Field Trips
Field Trip Report: Upper Newport Bay Ecological Preserve [5/19/2013]
Field Trip Report: Audubon Starr Ranch [4/28/2013]
Trip Recap
This might have been our best trip of the year. A small group of ten CNPS members were overwhelmed by the natural beauty and the outstanding conservation work being dore at Starr Ranch.
Our hosts for the day were the magnificent team of Sandy and Pete DeSimone. We met near the ranch headquarters, where Sandy and Pete welcomed us and gave an overview of the property, its history and some of its current projects. We then took a few minutes to go into one of the classrooms, where Pete showed us the live "owl-cam" and discussed to barn owls and a few other birds that have become a highlight in recent years at the ranch.
But the best was yet to come. We boarded into the back of a rugged GMC truck and Pete drove us all over the property, down canyons, up hillsides, through grasslands and across creeks. Meanwhile, Sandy educated us about the myriad of restoration efforts that are going on at the ranch, especially the excellent efforts to remove and manage invasive plants on the 4,000 acre property. Many of the invasive plant techniques employed at Starr Ranch have been pioneering and the results were obvious, especially when Sandy would show a photo from several years earlier. During one of the many stops, we would be amazed by the diverse plants and the thriving ecosystems; then Sandy would show a photo from a decade earlier - when the area was choked with wild artichoke or other exotic plants and barely functioning. The improvement was dramatic and clearly visible to all of us, as well as the birds, mammals, insects and other inhabitants of the land.
Even though 2013 is an especially dry year, we still enjoyed the plants. During our wanderings on the slopes of Preusker's Peak we located Madia elegans (one of only two or three occurances in OC). We also searched the location of OC's endemic Allen's Daisy (Pentachaeta aurea ssp. allenii), but it was too dry this year. Calochortus (Mariposa Lilies) are always fun and we saw many Calochortus splendens and even a few C. catalinae. 108 species were casually identified during the visit, including Ericameria pinifolia (Pine Goldenbush), Cirsium occidentale (Cobweb Thistle), Lomatium dasycarpum ssp. dasycarpum (Woolly-fruited Lomatium) and Salix exigua (Narrow-leaved Willow). For a complete list of trip species, see the next tab - "Plants Seen".
Thanks you Sandy and Pete for all the great work you are doing and for sharing the ranch with us today!
Plants Seen
Acmispon glaber - Deerweed
Acmispon heermannii - Woolly Lotus
Ageratina adenophora* - Sticky Eupatorium
Alnus rhombifolia - White Alder
Ambrosia psilostachya var. californica - Ragweed
Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia - Common Fiddleneck
Anagallis arvensis* - Scarlet Pimpernel
Artemesia californica - California Sagebrush
Artemesia douglasiana - California Mugwort
Asclepias eriocarpa - Indian Milkweed
Avena barbata* - Slender Wild Oat
Avena fatua* - Wild Oat
Baccharis pilularis - Coyote Brush
Baccharis salicifolia - Mule Fat
Bebbia juncea - Scabrid Sweetbush
Bloomeria crocea - Golden Stars
Bothriochloa barbinodis* - Plumed Beardgrass
Brachypodium distachyon* - Purple False Brome
Brassica nigra* - Black Mustard
Bromus diandrus* - Ripgut Grass
Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens* - Foxtail Chess
Calochortus catalinae - Catalina Mariposa Lily
Calochortus splendens - Splendid Mariposa Lily
Calystegia macrostegia ssp. cyclostegia - Purple-bracted Morning-glory
Carduus pycnocephalus* - Italian Thistle
Castilleja affinis ssp. affinis - Coast Paintbrush
Chlorogalum parviflorum - Soap Lily
Cirsium occidentale - Cobweb Thistle
Clarkia purpurea - Four-spot
Corethrogyne filaginfolia var. latifolia - Tomentose Cudweed Aster
Cryptantha sp. - Popcorn Flower
Cuscuta californica - California Witch's Hair
Cynara cardunculus* - Cardoon
Deinandra fasciculata - Fascicled Tarweed
