Eriogonum ovalifolium var. vineum

Pholisma arenarium

Mojave paintbrush

We’ve been doing surveys for carbonate endemics and other sensitive species at two mining claims, out towards the desert side of the forest.  There’s a lot blooming right now, including the adorable borage above (Pholisma arenarium) and the federally endangered Cushenbury buckwheat (Eriogonum ovalifolium var. vineum).  I headed down to the chapparal for a backpacking trip over the weekend, for a taste of another part of the San Bernardino Mountains flora.   

We finished surveys on the north side of the forest, as part of a project to close some unauthorized off-road vehicle routes, while designating others.  Mojave paintbrush (Castilleja plagiotoma, pictured), a hemi-parasite on buckwheat and sagebrush, was one of our target species.  We’ll be conducting surveys in the southeast part of the project area in May; since this area is at a higher elevation, the phenology is farther behind, and we’ll be focusing on a different suite of species of species. 

In mid-April, we attended a Forest Service sponsored Poaceae workshop at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.  It was a great introduction to CA grass genera, grass morphology, and more difficult and subtle key steps and characters.

Mountaintop RD, US Forest Service

Big Bear Lake, CA

Phacelia sp.

We’ve been doing surveys for TESW (Threatened, Endangered, Sensitive, and Watch plant species) along proposed OHV routes in the high desert, north of Big Bear Lake.  There’s a lot blooming, and some hillsides have even taken on a yellow hue.  Sensitive species in the area include Mojave paintbrush (Castilleja plagiotoma, SBNF Sensitive) and Lemmon’s syntrichopappus (Syntrichopappus lemmonii, SBNF Watch, middle).  We also did survey work at a mining claim nearer to the desert side of the forest.

 In late March we attended a bryophyte foray near Santa Cruz, CA.  (My point-and-shoot isn’t so well-equipped to take great pictures of mosses, especially in dim light, but I had a little better luck with wild ginger, Asarum caudatum, top).  It was a wonderful opportunity to talk with some big names in the moss, liverwort, and hornwort worlds, and a good introduction to bryophyte keys.

Additional survey work this month will focus on mining claims and proposed OHV routes.  We’ll also be attending a Poaceae workshop at Rancho Santa Botanic Garden.  

Astragalus albens in bloom on February 23, 2014

Lomatium mohavense in bloom on February 23, 2014

We’re moving into the field season, and will be doing monitoring and starting early-season project survey work over the next few weeks.  A storm last week brought some much-needed snow and rain to the mountains, but precipitation is still far below normal.  However, spring has arrived; down in the chaparral on the southern slopes, bush poppy (Dendromecon rigida) and chaparral whitethorn (Ceanothus leucodermis) are in bloom, as well as many other forbs.  Over on the desert side, a few Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) were beginning to bloom on Feb. 23, as well as other forbs, including Lomatium mohavense and the federally endangered Cushenbury milk vetch (Astragalus albens).  I’ve been doing some work in ArcGIS, in preparation for moving older sensitive species occurrences into the FS database.  We are also continuing work on the invasive plant guide, and are in the final stages of editing and formatting.

Mountaintop Ranger District

San Bernardino NF, USDA-FS

Basal rosettes of a puncturebract (Cienega Seca puncturebract?)

Ruby’s tail. You can see scarring (darker areas) at the very tip.

On Jan. 21^st, we visited a few areas on the forest in the vicinity of the Bighorn Wilderness, which is near the desert side of the SBNF.  The transition to Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) woodland starts a few miles east of the ranger station.  We visited populations of Acanthoscyphus parishii var. cf cienegensis, (Cienega Seca puncturebract), Eriogonum ovalifolium var. vineum (Cushenbury buckwheat, federally endangered), and Astragalus albens (Cushenbury milk vetch, federally endangered).  New finds for the day included a mystery Astragalus (possibly A. tidestromii, SBNF sensitive, or A. leucolobus, Bear Valley woollypod, SBNF watch) and also possibly a new location of Erigeron parishii (Parish’s daisy, federally threatened). We also saw a very large Tucker’s oak (Quercus john-tuckeri).  There was historically a lot of prospecting and mining in the area, and we saw several open mine shafts.  I enjoyed learning a bit about mining law.  Also in late January, we spent a day doing riparian monitoring in the vicinity of the Santa Ana River.     

We’ve largely been continuing work on the invasive plant guide, and are now doing more formatting and editing.  I hiked up to the top of Mt. San Gorgonio on the weekend of January 10-12, and among other species, saw some Eriogonum kenneydi var. alpigenum. The next weekend, I explored the Deep Creek area north of Splinter’s Cabin near Lake Arrowhead.

The office southern rubber boa (Charina umbratica), Ruby, ate two baby mice yesterday (they were already dead).  Southern rubber boas are a sensitive species on the SBNF.  Ruby usually spends her time buried in the litter under her water dish (especially in winter), and so we don’t see her too often.  Rubber boas prey on young mammals, including on deer mice, voles, and shrews.  They are often attacked by the adult prey species in the process of eating nestlings, and so older rubber boas have scarring on their tails (this is visible in the photo).  I didn’t get a picture of her snacking, but it is much more exciting.   

Mountaintop Ranger District

Big Bear Lake, CA

A Cuscuta species (six are known from the SBNF) in bloom near City Creek, off of Hwy 330, on Jan. 3, 2014. (Most individuals had senesced)

At the Mountaintop RD, I’ve been continuing work on a guide to the invasive plant species of the SBNF.  It’s interesting to read through the literature and synthesize the available information.  I enjoy thinking about how to format and present identification information in a way that is visual and understandable, especially for species that are more complicated to identify (such as Myriophyllum) Along with the invasive species guide, we are going to begin writing invasive species management plans for wilderness areas on the SBNF.      

The holidays were relaxing.  I hiked up Sugarloaf Mountain with a co-worker on Christmas Day.  Among other pebble plain species, we saw Boechera dispar (pinyon rock-cress).  Over New Year’s I explored the northeast part of the Bighorn Mountain Wilderness.  Although not rare, Scutellaria mexicana (formerly Salzaria) was an interesting find.  It will be spectacular to see in bloom.  

My fellow intern and I have been collecting with a lichenologist from UC Riverside, who is compiling a lichen flora of the San Bernardino NF.  Because lichens are so under-collected, we’re finding a lot of species that haven’t been found on the forest before.  We collected near Keller Cliffs (sandstone) on January 3, and noted giant chain fern (Woodwardia fimbriata) in the canyons on the way in.

Big Bear Ranger Station

US Forest Service