Photo essay project
- 2. California Ground SquirrelThe California Ground Squirrel is most common on plains and open foothills. They are a brownish gray color with a long bushy tail. They are 15 to 18 inches long and weigh 1 to 1.5 lbs.
- 3. Needle GrassNeedle Grass is common and native to the valley grasslands. Close up the color is green but it looks gray from far away.
- 4. Western MeadowlarkThe Western Meadowlark is a colorful bird. It is brown and black on top, it has a short tail with stripes of white, and a beautiful bright yellow breast with a black crescent. It is 9.5 inches long and has a wing span of 14.5 inches.
- 6. Mountain Bush SunflowerThe Mountain Bush Sunflower is a perennial shrub that grows 4 feet tall with yellow daisy flowers.
- 7. Bakersfield CactusThe Bakersfield Cactus covers large areas of the Southern San Joaquin Valley. It has beautiful pink flowers that grow on it.
- 8. Gall Wasp SeedsSeed like galls that are .08 inches in diameter. They are produced on valley and foothill oaks and once they are fully grown they drop to the ground.
- 9. SaltbushThe saltbush is a large evergreen shrub that grows up to 8 ft. tall. It is very alkali tolerant and can survive on 5 to 10 inches of rainfall in full sun and poor soil. Also, the entire plant is edible.
- 10. Alkali Sink
- 11. SaltgrassThis type of grass looks almost like bermuda grass. It can handle regular water or alkaline water.
- 12. Western Fenced LizardThis lizard grows to be 6 to 8.5 inches long. It has scales on top of its body and a smooth surface underneath. The color ranges from black to dark gray to brown.
- 13. Spiny RushThis plant is a large perennial with rounded, stiff, ridged spines. It is native in the alkaline, wet places in the interior and coastal salt marshes.
- 15. Purple NightshadeThe stems on this flower grow to 1.5 to 3 ft. tall. The leaves are oval and are .8 to 1.6 in. The petals are wide and are a bluish purple color and the anthers grow together in the shape of a cylinder and are a bright yellow.
- 16. California SycamoreThis tree can grow from 40 to 90 ft. tall and 1 to 3 ft. in diameter. The branches are long and irregular, the bark is smooth with green, yellow, and white areas being exposed. The leaves are 4 to 12 inches long, are very broad, and are a light yellowish green color.
- 17. MallardA mallard can grow from 20 to 25 inches long and have a wing span as long as 35 inches. Their legs and feet are red orange and a male has a glossy green head and neck with a white ring, the breast is chestnut, the back and belly are gray, and the bill is greenish yellow.
- 19. Dark Rock MossThis moss is dark green to black when dry. It usually grows on rocks or trees.
- 20. Holly-Leaf RedberryThe holly-leaf redberry is a stout shrub or treelike that grows 4 to 12 ft. The leaves are round and are .75 to 1.5 in. by .5 to 1 in. The fruit grows .33 in. long are oval and bright red.
- 21. Gray PineThe Gray Pine grow 40 to 90 ft. tall is 1 to 4 inches in diameter and has a trunk that is often slanted and divided at 10 to 15 ft. above the ground. The bark grows 2 in. thick and is a gray brown color. Needles grow in 3’s, 7-12 in. long are sparse and a gray, green, to blue color. The cones are heavy and armored in a globular shape.
- 22. Red Fir
- 23. Giant Sequoia
- 24. Mountain Meadows
Editor's Notes
- #3: California Ground Squirrel. Pg. 364. Low Elevation
- #4: Needle Grass. Las Pilitas Nursery. Low Elevation
- #5: Western Meadowlark. Pg. 338. Low Elevation
- #7: Mountain Bush Sunflower. Las PilitasNursery. Low Elevation
- #8: BakersfieldCactus. Las PilitasNursery. Low Elevation
- #9: Gall Wasp Seeds. Pg. 231. Low Elevation
- #10: Saltbush. Las Pilitas Nursery. Low Elevation
- #12: Saltgrass. Las Pilitas Nursery. Sea Level
- #13: Western Fenced Lizard. Pg. 259. Low Elevation
- #14: Spiny Rush. Las Pilitas Nursery. Sea Level
- #16: Purple Nightshade. Pg. 105. Below 2,500 ft.
- #17: California Sycamore. Pg. 164. Below 2,500 ft.
- #18: Mallard. Pg. 275. Below 2,500 ft.
- #20: Dark Rock Moss. Pg. 50-51. 1,000 – 2,500 ft.
- #21: Holly-LeafRedberry. Pg. 124. 1,000 – 2,500 ft.
- #22: Gray Pine. Pg. 148-149. 1,000 – 2,500 ft.