Katie's Sightings
2 min read
Fall and the Foothills
Blue Oak — Quercus douglasiiWe received 1.58" of rain in the past ten days, along with some very blustery winds! Most of the fall leaves have been blown off the trees and now cover the ground in a beautiful golden-yellow, rusty-brown blanket. Our new Water Year total, that started on October 1st, is 4.48". The Water Year total for Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023 was 86.55"! This total is quite a bit above the past three years of drought, with Water Year totals of 56.51" (2022), 34.18" (2021), and 39.62" (2020). We are so grateful for this past wet year, as well as the lack of forest fires! The forecast for the winter coming up is a wet one, which could mean lots of rain or snow in our area.
California Black Oaks in light Rain — Quercus kelloggii
I'm hoping for lots of snow up in the higher elevations, and rain down in our neighborhood. Fingers crossed that we get above average precipitation in any form!
Blue Oak Foothill Pine Woodlands
Blue Oak — Quercus douglasiiSince Fall has more or less disappeared from our neighborhood, we decided to drive down to the foothills for a hike or two. Luckily there was still a LOT of fall color in the South Yuba River State Park and the Daugherty Hill Wildlife Area.
Blue Oak Foothill Pine Woodlands
The terrain was rolling, grass-covered hills with gullies and creeks, and a river, vegetated by Blue Oaks, Live Oaks, Black Oaks, Gray Pines, Madrones, Coyote Brush, and many other shrubs. It is designated as a "Blue Oak Foothill Pine Woodlands" ecosystem. I was amazed at the multitude of different "greens" in the forest, including blue green, gray green, sage green, yellow green, and forest green.
One of the best books ever about the foothill oak ecosystem, but not a lot about the oak trees themselves, is "Secrets of the Oak Woodlands - Plants & Animals Among California's Oaks" by Kate Marianchild, published in 2014. It is a fascinating guide to little known wonders of several of the plants and animals found in that environment! I would highly recommend it to any curious naturalist! I found it fascinating!
Your questions and comments are appreciated. Please feel free to email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!