Dichelostemma capitatum - Wild Hyacinth
Dudleya pulverulenta - Chalk Live-Forever
Ericameria pinifolia - Pine Goldenbush
Eriogonum fasciculatum ssp. fasciculatum - California Buckwheat
Erodium sp.* - Storksbill
Filago californica - Fluffweed
Galium angustifolium ssp. angustifolium - Chaparral Bedstraw
Galium nuttallii ssp. nuttallii - Nuttall's Bedstraw
Grindelia robusta var. bracteosa - Gum Plant
Gutierrezia californica - California Matchweed
Hesperoyucca whipplei - Our Lord's Candle
Heteromeles arbutifolia - Toyon
Heterotheca grandiflora - Telegraph Weed
Hirschfeldia incana* - Shortpod Mustard
Holocarpha virgata ssp. elongata - Sticky Tarweed
Hypochoeris glabra* - False Dandelion
Isocoma menziesii - Coast Goldenbush
Keckiella cordifolia - Heart-leaved Bush Penstemon
Lactuca serriola* - Prickly Lettuce
Lamarckia aurea* - Goldentop
Lepidospartum squamatum - Scale-broom
Lolium multiflorum* - Italian Rye
Lomatium dasycarpum ssp. dasycarpum - Woolly-fruited Lomatium
Lupinus albifrons var. albifrons - Silver Lupine
Lupinus bicolor - Miniature Lupine
Madia elegans ssp. elegans - Common Madia
Malosma laurina - Laurel Sumac
Malva parviflora* - Cheeseweed
Marah macrocarpus - Big Root
Marrubium vulgare* - Common Horehound
Medicago polymorpha* - Bur Clover
Melica imperfecta - Melic Grass
Mimulus aurantiacus - Northern Monkey Flower
Mimulus guttatus - Seep-spring Monkey Flower
Muhlenbergia rigens - California Deergrass
Nasella pulchra - Purple Needlegrass
Nasturtium officinale - Watercress
Nicotiana glauca* - Tree Tobacco
Oenothera elata ssp. hirsutissima - Marsh Evening Primrose
Opuntia littoralis var. littoralis - Prickly Pear
Osmadenia tenella - Southern Rosinweed
Osmorhiza brachypoda - Sweet Cicely
Phacelia cicutaria - Caterpillar Phacelia
Phalaris aquatica* - Harding Grass
Phoradendron macrophyllum - Big Leaf Mistletoe
Plantago lanceolata* - English Plantain
Platanus racemosa - California Sycamore
Pseudognaphalium californicum - California Everlasting
Pseudognaphalium microcephalum - White Everlasting
Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia - Coast Live Oak
Quercus beberidifolia - California Scrub Oak
Rhamnus californica ssp. californica - California Coffeeberry
Rhamnus crocea - Spiny Redberry
Rhamnus ilicifolia - Holly-leaf Redberry
Rhus integrifolia - Lemonade Berry
Rumex crispus* - Curly Dock
Salix exigua - Narrow-leaved Willow
Salix lasiolepis var. lasiolepis - Arroyo Willow
Salvia apiana - White Sage
Salvia mellifera - Black Sage
Sambucus mexicana - Mexican Elderberry
Sidalcea malvaeflora ssp. sparsifolia - Checker-bloom
Sisyrinchium bellum - Blue-eyed Grass
Solidago californica - California Goldenrod
Sonchus asper* - Prickly Sow-thistle
Stipa coronatum - Giant Needlegrass
Thalictrum polycarpum - Meadow Rue
Toxicodendron diversilobum - Poison Oak
Typha angustifolia - Narrow-leaved Cat-tail
Uropappus lindleyi* - Silver Puffs
Verbena lasiostachys - Western Verbena
Vicia benghalensis* - Purple Vetch
Viola pedunculata - Johnny Jump-up
Vitis girdiana - Wild Grape
* Not native
Field Trip Report: Richard & Donna O'Neill Conservancy [4/21/2013]
Trip Recap
Geordie Shaw, the Education Coordinator at The Richard & Donna O'Neill Conservancy, welcomed 16 of us on a perfect Spring day. We met at the front gate of the Reserve, on Hwy 74 and after everyone arrived Geordie guided the caravan of vehicles to one of the Conservancy entrance gates. We all felt honored and fortunate to be able to spend the morning at one of Orange County's premier natural areas,
The group quickly set out along one of the ridge trails, noting the plants and the plant communities as we progressed. The Conservancy is well known for its expanses of grasslands and oak woodlands. Along the way we paused at several interesting plants, a hybrid white sage-black sage, a few rare Engelmann oaks, shooting stars, colorful California buttercups, splendid mariposa lilies, field morning glories, Plectritis, red maids and many others.
