I love old big trees and find the hidden history found in their roots amazing. Leona Heights Park is the site of an old Redwood forest that was cut down numerous times. Also was the site of an iron pyrite which provided raw ore to the Leona Chemical Company. Finding a large old oak tree like this that escaped the loggers saw and still lives today is very curious to me. I'll have to go back and measure its diameter. I enjoy reading about history and I often run across historians making the remark, "All of a Oakland's oaks were cut down." I do believe that most were lost, but I still think that there are a couple old oaks and redwoods that linger on in those hills.
http://oaklandgeology.wordpress.com/2008/05/25/sulfur-mine-creek/
Might have to wait till this goes to seed to get a proper ID.
Fully leaved out in the park expecting to see flowers soon.
Growing near the brook in a seep.
Found this one yesterday on a survey of the park to assess needs for the Earth Day event on April 21st. Kueda posted a very similar Phacelia and I'm thinking its the same one but I'm unsure to exactly which one it is. FYI 500th Observation! 420th Species! ;)
Non-native to California.
Found this mushroom growing on some buried wood. For a minute I thought I might had found my first Chanterelle, but I think that this is a poisonous imposter. Smells like an earthy fruit like a cantaloupe mixed with dirt. Couldn't get a spore print out of it for some reason. Nor did I observe and glowing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
