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Lookin’ for Lichen, 11-14-20

I got up around 6:00 this morning and headed over to the Effie Yeaw Nature Center/Preserve for a walk. It was chilly and very foggy outside after having rained a bit yesterday.

I was hoping the rain would have started to wake up the lichen on the rocks and trees in the preserve, and I did get to see quite a few nice specimens of common lichens. There was lots of Green Shield Lichen, Hoary Lichen, Gold Dust, Bark Rim Lichen, California Camouflage Lichen, Candleflame Lichen, Farinose Cartilage Lichen, Oakmoss, Shrubby Sunburst Lichen and others.  Most often, there were several different ones on the same tree or stem.  I’m looking forward to seeing some new and different ones as the season goes forward.

There were a lot of deer out and about, including several bucks, everything from a young spike buck to an older 4-pointer. There was also one with thick malformed antlers, and I got the impression that they had been broken off during the velvet stage when they were trying to grow. The buck looked pretty solid and the girth of the base of his antlers made me think he was probably a very mature guy. I wondered what happened to his rack.

Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

CLICK HERE for an article I wrote on antlers.
CLICK HERE for the full album of photos.

I saw several of the bucks do the Flehman sniff thing, but couldn’t get photos of them doing that.

I could hear all kinds of songbirds, but most of them were very good at avoiding the camera. I did get photos of Spotted Towhees and a Bewick’s Wren. 

At one spot along the River Trail, I could hear a Kestrel calling. It took me a while to find her; she was sitting on the top of a tree. A little – but loud – female. I also saw a couple of Red-Shouldered Hawks in the trees along the trails.

American Kestrel, Falco sparverius, female
Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus

I was kind of surprised of the amount of coyote scat on the trails… but I didn’t see any of the coyotes.

Coyote, Canis latrans [scat]

At the bee tree, I saw only a single bee sitting at the opening of the hive. The sentry. I guessed the other bees were all inside the tree trying to keep the queen warm from the chilly morning weather.

I walked for about 3 hours and headed back home.

Species List:

  1. Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
  2. American Kestrel, Falco sparverius
  3. Bark Rim Lichen, Lecanora chlarotera [looks like Whitewash Lichen but has apothecia]
  4. Bewick’s Wren, Thryomanes bewickii
  5. Black-Tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus
  6. Brown Jelly Fungus, Jelly Leaf, Tremella foliacea
  7. California Camouflage Lichen, Melanelixia californica [dark green with brown apothecia, on trees]
  8. California Mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana
  9. California Pipevine, Dutchman’s Pipe, Aristolochia californica
  10. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
  11. California Towhee, Melozone crissalis
  12. California Wild Grape, Vitis californica
  13. Candleflame Lichen, Candelaria concolor [bright yellow, crumbly-looking]
  14. Ceramic Parchment Lichen, Xylobolus frustulatus [hoary or pale brown, flat like parchment]
  15. Chinese Pistache, Pistacia chinensis
  16. Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
  17. Common Snowberry, Symphoricarpos albus
  18. Coyote, Canis latrans [scat]
  19. Creeping Moss, Conardia compacta
  20. Cushion Moss, Leucobryum sp.
  21. False Turkey Tail fungus, Crowded Parchment Fungus, Stereum complicatum
  22. Farinose Cartilage Lichen,  Ramalina farinacea [like Oakmoss but very thin branches]
  23. Feral European Honeybee, Apis mellifera
  24. Fremont’s Cottonwood, Populus fremontii
  25. Gold Dust Lichen, Chrysothrix candelaris
  26. Golden Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia atricapilla
  27. Green Shield Lichen, Flavoparmelia caperata
  28. Himalayan Blackberry, Rubus bifrons
  29. Hoary Lichen, Hoary Rosette, Physcia aipolia
  30. Hooded Rosette Lichen, Physcia adscendens [hairs/eyelashes on the tips of the lobes]
  31. Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizeni
  32. Lace Lichen, Ramalina menziesii
  33. Oakmoss Lichen, Evernia prunastri [with soredia]
  34. Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus
  35. Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
  36. Shrubby Sunburst Lichen, Polycauliona candelaria
  37. Soap Plant, Wavy Leafed Soaproot, Chlorogalum pomeridianum
  38. Split Porecrust, Schizopora paradoxa
  39. Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
  40. Strap Lichen, Western Strap Lichen, Ramalina leptocarpha [without soredia]
  41. Sulphur Shelf Fungus, Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf, Laetiporus gilbertsonii
  42. Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
  43. Western Gray Squirrel, Sciurus griseus
  44. White-Breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis