| California Redwoods and Waterfalls:
Big Basin Berry Creek Falls
April
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April on
the Berry Creek Falls Loop (BCFL) Trail
in the Forest of Big Basin State Park.
Route was clockwise except where stated otherwise.
Report is by J. Zimmerman except where stated otherwise.
April brings the Spring wildflowers OUT!
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Redwood Region Flower Finder:
A Guide to Identifying Wildflowers
of The Coastal Fog Belt of California
by Phoebe Watts, Sarah Ellen Watts (Illustrator).
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Glossary:
A, B,
C, D,
E, F,
G, H,
I, J,
K, L,
M, N,
O, P,
Q, R,
S, T,
U, V,
W, X,
Y, Z.
Monthly reports:
January,
February,
March,
April,
May,
June.
July,
August,
September,
October,
November,
December.
Wilderness Preservation from Bikes.
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Designation of "unique":
refers to any
species that was seen in a single location on the reported day.
Designation of
:
In these reports,
("New")
refers to a flower that was not spotted by us in previous years.
Designation of "early":
refers to any species that we are seeing this month on this trail
for the first time since we started this record.
[These flowers have often been reported by others this early.
They are, however, early for us.]
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Global warming heads up:
A one-degree-centigrade increase in regional temperature could advance the flowering of
plants by two weeks, as predicted by
a mathematical model developed by
Dr Malcolm Clark from Monash's School of Mathematical Sciences and Professor
Roy Thompson, a geoscientist from the University of Edinburgh:
http://www.monash.edu.au/news/newsline/april04-plants.html
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Report by J. Zimmerman.
Flowers (alphabetically):
- ["unique"; at HQ].
Bedstraw a.k.a. Cleavers (Galium aparine).
Tiny white flowers.
- Bush Poppy. Yellow.
- California (or Pacific) blackberry (Rubus ursinus).
- California wild lilac (a.k.a. California Blue Brush) (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus).
- California strawberry (Fragaria californica).
- ["unique"].
Checker lily (a.k.a. mission bells; a.k.a. Chocolate lily).
Previously designated Fritillaria lanceolata and now corrected to Fritillaria affins
- Coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus).
- ["unique"; at HQ].
Dandelion (ALIEN).
- Fat (or False) Solomon's seal.
- ["unique"].
Hooker's fairy bell (Disporum hookeri).
- Huckleberry.
- Iris: Fernald's or Coastal Iris (Iris fernaldii).
[Pale creamy yellow flowers. Low ovary. Narrow leaves; slightly dusty.]
- Manzanita: brittle-leaved manzanita;
showy white clusters of flowers.
- Manzanita: small-leaved (sensitive) manzanita .
- Redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana).
Pink; sometimes white, mauve, or bluish.
- Redwood violet (Viola sempervirens).
- Toothwort (Dentaria californica).
- Two-eyed violet (Viola ocellata).
- ["unique"; at HQ].
Western bittercress (Cardamine oligosperma).
A.k.a. Few-seeded bittercress [JH Thomas]
or
Popweed [David Auerbach].
Tiny white flowers; tiny opposite leaves.
- Western wake robin (Trillium ovatum).
-
Western wood anemone (a.k.a. Wind flower or Oregon anemone) (Anemone oregana).
White.
(Anemone oregana).
-
Wood sweet cicely (a.k.a. Mount sweet cicely) (Osmorhiza chilensis).
-
Yerba de selva (a.k.a. Weed of the Woods) (Whipplea modesta).
Tiny white flower with soft opposite leaves.
Report by J. Zimmerman.
At the Ranger Station HQ saw the first banana slug:
-
Bedstraw a.k.a. Cleavers (Galium aparine).
Tiny white flowers.
- California strawberry (Fragaria californica).
- Cicely: Western sweet cicely (Osmorhiza occidentalis).
- ["unique"]
Dandelion (ALIEN).
-
Few-seeded bittercress [JH Thomas]
(or
Western bittercress [Niehaus and Ripper]
or
Popweed [David Auerbach])
(Cardamine oligosperma).
- Redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana).
Pink.
- Redwood violet (yellow).
- ["unique"]
Sedge.
- Sow thistle (yellow composite)
(ALIEN).
- ["unique"]
Yellow sanicle (a.k.a. snakeroot) Sanicula arctopoides.
- Mystery flower; pinkish-white tiny flowers with stick-like leaves.
Taking Dool Trail toward Sunset Trail - beginning our counter-clockwise exploration.
- Huckleberry (white).
By Middle Ridge Fire Road (on Sunset Trail): 2 new slugs; 3 total.
- Western wake robin (Trillium Ovatum).
- Hooker's fairy bell (Disporum hookeri).
- Two-eyed violet (Viola ocellata).
- Iris: Mountain iris (Iris douglasiana).
- Toothwort. Pink.
By Sky-Line-to-the-Sea Trail Connector (on Sunset Trail): 4 new slugs; 7 total.
- Madrone.
- California (or Pacific) blackberry (Rubus ursinus).
-
Yerba de selva (a.k.a. Weed of the Woods) (Whipplea modesta).
- ["unique"]
Vetch.
- Fat (or False) Solomon's seal.
-
Western wood anemone (a.k.a. Wind flower or Oregon anemone) (Anemone oregana).
White.
-
Coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus).
By West Waddell Creek Bridge (on Sunset Trail): 46 new slugs; 53 total. First newt (terrestrial).
By Timms Creek Trail (on Sunset Trail): 6 new slugs; 59 total.
- Coastal iris.
By East Berry Creek Bridge (on Sunset Trail): 12 new slugs; 71 total. 4 aquatic newts in the creek: 5 total newts.
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Golden Chinquapin. Both as we entered the Chaparral and at Sunset
connector trail, had both male and female flowers
- Several small-leaved Manzanita (Sensitive Manzanita) in bloom (white).
- Several brittle-leaved Manzanita in bloom (white).
Each leaf is on a petiole (leaf stem);
and the leaves are very brittle and easily snapped.
- Woodland groundsel (yellow).
- Yellow bush poppy.
- California wild lilac (a.k.a. California Blue Brush) (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus).
By Sunset Camp Connector Trail: 2 new slugs; 73 total.
- Checker lily (a.k.a. mission bells; a.k.a. Chocolate lily).
Previously designated Fritillaria lanceolata and now corrected to Fritillaria affins.
- Wild ginger (Asarum caudatum). Maroon.
By Silver Falls: 1 new slug; 74 total. 6 new newts; (in water at Silver Falls); 11 total.
- ["unique"]
Alum root (a.k.a. crevice heuchera or small-flowered heuchera) (Heuchera micrantha).
Petals curl back; leaves are five-lobed (leaves of the similar sugar scoop are three-lobed).
By Berry Creek Falls Bench: 11 new slugs; 85 total.
By Berry Creek Falls view from Seat: 3 new slugs; 88 total.
By Waddell Creek Bridge: 0 new slugs; 88 total.
By Timms Creek Trail: 21 new slugs; 109 total.
By West (lower) End of the connector trail: 24 new slugs; 133 total.
By East (upper) End of the connector trail: 11 new slugs; 144 total. 1 new newt; 12 total.
By Kelly Creek Bridge: 6 new slugs; 150 total.
- ["unique"]
Douglas' Nightshade (Solanum douglasii). White.
By Sunset connector: 11 new slugs; 161 total.
- Hill star (Lithophragma heterophylla) [with a rounded
flower base rather than the V-shaped base of the woodland star (Lithophragma affinis)].
By Middle Ridge Fire Road: 17 new slugs; 178 total.
Arriving back at HQ via Sky-Line-to-the-Sea Trail: 16 new slug; 194 total.
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No hike due to bronchitis/pneumonia. Sorry.
Report by J. Zimmerman.
Lots of wildflowers visible by the Ranger Station HQ:
- ["unique"]
["early"]
Miner's Lettuce (Montia perfoliata).
- ["unique"]
Bur chervil (ALIEN).
- ["unique"]
["early"]
Forget-me-not (ALIEN).
- ["early"]
Cicely: Western sweet cicely (Osmorhiza occidentalis).
Greenish flowers; long, smooth, sharp-pointed seeds.
- ["unique"]
Dandelion (ALIEN).
- ["unique"]
["early"]
Yellow sanicle (a.k.a. snakeroot) Sanicula arctopoides.
- Redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana).
White; sometimes mauve, pinkish, or bluish.
- California strawberry (Fragaria californica).
- Huckleberry (white).
- ["unique"]
Sedge.
- ["unique"]
["early"]
Bedstraw a.k.a. Cleavers (Galium aparine).
Tiny white flowers.
- ["unique"]
Scarlet pimpernel (ALIEN).
-
Iris: Mountain Iris (Iris douglasiana).
Creamy petals with purple veins.
Take Sky-Line-to-the-Sea Trail toward Middle Ridge Fire Road.
- Redwood violet (a.k.a. Evergreen violet) (Viola sempervirens).
- Western wake robin (Trillium Ovatum).
- Fat (or False) Solomon's seal.
- Two-eyed violet (Viola ocellata).
- Toothwort. Pink, white, sometimes with lavender tinge.
(Dentaria californica, var. integrifolia).
- Lily: Star lily or Fremont's star lily
(Zygadenus fremontii).
By Middle Ridge Fire Road: slug count so far is 6.
- Woodland star (Lithophragma affinis).
- Hooker's fairy bell (Disporum hookeri).
Flowers are hidden in pairs under the ends of the twin leaves at the end of the stalks.
By Sunset Connector Trail junction: 5 new slugs, 30 total.
- California (or Pacific) blackberry (Rubus ursinus).
- Yerba de selva (a.k.a. Weed of the Woods) (Whipplea modesta).
- ["unique"]
Douglas' Nightshade (Solanum douglasii). White.
By Kelly Creek Bridge: 55 new slugs, 85 total.
And 1 terrestrial newt, 1 total.
- California wild lilac (a.k.a. California Blue Brush) (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus).
By East End (upper) of the side trail: 4 new slug, 89 total.
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Western wood anemone (a.k.a. Wind flower or Oregon anemone) (Anemone oregana).
White.
By West End (lower) of the side trail: 23 new slugs, 112 total.
By Timms Creek Trail: 14 new slugs, 126 total.
By West Waddell Creek Bridge: 21 new slugs, 147 total.
By Berry Creek Falls first view (at Seat): 3 new slugs, 150 total.
- ["unique"]
Coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus).
By Berry Creek Falls viewing platform and bench: 7 new slugs, 157 total.
- Inside-out flower (Vancouveria planipetala).
By Silver Falls. 24 new slugs, 181 total.
- ["unique"]
["early"]
Thimbleberry
By Sunset Camp Connector Trail junction with Sunset Trail: 1 new slug, 182 total.
Aquatic garter snake (~2 feet long with yellow and red stripes the length of its body).
Aquatic garter snake approx. 30&inch; long on a trail-side bank in
the transitional zone of the chaparral; Scott guesses it is looking for juicy lizards to eat.
- ["unique"]
Woodland madia (a.k.a. tarweed) (Madia madioides).
- Bush Poppy. Yellow.
- Brittle-leaved Manzanita.
- Tiny yellow flower (Scott to identify).
- Lupine: blue with red at front of banner petal.
- ["early"]
Trefoil: Small-flowered Trefoil (Lotus Micranthus).
- Heart-leaved or Santa Cruz Mountains Manzanita.
- Small-leaved Manzanita (Sensitive Manzanita).
- ["early"]
Salal (Gaultheria shallon).
- Pacific star flower (Trientalis latifolia).
