Forestry Friday … Canyon Live Oak

Posted on January 5, 2017 by foresterartist

Canyon Live Oak, Oak, acorns, pen and ink

Canyon Live Oak acorns in pen and ink.

Canyon Live Oak, Quercus chrysolepis, is an evergreen oak of the California Sierra Nevada and Coastal Range. Its full range stretches from Mexico and Arizona north to southwestern Oregon. These trees typically prefer shallow soils like those found in steep canyons common in the low and mid elevation mountains. Hence the name. These sites are normally poor soil quality and aren’t the best locations for growing commercial timber. Canyon Live Oak is not considered as a commercial species. Its main commercial value is as firewood. However, it has a high intrinsic value as a species important to wildlife. In forest management it is far more beneficial left on the landscape providing food, nesting and roosting habitat.

Canyon Live Oak, Quercus chrysolepis

The camera wasn’t crooked. A canyon live oak in a canyon.

Canyon Live Oak Acorns

This specimen is over 4 feet in diameter.

acorn woodpecker, grub, woodpecker, nature, photography

Acorn woodpeckers use the canyon live oak acorns as a food source.

More Canyon Live Oak Acorns

Black bears eat mass quantities of acorns in the fall.

spike buck, buck, blacktail, Columbian Blacktail deer, deer, deer hunting

So do the black-tail deer.

Wild Wednesday … “cat without a grin”

Posted on January 4, 2017 by foresterartist

I had to go to the mill on Monday to do log inventory. It was a holiday and there were only a few folks at work. It was unusually quiet. I drove around the backside of the log deck only to have a large bobcat cross the road in front of me. Immediately, I stopped and grabbed my camera. Standing on the seat and door handle I had a great view of the cat. He’d stopped and was looking back at me. It was perfect ….. except, I had my SLOW camera. By the time it went through its agonizing start-up cycle the bobcat crept off. I managed only one picture before he slipped away toward the river, fading like the Cheshire Cat.

`All right,’ said the Cat; and this time it vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remained some time after the rest of it had gone. – Alice In Wonderland

Wild Wednesday … Our Backyard

Posted on December 28, 2016 by foresterartist

I just love this lighting. I think to myself, “I really live here.”

Wild Wednesday … Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Posted on November 23, 2016 by foresterartist

Turkey, wild turkey, Northern California, Thankgiving

A flock of gobblers in Tehama County, Northern California.

Forestry Friday … Snapshot, Southern Cascades

Posted on November 11, 2016 by foresterartist

A view of the southern Sierra Cascades las summer.

A view of the southern Cascades north of Lake Shasta. This picture was taken last summer. This area is a combination of private timberland and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

Wild Wednesday … Ospreys of Oroville

Posted on November 2, 2016 by foresterartist

Osprey, fledgling, wildlife, photography

Osprey nest overlooking Lake Oroville. I really love this nest. It’s such a classic.

I haven’t posted much about our local ospreys this year, so here’s a teaser. They had an excellent year. Nearly all the local nests were occupied with fledglings. There will be more posts to come.

Wild Wednesday … Mill Birds

Posted on May 11, 2016 by foresterartist

Just a few of the birds hanging out around the mill these days.

Move along!

Canada Geese and goslings.

Wood Duck

Male Wood Ducks

Great Blue Heron and Wood Duck

American Coot

Mourning Dove

Osprey

Wild Wednesday … Wild Wood

Posted on May 4, 2016 by foresterartist

The wild wood near Wildwood, CA.

Wild Wednesday … iFlowers

Posted on April 27, 2016 by foresterartist

Last week naughty Sailor dog busted out of the yard and set out on a field trip. Mary and I had to split up to search for him. She took the car and went up our road to check our neighbors. I went on foot through the foothills behind our house. After covering about a mile or so over hill and dale, she texted me. He was about a half mile down the road playing with the neighbor kids. I was relieved and annoyed all at the same time and began hiking home.

It was just before sunset and the light was fading, but warm. The foothills are full of spring wildflowers. This was an excellent opportunity to shoot some wildflowers on my trek back. Excellent, except that I didn’t have my camera! All I had was my iPhone, and so phone pictures it was. They aren’t as good as the Nikon could have done, but I work with what I have. These are my iFlowers!