Visitors 80
Modified 21-Dec-23
Created 9-Nov-22
51 photos
Jasper Ridge docents walked together through oak woodland, riparian areas, chaparral, some grassland, and a little serpentine. This was a full morning: full of information, a full roster, and a full schedule.
Our guides, Teal Derrer and Perry McCarthy, provided a detailed checklist of which trees and shrubs might be found on which segments of our walk. This was a lot of work; we appreciated it. But I might have missed some info. Please leave a comment on any photo here if you have more info, or a correction.
Today I learned one more way to distinguish members of the White Oak family from the Black: the acorn cup. It is thatched for the Black Oaks (Here, Coast Live Oak (Quiercus agrifolia) and Black Oak (Q. kelloggii); knobby for members of the White Oak family (Valley Oaks (Q. lobata), Blue Oaks (Q. douglasii), and the Leather Oaks (Q. durata durata) of the serpentine.
Traversing Trail 5 through oak woodlands showing evidence of Sudden Oak Death, we spotted a Merlin (Falco columbarius) -- a rare bird for me. While our large group passed, the Merlin remained focused on something nearby -- perhaps potential prey -- only briefly acknowledging our presence before returning to the task at hand, Close by, we saw an American Robin (Turdus migratorius), apparently indifferent to any threat.
A lovely autumn jaunt, just before a rainstorm marking the real beginning of our rainy season -- I hope.
BONUS: More photos of the Visitors' Valley Oak from a few days earlier.
