The Season of the Buckeye

Posted December 9, 2015

Filed under Fall, Plant Life

This is the time of year when the California Buckeye (Aesculus californica) earns its name. Named for the rather large seed pod they drop that resembles the eye of a deer, they are now easily found on the trail.

When they shed their covering they reveal a rich brown colored seed pod (see pic). Pacific Horticulture has this to say about the pods: “Though thoroughly inedible (unless leached of their toxins, as the Native Californians did), there is something irresistible about this seed, looking as if it had been carved, lacquered, and polished; few can resist picking up one or more, often pocketing them to be brought home for a show-and-tell with family or friends.”

Get them while they’re hot.

Rain, Rain, Don’t Go Away

Posted December 3, 2015

Filed under Fall, Nature, Seasons, Weather

We’ve been lucky so far this Fall, with rain coming almost on a weekly basis. It has been enough to both finally end one of the worst fire seasons on record as well as foster the eager growth of new grass.

I love hiking the trails in the rain. There tends to be fewer people and more animals. One day in the pouring rain I saw a large flock of wild turkeys — the most I had ever seen.

Out on the trail today although I didn’t see many wild creatures I saw a few hardy people and water beginning to pool and start to run off the trail. After returning home, it poured even harder. If it keeps up we my have water running in the creeks by this evening.

We certainly need this moisture, but we need so much more to escape this period of drought that it’s hard to imagine getting enough in one rainy season. So let’s all hope that the rain doesn’t go away and that it soaks the ground, fills our reservoirs, and ends our latest drought.

The Mistletoe Tree

Posted November 30, 2015

Filed under Fall, Invasive Species, Plant Life

There is a tree on the Overlook Trail that I’ve dubbed “The Mistletoe Tree”. This is because it harbors several clumps of the parasitic plant, and at elevations where it would be easy enough to pluck a sprig to hold above one’s loved ones for a kiss.

Wikipedia says that “It is associated with Western Christmas as a decoration, under which lovers are expected to kiss. The reasons for this are less than clear.”

But then who needs a reason?

Being parasitic, mistletoe penetrates the host tree to steal water and nutrients. Mistletoe typically does not to lead to the demise of the host, except in extreme infestations, but large clumps may lead to the loss of a limb. The University of California has more information on mistletoe as well as how to control it, but here on the Overlook we let nature take its course as much as we can.

Winter Is Coming

Posted November 25, 2015

Filed under Fall, Plant Life, Weather, Winter

For the first time on the trail today, I noticed that the ferns are coming back. At the place I call Fern Glen, on the trail that connects the Montini Preserve with the Sonoma Overlook Trail, they are shooting up fairly quickly, in response to the off-and-on light rains we have had recently (see pic).

This is very nice to see. It’s a sign that we are getting enough moisture to renew plants such as these which rely upon dampness. As is probably quite obvious, winter is coming. It’s just nice to see the weather signs that indeed it is.

The Things We Toss

Posted November 23, 2015

Filed under Stewardship

Over in my other blog, I recently wrote about the things we carry. But this post is about the things we choose not to carry with us when hiking on the trail — basically what we toss aside as trash. Not that I condone such behavior — far from it. How could I when I am required (as a volunteer steward) to pick up whatever someone throws away?

And what you (the collective you, not you personally) throw away tends to be fairly predictable. I would say that most things fall into one of these categories, listed in order of perceived occurrence:

Tissues. Far and away the item I pick up the most are facial tissues (see pic). Yeah, you’re saying “Yuck” right now and for good reason. However, in all of the years that I have been picking these up, I’ve never gotten sick (knock on wood).
Drink containers. Actually tied for second are drink containers and food wrappers of various kinds. Drink containers can range from the frequent (coffee cups, soda cans) to the less frequent (vodka bottles). You can imagine how amusing I find it to walk down the trail in the morning with an empty vodka bottle in my hand.
Food wrappers. By “food wrappers” I mean everything from a candy wrapper to a banana peel (see pic). Banana peels are frankly rare (thankfully), but candy and gum wrappers are not. But at least they fit in a pocket better than a banana peel.
Cigarette butts. Being still in a multi-year drought, finding a cigarette butt scares me. The thought of someone with fire walking around among all that dead grass just above the city of Sonoma is horrifying, but people apparently do it. It is yet another thing that people do that defies the rules (such as bringing their dogs or bicycles onto the trail). If you are smoking up there you had better hope that I don’t run into you.

I’m certainly not the only steward picking up trash, but since I hike the trails nearly every day I have a fairly good sense of what people toss aside. If you have found something I haven’t mentioned, feel free to post a comment below. Extra points for items bigger than a coffee cup.