![\"Basal](\"https:\/\/dev-clm-blog.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/CIMG7139.jpg\")
<\/a>Basal rosettes of a puncturebract (Cienega Seca puncturebract?)<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n Ruby’s tail. You can see scarring (darker areas) at the very tip.<\/p><\/div>\n On Jan. 21<\/span>st<\/span><\/sup>, we visited a few areas on the forest in the vicinity of the Bighorn Wilderness, which is near the desert side of the SBNF.\u00a0 The transition to Joshua tree (<\/span>Yucca brevifolia<\/i>)<\/span> <\/i>woodland starts a few miles east of the ranger station.<\/span>\u00a0 We visited populations of <\/span>Acanthoscyphus<\/i> <\/span>parishii <\/i>var. cf <\/span>cienegensis<\/i>, (Cienega Seca puncturebract), <\/span>Eriogonum ovalifolium <\/i>var. <\/span>vineum <\/i>(Cushenbury buckwheat, federally endangered), and <\/span>Astragalus albens <\/i>(Cushenbury milk vetch, federally endangered).<\/span>\u00a0 New finds for the day included a mystery <\/span>Astragalus <\/i>(possibly <\/span>A. tidestromii<\/i>, SBNF sensitive,<\/span> <\/i>or <\/span>A. leucolobus<\/i>, Bear Valley woollypod, SBNF watch) and also possibly a new location of <\/span>Erigeron parishii <\/i>(Parish\u2019s daisy, federally threatened). We also saw a very large Tucker\u2019s oak (<\/span>Quercus john-tuckeri<\/i>).<\/span>\u00a0 There was historically a lot of prospecting and mining in the area, and we saw several open mine shafts.<\/span>\u00a0 I enjoyed learning a bit about mining law.<\/span>\u00a0 Also in late January, we spent a day doing riparian monitoring in the vicinity of the Santa Ana River.<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ve largely been continuing work on the invasive plant guide, and are now doing more formatting and editing. \u00a0I hiked up to the top of Mt. San Gorgonio on the weekend of January 10-12, and among other species, saw some <\/span>Eriogonum kenneydi <\/i>var. <\/span>alpigenum.<\/i> <\/span>The next weekend, I explored the Deep Creek area north of Splinter\u2019s Cabin near Lake Arrowhead.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The office southern rubber boa (Charina umbratica<\/i>), Ruby, ate two baby mice yesterday (they were already dead).<\/span>\u00a0 Southern rubber boas are a sensitive species on the SBNF.<\/span>\u00a0 Ruby usually spends her time buried in the litter under her water dish (especially in winter), and so we don\u2019t see her too often.<\/span>\u00a0 Rubber boas prey on young mammals, including on deer mice, voles, and shrews.<\/span>\u00a0 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).<\/span>\u00a0 I didn\u2019t get a picture of her snacking, but it is much more exciting.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Mountaintop Ranger District<\/p>\n Big Bear Lake, CA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On Jan. 21st, we visited a few areas on the forest in the vicinity of the Bighorn Wilderness, which is near the desert side of the SBNF.\u00a0 The transition to Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) woodland starts a few … Continue reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>