Journal archives for October 2017

October 15, 2017

Pen in Hand: Black Oaks: a higher elevation Tehachapi oak that gets all dressed up for autumn.

California's oak trees are not known for producing the autumn colors that hardwood forests in other parts of the country typically display, but we do have one species that is lighting up landscapes in the Tehachapi Mountains right now: Black Oak (Quercus kelloggii).

http://www.tehachapinews.com/lifestyle/pen-in-hand-black-oaks-a-higher-elevation-tehachapi-oak/article_d83c37e8-b040-11e7-b0cf-4be3170ce928.html

Posted on October 15, 2017 02:50 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

October 19, 2017

PLOP, CRACK: Oak trees are going nuts this year.

“Because of the weather there are a lot more acorns this year,” said Moki Smith, an arborist with Morgan Hill Tree Service. “Acorns are seeds of oak trees and those trees are monoecious, so they have both the male and female reproductive organs, which means they pollinate themselves. That process depends on the trees, weather patterns and available resources. If that process gets interrupted or altered, that can reduce or accelerate the acorn yield.”

http://m.gilroydispatch.com/news/plop-crack-oak-trees-are-going-nuts-this-year/article_cc0f91d6-aa00-11e7-bc98-03331c9048a8.html?mode=jqm

Posted on October 19, 2017 11:05 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

Native Oaks, California’s Other Mother Lode.

The oak woodlands and streams we know as the Mother Lode were once home to thousands of native Californians. Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park, just outside of Jackson, is named for the Chaw’se, the Miwok’s name for a grinding rock, a slab of stone on which they ground acorns and other seeds.

https://www.mymotherlode.com/news/local/325215/native-oaks-californias-other-mother-lode-2.html

Posted on October 19, 2017 11:08 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

October 30, 2017

Preserving native oak savannas.

A patch of oak savanna along the slopes of Lower Table Rock that was rehabbed last year already is showing enough signs of health that the warblers have taken notice.

There are fewer conifer-loving hermit warblers now that encroaching pine and firs have been systematically removed, and they’re being replaced by oak-loving black-throated gray warblers.

http://www.mailtribune.com/news/20171030/preserving-native-oak-savannas

Posted on October 30, 2017 07:24 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment