A post an book about trees at the Scoutmaster blog inspired me to click over to Calflora.org and see how many trees are native to Santa Clara County. The result: 96 trees and shrubs — more than I would’ve guessed, and I spend a lot of time in the woods.
Stuff I like:
- How the East Bay oaks grow every which way.
- How the bark twists in ancient redwoods.
- How madrones bend across a trail and shed bark.
- The radial pattern of Douglas-fir limbs.
Those are the first that spring to mind. How about the rest of y’all?
I like how the Big Berry Manzanitas coat the ground in January with millions of little bell-shaped flowers, bringing a “carpet of snow” to the forests of Coe.
The wind blown trees by oceansides…
Those small resilient trees at higher altitudes…
Any tree that whispers to me as I fall asleep under it…
DSD
I like how a madrone found a way to grow out of the side of an oak.
I love the graceful outline of valley oaks. In fact I’ve got a valley oak leaf tattoo. 🙂
I’ve got more than a few favorites…not by species, but as individuals. There is the Great Mother of All Manzanitas at Morgan Territory, of course, which some of you may already have seen. And in the same park, but carefully hidden although in plain view, is Two Trees, an interwoven Coastal Live Oak and Valley Oak most will simply walk past or enjoy the shade on a hot summer day.
I’m the #1 fan of most Bristlecone Pines, though, as we share a special kinship. Bent and battered but resilient as all heck.
All good ones! Tom, I’m surprised you left off your favorite “snag” trees! (the dead but picturesque ones).
I love the western junipers (I think that’s what they are) at Mt. Diablo, especially in Oat Canyon high up.
I love the dwarf Sargent Cypress trees found atop Pine Mountain ridge in Marin County.
I love the W Tree sycamore at the Rock Scramble juncture with Alameda Creek in Sunol Regional Wilderness.
I love the gargantuan eucalyptus off Coastal Trail at Palomarin Trail Head.
I love trees covered in moss.
Kind of a late post, I’m still catching up from a two-night backpacking trip in Big Basin last weekend and plenty of busy-ness the rest of May.
I’m fond of the California Buckeye, showy white flower stalks that you can spot across a valley, dark glossy leaves, and a pretty shape. It is also a chance to point out adaptation to dry country, since it drops its leaves very early, and to tell how the native Americans used the toxic buckeyes to stun fish.
If you’ll allow a couple of shrubs, I’ll include gooseberries and Western Azalea when they are in bloom. Last year I saw lovely Fuschia-flowered Gooseberries at Coe and azaleas at Big Basin. I first found Western Azaleas following a lovely fragrance off the trail in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness.