Category Archives: Spring

Sssnakes….

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Filed under Reptiles, Snakes, Spring
California Night Snake

California Night Snake

It’s that time again: spring!  Nature has been staging post-winter awakenings around here for weeks now, and due to what was another healthy rainy season, there is an abundance of plant life, which fuels a myriad of other life.  Wildflowers, fawns, bees, lizards, and…snakes!

This little friend popped up in a pile of gravel on a trail work day last weekend.  He/she is a California night snake (Hypsiglena torquata nuchalata), one of the rarest snakes in Sonoma County and although mildly venomous, known to be harmless to humans.  California night snakes are nocturnal and are generally about 7 inches long at birth; this one was likely at its first molt.  When coiled, it could have fit on a nickel.  Their diet includes insects, lizards and other snakes.

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Hummmmmmmmm

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Filed under Bees, Insects, Spring

You may have noticed, on your treks up the Overlook Trail, that we have some fuzzy friends living in the base of a multi-trunk tree on the left just beyond the main trail/Rattlesnake Cutoff Trail junction.  These European honey bees, also known as Western honey bees (Apis mellifera), are the most common kind of honey bee and are a generally docile sort with a placid temperament, only stinging when threatened.

Like all honey bees, European honey bees are extremely social, creating colonies of up to tens of thousands of bees, sometimes as high as 40,000 to 80,000.  A hollow tree is an ideal habitat.  The bees build intricate wax structures within to house food and their cooperatively raised brood.  Colonial activities are organized via complex communication between individuals, untilizing both pheromones and the waggle dance!

So, enjoy the buzz as you go by and leave them bee.  Considering that bees worldwide are seriously threatened by pests, diseases and pesticides, we count ourselves lucky to host these little friends.

Read more at iNaturalist.

The mountains are calling….

Sssssss…Cicadas!

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Filed under Insects, Spring

Cicadas are singing on the Overlook! Plus, the wildflower explosion continues, so come on over and have an Out of Africa moment.

Sonoma Raceway Hike is Back!

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Filed under Events, Fundraising, Hiking, Spring, Stewardship

unnamed (1)After two years of cancellations due to COVID-19, we are thrilled to invite you once again to join us on this self-guided hike on the pristine 1,600-acre Sonoma Raceway property which is not usually accessible to the public. This special place offers gorgeous 360-degree views; come and see spectacular wildflowers!

Saturday, May 14, 2022 
9 am-12:00 noon

3 mile self-guided hike (approx. 1.5 hours)
5 mile self-guided hike (approx. 2.5 hours)

Cost: $50 Tax deductible, non-refundable donation

REGISTER HERE

8:00am – 8:20am: Arrival/Gates Open
8:20am – 9:00am: Refreshments (Donuts & Coffee) on the Redwood Deck overlooking the Raceway and Sonoma Valley. Sonoma Raceway hosts Chelsea Lazzari, Randall Brown, and Bobby O’Gorman will provide an introduction to the 1,600 acre Sonoma Raceway property before the hike begins.

After two years of cancellations due to Covid, we are thrilled to invite you once again to join us on this self-guided hike on the pristine 1,600-acre Sonoma Raceway property which is not usually accessible to the public. This special place offers gorgeous 360-degree views; come and see spectacular wildflowers!