The Marin CNPS Facebook page reports there has been an explosion of Tortoiseshell Butterflies at Pt. Reyes. See photos at https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156583286972360&set=gm.1057839837724148&type=3&theater
Large numbers were also reported at Mt. Umunum in San Jose and Lassen National Park.
Posted in Butterflies | Tags: Tortoiseshell Butterfly
Bristlecone (Mono, Inyo and NE Kern counties) http://bristleconecnps.org/index.php
East Bay https://ebcnps.org/chapter-events-initiatives/field-trips-2/
El Dorado (Sierra foothills around Placerville) https://www.eldoradocnps.org/news-events/field-trips
Marin http://www.marin.edu/cnps/
North Coast (Eureka, Arcata and McKinleyville area ) http://northcoastcnps.org/
Redbud (Placer and Nevada Counties) http://www.redbud-cnps.org/
Santa Clara Valley http://www.cnps-scv.org/
Santa Cruz http://www.cruzcnps.org/
Shasta (Shasta, Siskiyou, Modoc, and part of Trinity and Tehama counties) http://www.shastacnps.org/
Yerba Buena (San Francisco/Northern San Mateo) http://www.cnps-yerbabuena.org/
July 01 Thursday 7:30pm Program: Bay Area Early Detection Network (BAEDN): Solving Tomorrow’s Problems Today
For other chapters go to: http://www.cnps.org/cnps/chapters/
Posted in Talks, Walks & Hikes, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Walks & Hikes, Wildflowers and Other Plants
Sunrise is open! The Sunrise Road provides access to the subalpine meadows on the eastern slopes of Mount Rainier. This area of the park tends to be drier than the western slopes and has a different mix of wildflowers. This year the Sunrise area is melting out faster than the Paradise area and many wildflowers are already blooming. One of the stars is, of course, magenta paintbrush. Its hot pink color really stands out!
Read more about Sunrise, Paradise and other wildflower areas and see photos at https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/wildflower-status.htm
Carson Pass Information Station reports
Looking for flowers? The Meiss trail has a great variety. The monument plant is almost ready to bloom!
There are 12 photos at Carson Pass Information Station
For more information on any of the trips below go to http://goldengateaudubon.org/field-trips/fieldtrips/
Posted in Birds, Walks & Hikes | Tags: Bay Area Audubon Field Trips, Birding, Birding Field Trips
California Wildflowers has a description of a recent wildflower hike to Carpenter Valley which is a nature site owned by the Truckee Donner Land Trust (TDLT). Ther habitats includea wet meadow, fens, dry woodland, and stream/riparian. It is located near Truckee in Nevada County. If you would like to visit this area you need to go on a docent guided hike throught the the land trust. Fortunately they have many hikes schedule for this new area. For more information on this new wildflower hotspot and photos ago to Carpenter Valley Wildflowers
from California Academy of Sciences
The California Academy of Sciences has a position as a Curatorial Assistant III open in the Botany Department. There is a link at the bottom or you can visit our web page, scroll to the bottom of the home page and you will find a link for “careers” at the bottom of the page.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Botanical Collections of the California Academy of Sciences contain more than 2.3 million specimens, including the largest collection of California vascular plants, historical collections from the Galapagos Islands and Mexico, and a rapidly growing collection of bryophytes.These collections are heavily used by researchers from around the world.The collections staff processes dozens of loan and image requests each year in addition to hosting scores of visiting researchers and students.
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Botany job
Marin CNPS has the following new posts and photos:
Botanical Wanderings – California has new posts and photos
BBC reports
A beautifully preserved fossil bird from 52 million years ago is shaking up the family tree of the exotic birds.
The fossil’s weird features suggests it is the earliest known living relative not just of the turacos, but of cuckoos and bustards (large long-legged birds).
And the fact the remains were unearthed in North America shows the distribution of different birds around the globe would have been very different in the past.
Read story at Bird family tree shaken by discovery of feathered fossil – BBC News
Posted in Birds | Tags: Bird Family Tree
Today I went on the monthly butterfly walk at the UC-Berkeley Botanic Garden led by Sarab Seth. Species seen included:
Pipevine Swallowtail
Western Swallowtail
Echo Azure
Acmon Blue
Lorquin’s Admiral
Cabbage White
Common Buckeye
Field Crescent
Umber Skipper
Pipevine Swallowtail
Here are a few very cropped photos from today from today’s walk plus one flower photo thrown in.
The UC-Berkeley Botanical Garden has butterfly walks the fourth Tuesday of the month from April to October. There is no extra charge for the walks after paying the admission fee.
Posted in Butterflies, Garden | Tags: Butterflies, UC Berkeley Botancial Garden
Homestead Valley Land Trust has a new report for June 25. See map and photos at Homestead Valley Land Trust
NEW
– American speedwell is growing in a seep with a lot of Horsetail below Amaranth.
– American trailplant is blooming in the woods.
– Purple clarkia is blooming in the meadow on the Red Plum trail.
– Coyote mint is blooming in meadows up on the ridge.
