A Walk at Sailor Bar, 06-14-22

I got up around 5:00 AM, got the dogs fed and pottied, and then headed out with my friend Roxanne to check out Sailor Bar. I hadn’t been there for quite a while and, in fact, forgot how rocky and uneven most of the trails are. Walking over the rocky, uneven ground really did a number on my hip joint.

The first thing we found when we got to the park (down by the boat ramp), were some pinecone galls on the willow trees. We also found what looked like Erineum mite activity on the Coyote Brush…It’s the same mite that affects Mule Fat plants. I’d never seen the effect on Coyote Brush before. Once again, we didn’t see any sign of galls on the oak trees.

The live oak trees were overflowing with new acorns; the kind of “panic” seed-making. One theory suggests the trees are frantically trying to reproduce before something bad happens, like an extended drought or other natural disaster.

Another theory says: “…[T]hat there is an evolutionary advantage to producing an unreliable number of acorns each year. If it were too reliable, the theory goes, surrounding wildlife populations like that of squirrels, deer and birds would adjust and learn to eat the entire yearly crop. Mast years stop this from happening. In these years, oak trees flood the ecosystem and produce too many acorns for local wildlife to consume, meaning more will have the chance to grow into saplings come spring…”

Likewise, it looked like there was a bumper crop of berries on the blackberry vines. We also saw some parts of the vines where the edges of the leaves had curled inward. I don’t know if that was a reaction of heat stress, or some sort of fungus or insect infestation.

CLICK HERE for the full album of photos.

There was hillocks covered with Common Madia flowers, some with a red flush in the center but most without. The plants, related to tarweeds, are covered in sticky glands that exude a lemony-resiny smell. “…The ray flowers curl up during the daytime, opening in the late afternoon and staying open all night until mid-morning…” [Calscape] We saw a few with curling petals, but didn’t realize that was part of the flowers’ nature.

There was also quite a bit of the mini-flowered Long-Stemmed Buckwheat plants. They grew along the edges of the trail. “…Flowers occur in knob-like clusters distantly spaced along the long, leafless stems. Flowers are radially symmetrical, bisexual and about 1/10 inch (3-4 mm) across, extending beyond the cluster on short pedicels and drooping downward with age…” (https://thenaturecollective.org).

The “lifer” of the day for me was finding a River Cooter Turtle among the other turtles sunning on branches in the water. Cooters are native to the eastern and central US. They don’t belong in California, but just a week or so ago a friend of mine in Rocklin found one that was very similar.

“…The species P. concinna is highly omnivorous and will eat anything, plant or animal, dead or alive. Diet seems to be determined by available food items. While some writers feel that this species of turtle will not eat meat, predatory behavior has been observed. Although it can’t swallow out of water, it will leave the water to retrieve a tasty bug or worm, returning to the water to swallow. It will also enthusiastically chase, kill and eat small fish. It has also been observed eating carrion found along the river’s edge. The river cooter has tooth-like cusps in the upper jaw, probably an adaptation to aid in eating leaves and fibrous vegetation. Its primary diet includes a wide variety of aquatic plants, and some terrestrial plants that grow near the water’s edge. It will happily take fallen fruits as well. In captivity, any kind of plant will be eaten, and some “meats”, too. Turtles will also take calcium in a separate form, such as a cuttlebone, so that the turtle can self-regulate calcium intake…” [Wikipedia]

According to iNaturalist: “…Introduced in American River Parkway, CA, US: arrived in the region via anthropogenic means…” That’s a polite way of saying humans dumped them in the river.

We walked for about 3 hours before heading home. This was hike #34 of my #52hikechallenge for the year.

Species List:

Ash Leaf Curl Aphid, Prociphilus fraxinifolii
Ash, Oregon Ash, Fraxinus latifolia
Ash-Throated Flycatcher, Myiarchus cinerascens
Black Locust Tree, Robinia pseudoacacia
Black Walnut, Northern California Black Walnut, Juglans hindsii
Blackberry, Armenian Blackberry, Rubus armeniacus [red canes]
Brown-Headed Cowbird, Molothrus ater
Bumblebee, Yellow-Faced Bumble Bee, Bombus vosnesenskii
Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis
California Mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana
California Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly, Battus philenor hirsuta
California Pipevine, Dutchman’s Pipe, Aristolochia californica
California Quail, Callipepla californica
California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
California Wild Grape, Vitis californica
Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
Coffeeberry, California Buckthorn, Frangula californica
Common Madia, Madia elegans elegans
Coyote Brush Blister Mite, Aceria baccharices
Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis
Coyote Brush Bud Gall midge, Rhopalomyia californica
Deerweed, Acmispon glaber
Downy Thornapple, Jimsonweed, Datura innoxia
Earwig, European Earwig, Forficula auricularia
Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger [rusty belly]
Elegant Clarkia, Clarkia unguiculata
Fremont’s Cottonwood, Populus fremontii
Gossamer-Winged Butterfly, Family: Lycaenidae
Green Lacewing, Chrysopa coloradensis
House Finch, Haemorhous mexicanus
Lesser Goldfinch, Spinus psaltria
Long-Stemmed Buckwheat, Eriogonum elongatum
Mallard Duck, Anas platyrhynchos
Mountain Blue Penstemon, Penstemon laetus
Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
Muscovy Duck, Cairina moschata
Non-Biting Midges, Family: Chironomidae
Oak, Blue Oak, Quercus douglasii
Oak, Coast Live Oak, Quercus agrifolia
Oak, Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizeni
Oak, Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
Orange-Crowned Warbler, Leiothlypis celata
Orb-Weaver Spider, Family: Araneidae
Pekin Duck, Anas platyrhynchos domesticus var. Pekin
Pumpkin Gall Wasp, Dryocosmus minusculus
Purpletop Vervain, Verbena incompta
Red-Eared Slider Turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans
River Cooter Turtle, Pseudemys concinna
Soft-Winged Flower Beetle, Listrus sp.
Solitary Oak Leafminer Moth, Cameraria hamadryadella [form whole-leaf blisters on oak]
Spanish Clover, Acmispon americanus [looks like tiny lotus]
Swallow, Northern Rough-Winged Swallow, Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Towhee, Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
Tree-of-Heaven, Ailanthus altissima
Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura
Willow Beaked-Gall Midge, Rabdophaga rigidae
Willow Pinecone Gall Midge, Rabdophaga strobiloides
Willow, Goodding’s Willow, Salix gooddingii
Willow, Interior Sandbar Willow, Salix interior
Wood Duck, Aix sponsa [fly by over the water]
Yellow Star-Thistle, Centaurea solstitialis
?? unidentified gall on thin leaves