After the walking trip through the great diversity of plants and habitats in these Southern foothills, we went on to another very special treat. Just off the road and invisible to most people was one of the largest coast live oaks in Orange County. Deemed the "Mother Oak", this massive 500+ year old tree was quite impressive. On the crest of a slope just a hundred meters away was a large, mature California juniper, quite rare for such a coastal location.
Many thanks also go to Diane Etchison, who is a regular volunteer at the Conservancy and who has been keeping detailed plant records of the area. Her leadership and assistance during this trip was much appreciated. Dianne, along with Rachel Whitt, another CNPS member, made the trip very educational and enjoyable.
Plants Seen
Achillea millefolium - Common Yarrow
Acmispon glaber - Deer weed
Ambrosia psilostachya - Western Ragweed
Anagalis arvensis - Scarlet Pimpernel
Anthriscus caucalis - Bur Chervil
Aristida purpurea var parishii - Parish's Three-Awned Grass
Artemisia californica - California Sagebrush
Artemisia douglasiana - Mugwort
Avena sp - Oats
Baccharis pilularis - Coyote Brush
Baccharis salicifolia - Mule Fat
Bloomeria crocea - Common Goldenstar
Brassica nigra - Black Mustard
Bromus diandrus - Rip Gut Brome
Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens - Red Brome
Calandrina ciliata - Red Maids
Calochortus splendens - Splendid Mariposa Lily
Calystegia macrostegia var cyclo - Purple-bracted Morning Glory
Capsella bursa-pastoris - Shepherd's Purse
Carduus pycnocephalus - Italian Thistle
Carex triquetra - Triangular Fruit Sedge
Castelleja affinis - Coastal Paintbrush
Chamaesyce albomarginata - Rattlesnake Spurge
Chenopodium californicum - California Goosefoot
Chlorogalum pomeridianum - Wavy-leaved Soap Plant
Cirsium occidentale var.occidentale - Cobweb Thistle
Cirsium vulgare - Bull Thistle
Clarkia purpurea - Four-spot Clarkia
Claytonia perfoliata var perf - [Common] Miner's Lettuce
Conium maculatum - Poison Hemlock
Cordylanthus rigidus ssp setigerus - Dark-tip Bird's Beak
Crassula connata - Pigmy Stonecrop
Cryptantha clevelandii - Common Cryptantha
Cuscuta californica var calif - CA Dodder
Cylindropuntia prolifera - Coastal Cholla
Cynara cardunculus - Cardoon
Datura wrightii - Jimson Weed
Dichelostemma capitatum ssp capit - Wild Hyacynth
Dodecatheon clevelandii - Padre's Shooting Star
Dudleya pulverulenta ssp. pulv. - Chalky Life-forever
Elymus condensatus - Giant Rye Grass
Eriogonum fasciculatum var fascic. - California Wild Buckwheat
Erodium sp. - Filaree
Eschscholzia californica - California Poppy
Foeniculum vulgare - Fennel
Galium angustifolium ssp. angustif - Chaparral Bedstraw
Galium aparine - Common Bedstraw
Galium nuttallii ssp. nuttallii - Nuttall's Bedstraw
Galium parsiense - Wall Bedstraw
Geranium dissectum - Cut-leaf Geranium
Hedypnios cretica - Crete Weed
Hesperoyucca whipplei - Chaparral Yucca
Heteromeles arbutifolia - Toyon
Hypochaeris glabra - Smooth Cat's-Ear
Isocoma menziesii - Coast Goldenbush
Juniperus californica - California Juniper
Keckiella cordifolia - Heart-leaf Penstemon
Lolium multiflorum - Italian Ryegrass
Lupinus bicolor - Miniature Lupine
Malosma laurina - Laurel Sumac
Marah macrocarpus var. macro. - Wild Cucumber
Marrubium vulgare - Horehound
Matricaria discoidia - Pineapple Weed
Medicago polymorpha - Bur Clover
Melica imperfecta - Coast Range Melic Grass
Melilotus indicus - Yellow Sweet Clover
Mimulus auranticus - Monkey Flower
Mirabilis laevis - Wishbone Bush
Muhlenbergia rigens - Deer Grass
Nicotiana glauca - Tree Tobacco
Opuntia littoralis - Coast Prickly Pear
Osmadenia tenella - Southern Rosinweed
Oxalis albicans - Wild Oxalis
Oxalis pes-caprae - Sour grass
Pellea andromedifolia - Coffee Fern
Pentagramma triangularis ss triang - Goldenback Fern
Phacelia ramosissima var latifolia - Branching Phacelia
Pholistoma auritum var. aur. - Blue Fiesta Flower
Picris echioides - Prickly Ox-tongue
Plagioborthrys nothofulvus - Rusty Popcorn Flower
Plantago erecta - California Dwarf Plantain
Platanus racemosa - Western Sycamore
Plectritis ciliosa - Long-spurred Plectritis
Pseudognaphalium californicum - California Everlasting
Pseudognaphalium luteoalbum - Cudweed
Quercus agrifolia - Coast Live Oak
Quercus berberidifolia - Scrub Oak
Quercus engelmannii - Englemann's Oak
Ranunculus californicus var calif. - California Buttercup
Rhamnus ilicifolia - Holly-Leaf Red Berry
Rhus integrifolia - Lemonade Berry
Rubus ursinus - California Blackberry
Rumex crispus - Curly Dock
Salix lasiolepis - Arroyo Willow
Salvia apiana - White Sage
Salvia apiana x melliflera - Hybrid White/Black Sage
Salvia mellifera - Black Sage
Sambucus mexicanus - Mexican Elderberry
Sanicula arguta - Sharp-toothed Sanicle
Sanicula crassicaulis - Pacific Sanicle
Sidalcea malviflora var malviflora - Common Checkerbloom
Silene gallica - Windmill Pink
Sisyrinchium bellum - Blue-eyed Grass
Solanum sp. - Nightshade
Solidago velutina ssp california - California Goldenrod
Stachys rigida var rigida - Hillside Hedge Nettle
Stellaria media - Common Chickweed
Stipa pulchra - Purple Needlegrass
Toxicodendron diversilobum - Poison Oak
Uropappus lindleyi - Silver Puffs
Verbena lasiostachys - Western Verbena
Vicia sativa var sativa - Narrow-leafed Vetch
Field Trip Report: Laguna Coast Wilderness [4/14/2013]
Trip Recap
This was a very busy weekend for native plant field trip, with two of the county's best natural featured, The Irvine Ranch Conservancy yesterday and The Laguna Coast Wilderness today.
Today, 26 members and friends met at the Laurel Canyon parking area, on Laguna Canyon Road near the junction of El Toro Road. After signing in and a short orientation we headed off to attempt to see BOTH of our only two Orange County endemic plants - within an hour of each other!! Both plants are quite rare.
We began with views of Dudleya stolonifera, the mascot-icon for Orange County CNPS. Since the plants grow off the trail and also because they are a federally and state protected species we did not approach the plants closely. This Dudleya is adapted to life on very steep rock cliff faces, primarily on a conglomerate rock known as San Onofre breccia. The plants germinate and grow of a very thin layer of organic debris on the face of the rocks. After discusssing some other plants in the area, including an old California walnut grove, we headed back to the cars and shuttle up the canyon about a mile or two to our next stop.
At the NIX Nature Center we were met by Laguna Coast Resource Specialist Laura Cohen. Laura very patiently and enthusiastically discussed many of the plants near the center, a couple of restoration plots and pointed out several unusual and interesting plants.
Following the visit near the nature center we headed up Statecoact South Trail to attempts to see Orange County's other endemic plant - Allen's Daisy. This is one of only a handful of sites that hosts this rare little annual daisy. After some searching and some VERY care stepping everyone got to view a few of these very pretty little plants. As many know, this plant was named in tribute to our very own chapter member, well-known botanist, naturalist, educator, and author, Bob Allen. This plants were few and struggling without much rainfall this winter, but we saw them!
On the trip back we viewed and discussed a few other native plants and finished with a lively and interactive roundtable discussion of the various water conserving strategies that our native plants use to grow in our summer-dry Mediterranean climate.