– Harvest brodiaea is blooming in the lower meadows above the Homestead Trail.
– Helebore, an orchid native to Eurasia, is blooming in forests.
– Rosilla is blooming with its backwards facing yellow fringe is blooming along the creek between 11 and 12.
– Skunkweed is blooming lavender in the meadow below Homestead Hill.
The LA Times reports
A cat-sized, weasel-like animal whose habitat in forests along California’s northern coast is under threat from marijuana cultivation should receive endangered species status, state fish and wildlife officials said.
The Humboldt marten — a relative of minks and otters — faces the risk of extinction after decades of trapping and forest clearing, according to a report released Thursday by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife that recommends the animal be listed under the state’s Endangered Species Act.
Read full story at Weasel-like species is threatened with extinction, and pot growers are part of the problem, report says
Posted in Animals | Tags: Humboldt Marten
Many flowers are now in bloom at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA. There are especially a lot of Clarkias and Lilies. Here are some photos from today.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility News Release
Fewer Investigators Translates into Fewer Referrals, Prosecutions, and Defendants
Belying Scott Pruitt’s claims to be a tough polluter prosecutor, criminal enforcement by his U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is in a freefall, according to figures posted today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The number of criminal investigators assigned to pollution cases continues to drop and virtually every measure of criminal enforcement under Pruitt is lower than it has been since the 1990s – and sinking.
At the same time, Pruitt has tripled the number of agents assigned to his 24/7 security detail, spending record amounts on travel and overtime. He also has this outsized escort run personal errands and turn on their sirens so he can cut through city traffic.
Posted in Environment | Tags: EPA decreases Eco-crime enforcement, Scott Pruitt
submitted by Timothy Boomer
Another Carson Pass update: I hiked the Woods, Winnemucca, Round Top Lake loop on Saturday, and had a wonderful time. It’s still too early for the big show, but there are still many early season wildflowers out and about. I saw spreading phlox (Phlox diffusa), mountain pride (Penstemon newberryi), wavy leaf Indian paintbrush (Castilleja applegatei), Alpine paintbrush (Castilleja nana), mountain jewelflower (Streptanthus tortuosus), whiskerbrush (Leptosiphon ciliatus), Sierra penstemon (Penstemon heterodoxus), Brewer’s mountain heather (Phyllodoce breweri), one-seeded pussypaws (Cistanthe monosperma), Mount Hood pussypaws (Cistanthe umbellata – these are not as common in the area; I only noticed them between Winnemucca and Round Top Lakes.), stickseed (Hackelia sp.), subalpine fleabane (Erigeron glacialis var. glacialis), California hesperochiron (Hesperochiron californicus), white marsh marigold (Caltha leptosepala), larkspur (Delphinium sp. I only noticed these on the road in, but didn’t take the time to further identify them.), seep monkeyflower (Erythranthe guttata), sparse-flowered bog orchid (Platanthera sparsiflora – just getting started, but there are some flowers), Wright’s blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia torreyi var. wrightii), mountain pretty face (Triteleia ixioides ssp. anilina), violet (Viola purpurea I think), double-flowered honeysuckle (Lonicera conjugialis – just starting, but there are some flowers – about 5 minutes from the trailhead towards Winnemucca Lake), sanddune wallflower (Erysimum perenne), mountain pennyroyal (Monardella odoratissima ssp. pallida), longhorn steer’s head (Dicentra uniflora – only a dozen or so left – above Winnemucca Lake, near the Mt. Hood pussypaws), Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium californicum), Alpine shooting star (Primula tetrandra), Alpine ivesia (Ivesia gordonii), rock star (Lithophragma glabrum), and many more with which I’m not yet familiar. It definitely won’t be a waste of a trip for the wildflower enthusiast!
The National Park Service has initiated a series of projects to ensure the preservation and health of Muir Woods. Read about them from the National Park Service at Redwood Renewal Begins and the New York Times story With a Little Help, Muir Woods Reclaims Its Land
Posted in Park | Tags: Muir Woods Preservation Projects
Carson Pass Information Station reports Blue Flag Iris are blooming on the Meiss Lake Trail on 6/22/18 and Frog lake was popping, 6/19. 10 species at the lake at least. 8 more from station to Winnimucca Lake.
Oregon Wildflowers has reports
Bachelor Mountain in the Williamette National Forest 6/18/18 Flowers in bloom. No bear grass. Either to early or not a good yr. for the bear grass.
Many wildflowers are blooming along park roadsides, particularly along Stevens Canyon Road. The western half of the road near Reflection Lakes is dominated by avalanche lilies and rosy spirea. On the lower elevation eastern half of the road near Box Canyon, look for yellow monkeyflower and columbine, among others.
Meanwhile, subalpine meadows still have significant patches of snow cover.
