

Quaking Aspens and American Dogwood
Populus tremuloides - Cornus sericea

In the passage of only one week, the local deciduous forests have gone from green to glowing reds, golds, and yellows! It's absolutely stunning! The temperatures have also gotten cooler, and we received .37" of rain in the past week. Fall is officially here!Quaking Aspens in misty rain - Populus tremuloides

We were out in the woods when the rain came in, causing light mists in the forest!Quaking Aspens and American Dogwood
Populus tremuloides - Cornus sericea

The American Dogwood has turned a gorgeous raspberry color!

Ripe Berries!Chipmunk eating Bitter Cherries - Tamias sp. - Prunus emarginata

Many of the shrubs in the Lakes Basin are loaded with berries right now. A wide variety of birds and mammals feast on all of them. I took the above photo several years ago, and usually post it every year during the berry season!Bitter Cherry - Prunus emarginata

Bitter Cherry foliage is a valuable browsing species for mule deer, and black bears. The fruits are eaten by small mammals, rodents, and various birds. Bitter cherry often forms extensive thickets on moist slopes and along stream banks in the Sierra Nevada.

The fleshy white berries of the American Dogwood are very valuable to wildlife, and are a stunning contrast to the raspberry colored fall leaves. Just a week ago the leaves were still green!

Wildlife browse the twigs, foliage, and fruits. Many species of birds feast on the berries including robins, cedar waxwings, woodpeckers, bluebirds, and warblers. Mammals that eat the fruit and foliage include black bear, beaver, mountain beaver, cottontail rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, and rats. Deer only eat the foliage.

Your questions and comments are appreciated. Please feel free to email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!