- [SP's identification.] Coast or Fernald's iris (Iris fernaldii).
By Timms Creek Trail junction with Sunset Trail: 19 new slugs, 201 total.
By West Waddell Creek Bridge: 41 new slugs, 242 total.
- ["unique"]
["early"]
Orange Sticky Monkey Flower (Diplacus aurantiacus).
- ["unique"]
["early"]
Blue Dicks (Brodiaea pulchella).
- ["unique"]
["early"]
Wood rose (Rosa gymnocarpa).
By Sky-Line-to-the-Sea Trail Connector junction with Sunset Trail: 3 new slugs, 245 total.
By Middle Ridge Fire Road: 0 new slugs, 245 total.
By Dool Trail: No additions.
By HQ: No additions.
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Report by J. Zimmerman.
Blue Witch. Blue/purple flowers with bright yellow center.
Bush Poppy. Yellow.
California blackberry. White.
California toothwort. White or pink.
California wild lilac (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus). Blue.
Checker lily (aka mission bells). Greenish-yellow with purple spots.
Coltsfoot. White.
Fat Solomon's seal. White.
Hooker's fairy bell (Disporum hookeri). White.
Huckleberry. White.
Inside-out flower. White.
Iris. Creamy petals with purple veins.
Lupine. Purple.
Madrone. White.
Manzanita (3 in bloom). White.
(Sensitive Manzanita; Brittle Leaved Manzanita; and
Heart Leaved or Santa Cruz Mountains Manzanita (pinkish cast on their white flowers.))
Pacific Starflowers. Pink.
Redwood sorrel. White or pink.
Redwood violet. Yellow.
Two-eyed violet. White with purple "eyes".
Vetch. Purple.
Western Wake Robin (Trillium Ovatum). White (mature pink).
Wild ginger (Asarum caudatum). Maroon.
Windflower. White.
Wood strawberry. White.
Woodland groundsel. Yellow.
Woodland star. White.
Yerba De Selva. White.
Thanks to the Big Basin Volunteer Trail Crews for clearing so much of trail blockages,
including the spectacular 3-for-1 trail coverage near Golden Falls.
Huge increase in wild pig activity, with overturned dirt beside much of the trail.
Docent Scott Peden notes that hornets are colonizing the first cut-through log
on your left, on the Sky-Line-to-the-Sea portion, as you pass by the upper connector
of the alternate trail (about 2 miles from HQ).
And at Berry Creek Falls, the sun is still low enough for us to see the Spray Bows.
Best seen from 12:15 PM to 12:45 PM; during daylight savings, from 1:15 PM to 1:45 PM.
Hiked but report not done. S.P. working on it. Sorry.
Report by Scott Peden.
One of the Trail crew fellas has been out there taking out the
largest of the trees that have slowed down the walk.
Our
Big Basin Volunteer Trail Crews
are all volunteers, and without them we wouldn't have these trails to hike on.
Thanks so much for such a great
job! |
Monday April 15th, 5+ weeks since I did this the last time. The weather was
clear, and there hasn't been rain for weeks. All creeks and falls are still
running quite well, with minimal loss of water from the last couple of months.
Most of the muddy spots have completely dried up.
In summary and with thanks:
Highlights:
- In 1st mile: Numerous Trillium, though most are pinkish now. Several redwood
violets. New leaves of the Pacific Star Flower -- I expect flowers in a couple
of weeks. Several Hooker's fairy bell (Disporum hookeri) in bloom -- watch the uphill side, as the
little flowers are underneath the leaves.
Two-eyed violets (Viola ocellata)
and 1 nanner slug
near the top of the ridge, at Middleridge road.
- In miles 2-3: As usual, this is the coolest part of the trip, both in
flowers and temperature. The flowers will fade as the heat increases, and we
have so many more flowers in bloom this year, as we didn't get the heavy
downpour of rain in February, after the short warm spell.
Golden Back Ferns
are found early, with their bright green leaf. Several places have carpets of
Two-eyed violet (Viola ocellata),
Trilliums, Redwood Sorrell, and Redwood Violets. There are
more Hooker's fairy bell (Disporum hookeri), and some small batches of Toothwort, the first
Windflowers this side of BC Falls, and one of my favorites, the blue/purple
flowers with the bright gold center of Blue Witch, Fat Solomon's Seal, one Blue
Bush Lilac, aka California Wild Lilac (Ceanothus Thyrsiflorus). The
ferns at Kelly Creek are just stunning. One Yerba De Selva (
"weed of the woods").
Acorn Woodpeckers.
Red Clintonia, fairly inconspicuous, with very
showy leathery leaves.
I spotted one shiny black centipede (or millipede?)
with the bright orange spots near his legs.
The Elks Clover (spikenard) and
Thimbleberry have leafed out, and should have flowers before long, as well as
the Western Azalea (also by the Rangers Station), which are promising their
spectacular blooms by Mother's Day.
A large downed log (4+ ft diameter),
that has had the trail cut through it years ago, still has water seeping out of
it. Amazing! I have seen this happen in some logs as late as May, letting the
last of their stored water seep out. Towards the end I could hear Warblers near
the crossing of West Waddell Creek.
Oh yes, the Banana Slugs, 28 of them!
About a third were less than 2 inches long, funny looking things that are almost
all head (can't get bigger unless you can eat)!
- In mile 4: More Trilliums, Redwood Sorrell and Fat Solomon's Seal. 1 More
Naner Slug. I could hear more Warblers.
- In mile 5: Coltsfoot! and Horsetails. And loads of the usual flowers
Trillium, Redwood Violets and Redwood Sorrell, Hooker's fairy bell (Disporum hookeri), and Fat
Solomon's Seal. The leaves of the Trail plant are all nice and green, just
having leafed out, and more flowering Yerba de Selva. And 1 More Big 'Ole Yeller
Nanna Slug!
- In mile 6: Fat Solomon's Seal, Toothwort, and redwood Sorrel.
- In mile 10: Bush Poppies -- hillsides of them! Manzanita, California Broom
(a native) with its yellow and red pea-shaped flowers. Some hummingbirds.
As I head back into the mixed evergreen forest, I am greeted by some pretty Bracken Ferns,
Two-eyed violets
(carpets of them in places), Redwood Sorrell, and Pacific Starflowers
in bloom! Yerba de Selva, trillium, redwood violets, in vast quantities too!
Hooker's fairy bell (Disporum hookeri), Fat Solomon Seal, Windflower, coltsfoot,
gorgeous Pacific Mountain Iris, vetch, strawberry, tarweed, California blackberry,
toothwort, and 7 more banana slugs (none of these are small ones).
I heard the Hoot
Owl a mile earlier this time, if it is the same one that has greeted me at the
top of a certain ridge every month since
January,
(when I started doing this walk
monthly). Piliated Woodpeckers I also could hear, as usual in the part of the
forest. And I saw one really strange Mushroom, the poisonous False Morel.
- Mile 11: One lonely redwood violet by the Dool trail connection, and the
last of the Banana Slugs.
Our continued thanks to the Trail crews of the State Park System,
and
the several volunteer trail crews,
some of whom have been at this for 30 years.
They do a huge amount of unseen work to make this part of the park accessible to us.
Respect the
Berry Creek Falls Trail, a loop in Big Basin State Park in the Santa
Cruz Mountains near Boulder Creek.
Respect the trail restrictions, in courtesy
for the Forest and other users.
Hikers only. No dogs. No horses. No mountain
bikes.
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See also these pages
Support us in bringing these reports to you - buy at
Amazon!
Forest and Tree Home,
Glossary pages:
A, B,
C, D,
E, F,
G, H,
I, J,
K, L,
M, N,
O, P,
Q, R,
S, T,
U, V,
W, X,
Y, Z.
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[Thanks for visiting.]
our heroes, the Big Basin volunteer trail-clearing crews.