Read more and see photos at https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/wildflower-status.htm
California Wildflower Report has a number of posts and photos from the eastern Sierra Nevada including June Lake, Mammoth Lakes Scenic Loop , Rock Creek, Long Lake, Little Lakes Valley trail and Monitor Pass
Center for Biological Diversity News Release
Trump Administration Moves to Gut National Environmental Policy Act
Environmental Review Rollbacks Would Slash Protections for Air, Water, Wildlife
WASHINGTON— The Trump administration today launched the largest rollback in history to the protections for air, water and wildlife provided by the National Environmental Policy Act.
In a request for public comment on “potential revisions,” the president’s Council on Environmental Quality initiated the assault on regulations outlining the 48-year-old law’s longstanding requirements for robust environmental assessments before approval of federal projects.
“The Trump administration is taking a sledgehammer to the review process that allows scientists and the public to have a say on federal projects that harm clean air, water and wildlife,” said Paulo Lopes, public lands policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This is the beginning of the largest rollback in the history of the National Environmental Policy Act, and it will yield polluted air, dirty water and devastation for our beautiful public lands.”
Posted in Environment | Tags: Trump Threats to Environmental Protection Programs
The New York Times reports
Mammals across the globe are becoming increasingly nocturnal to avoid humans’ expanding presence, according to the study, published Thursday in Science magazine. The findings show that humans’ presence alone can cause animals across continents — including coyotes, elephants and tigers — to alter their sleep schedules.
Read story at Mammals Go Nocturnal in Bid to Avoid Humans – The New York Times
Posted in Animals | Tags: Mammals Go Nocturnal To Avoid Humans
The Xerces Society writes
It is National Pollinator Week, a time each year when we pause to celebrate bees, butterflies, and other pollinators and recognize everything that they bring into our lives, from fruits and vegetables to fibers for the fabrics we wear to the beauty of spring-time meadows and the pumpkins we carve into eerie Halloween jack-o’-lanterns.
For the Xerces Society, however, every week is pollinator week! Thanks to the generous support of our donors — individuals, foundations, agencies, and companies — we now have pollinator conservation specialists based in 16 states. Their work reaches wider, with new habitat installed or planned in 25 states and workshops presented in all 50. As a result, nearly 700,000 acres of pollinator habitat have been restored or protected in the last decade — including 270,000 acres last year alone — and tens of thousands of people learn how to protect pollinators each year.
Read more about pollination in their June Enewsletter
Posted in Animals, Birds, Butterflies, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: National Pollinator Week
California Wildflower Hikes has a detailed trip report with plant lists, photos, and trail descriptions for Island Lake which is one of many lakes in the Grouse Ridge area of Nevada County, California. See the posting at Island Lake Wildflowers
Marin CNPS has the following new posts and photos:
Botanical Wanderings – California has new posts and photos
Henry Coe State Park has a new wildflower bloom report for June 19, 2018 at the Pine Ridge Association website with photos and a list of flowers now in bloom at: Henry W. Coe – Wildflower Guide.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Carson Pass Walks and Hikes
The St. Bernard Lodge blog has a post on wildflowers of Lassen National Park and Plumas County
Late spring and early summer are the best times to view wildflowers in Plumas County and Lassen Volcanic Park. The forests in and around Plumas County are
See posting of where and when to see Lassen Volcanic Park and Plumas County Wildflowers at Wildflowers in Plumas County & Lassen Volcanic Park | St. Bernard Lodge blog
Also check out the blackoaknaturalist blog for photos for photos of wildflowers seen in the last few days at Mill Creek, La Porte and Jackson Creek Trail over the last few days
Earth Justice News Release
The following is a statement by Alisa Coe of Earthjustice, one of the attorneys who represents plaintiffs Florida Wildlife Federation, St. Johns Riverkeeper, Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida, The Sierra Club and Manley Fuller:
“Today’s decision is a big victory for the millions of Florida voters who demanded that the legislature reinstate land buying programs for parks, wild lands and the Everglades. Four million Floridians approved a constitutional amendment to devote almost a billion dollars a year to purchasing conservation lands. The legislature and agencies thumbed their noses at the voters by spending the money on other things. This ruling will help protect some of Florida’s most beautiful and environmentally important areas for generations to come.
“In 2014, an overwhelming three out of four Florida voters approved the Land and Water Acquisition Amendment to the state constitution—it was the most popular item on the entire statewide ballot that year. Today’s ruling means that the state must honor the voters’ will to preserve our precious natural resources through conservation.”
Posted in Park | Tags: Florida Public Lands Conservation
California Department of Fish and Wildlife News Release
Three defendants in a succulent plant poaching case out of Humboldt County have each pled guilty to two felonies and other misdemeanor charges, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office announced. Felony convictions included conspiracy and false filings with the government, and misdemeanor convictions included removal of plant material from public lands and commercial sales of plants removed from public lands.
The succulent plants at the center of the investigation are called Dudleyas. They grow in unique niches close to the coastline, typically on cliffsides immediately adjacent to the water. The poachers had a network of buyers in Korea and China, where Dudleya are valued as a trendy houseplant.
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: PLANT POACHERS CONVICTED
Natural History Wanderings 