Plants Seen
Achillea tomentosa – yarrow
Acmispon glaber – deerweed
Amsinckia menziesii - fiddleneck
Anagalis arvensis - scarlet pimpernel+
Apium graveolens - wild celery*
Artemisia californica - California sagebrush
Artemisia douglasiana – California mugwort
Avena sp. – wild oats+
Baccharis pilularis – coyote brush
Baccharis salicifolia – mule fat
Brassica nigra – black mustard+
Bromus diandrus* - red brome
Calystegia macrostegia – bindweed
Castilleja exserta - owl's clover
Centaurea melitensis - Italian thistle*
Chlorogalum pomeridianum - soap lily
Chorizanthe procumbens - prostrate spineflower
Claytonia perfoliata - miners lettuce
Conium maculatum - poison hemlock*
Corethrogyne filaginifolia var. filaginifolia - common sandaster
Crassula connata - sand pygmy weed
Croton setigerus - dove weed
Cylindropuntia prolifera - coastal cholla
Dichelostemma capitata - wild hyacinth
Dryopteris arguta - wood fern
Dudleya lanceolata - live-forever
Dudleya stolonifera - Laguna Beach live-forever
Eriogonum fasciculatum ssp. fasciculatum – Cal. buckwheat
Eriogonum fasciculatum ssp. polifolium - Cal. Buchwheat
Erodium sp. - cranesbill+
Gallium angustifolium - bedstraw
Gallium aparine - bedstraw
Gallium nutallii - bedstraw
Geranium carolinianum - Carolina geranium
Heterotheca grandiflora - telegraphweed
Hordeum murinum - foxtail barley*
Hypochaeris glabra – smooth cat’s ear+
Isocoma menziesii var. vernonioides - goldenbush
Leymus condensatus – giant wild rye
Malacothamnus fasciculatus - island bush mallow
Malosma laurina - laurel sumac
Marah macrocarpa - wild cucumber
Marrubium vulgare – horehound+
Mimulus aurantiacus - bush monkeyflower
Mirabilis laevis - wishbone bush
Nicotiana clevelandii - Cleveland's tobacco
Opuntia littoralis - prickly pear cactus
Osmedenia tenella - rosenweed
Pentachaeta aurea ssp. allenii - Allen's Daisy
Pentagramma triangularis – goldback fern
Phacelia cicutaria – caterpillar phacelia
Pholistoma auritum - blue fiesta flower
Plagiobothrys species - popcorn flower
Plantago major - common plantain*
Platanus racemosa – western sycamore
Polypodium californicum - CA polypody fern
Pseudognaphalium californicum - California everlasting
Quercus agrifolia - coast live oak
Rhus integrifolia – lemonadeberry
Rubus ursinus - California blackberry
Rumex crispus*
Salix lasiolepis - arroyo willow
Salvia apiana - white sage
Salvia mellifera - black sage
Selaginella bigelovii - spikemoss
Sisyrinchium bellum – blue-eyed grass
Stipa pulchra – purple needlegrass
Toxicodendron diversilobum - poison oak
Verbena lasiostachys - western vervain
Viola pedunculata - johnny jump-up
* not native - at this location
(Not including plants in the immediate vicinity of the Nix Nature Center)
Photos
Several trip photos with captions can be seen on the chapter's Facebook site at www.facebook.com/CNPS.OC
Field Trip Report: Driving Tour with the Irvine Ranch Conservancy [4/13/2013]
Trip Recap
Always one of our best field trips! This year 20 CNPS members and five or six Irvine Ranch Conservancy staff members and volunteers set out accross the conservancy. Riding in conservancy vehicles, we visited a large portion of the conservance including parts of Loma Ridge, Limestone Canyon, The Sinks, Box Springs and more. In total we travelled almost sixteeen miles of the IRC property. As always, our amazing leader was the super knowledgable Dr. Jutta Burger, senior field ecologist for the conservancy. As the volunteers ferried us across the land, Dr. Burger and the docents would elaborate on the plants, the animals, the restoration projects and the local ecology in a way that everyone could understand and appreciate.
Some of the highlights were thorough explanation of an ongoing UC Irvine climate change field experiment, restoration projects involving an array of methods (including goats), nesting red-tailed hawks, animal tracking instruction, and of course invasive plant removal and control efforts. The conservancy even fed us all lunch as we sat overlooking the beautiful red rocks and cliffs of Orange County's "little grand canyon". This is a trip that everyone should do at least once. A great day. Thank you Dr. Burger and everyone at The Irvine Ranch Conservancy.
Trip photos and captions can also be seen on our Chapter Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/CNPS.OC
Plants Seen
Because this trip covered several miles of the conservancy a plant list could not have accurately been made.
Photos
Trip photos and captions can also be seen on our Chapter Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/CNPS.OC
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