truthseqr's Journal

Plants

• Calflora: http://www.calflora.org
• Monterey Wildflowers: https://montereywildflowers.com
• Yosemite Hikes: http://www.yosemitehikes.com/wildflowers/yosemite-wildflowers-guide.htm
• Chris Nelson's Guide to SF Bay Area Wildflowers: https://fred-rum.github.io/bay-area-wildflower-guide/

• Oaks:
  * https://usercontent.one/wp/www.globalconservationconsortia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Identification-Guide-for-Priority-Threatened-California-Oaks-1.pdf
  * http://ucanr.edu/sites/oak_range/Californias_Rangeland_Oak_Species/
  * https://usercontent.one/wp/www.globalconservationconsortia.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Identification-Guide-for-Priority-Threatened-California-Oaks.pdf

• Walnuts:
  See the discussion for this observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/3169065

• How to tell Cudweed from Pearly Everlasting:
  https://montereywildflowers.com/asteraceae%20-%20cudweeds/
  old obsolete ref: https://montereywildflowers.com/Asterac_Everlasting_1.php

• Lupinus bicolor vs L. nanus:
  https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/leafybye/22229-the-misidentification-of-lupinus-nanus-or-lupinus-bicolor

• Blue Dicks vs Ookow:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx4dAkeWP7E&t=1232s

• Blueblossom vs Jimbrush:
  Jimbrush (Ceanothus oliganthus var. sorediatus) has little glandular tips along the leaf margin. Blueblossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus) does not have glandular tips.

• Fiddlenecks:
  https://montereywildflowers.com/boraginaceae-amsinckia/

• Cockleburs:
  https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/seeds-and-fruits/journal/26719-is-the-bur-of-a-cocklebur-really-a-fruit
  

• Manroots:
  https://californiaplants.blogspot.com/2022/11/marah-fabacea-vs-marah-oregana.html

• Manzanitas:
  Toni Corelli's "Checklist of the Vascular Plants of San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties , California" lists the following species: A.canescens , A.crustacea , A.glandulosa , and A.glauca .

• California Hedgenettles vs Rough Hedgenettles:
  https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12857551

• Thistles:
  https://ucanr.edu/sites/livestockandnaturalresources/files/283306.pdf

• Plants of Southern California: Anza-Borrego Desert Annuals From Seedling To Flower
  ** http://tchester.org/plants/analysis/abdsp/annuals.html
  ** http://tchester.org/bd/species/baby_annuals_morphology.html#table4

• Geraniums & Erodiums of California: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/geraniums-cranesbills-san-francisco-bay-area/
• Malvas of the San Francisco Bay Area: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/malva-san-francisco-bay-area
• Malacothamus (Bush Mallows): https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/9021/journal/87951

• Pollinators
  ** https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/about-pollinators
  ** https://www.thoughtco.com/insect-pollinators-that-arent-bees-or-butterflies-1967996

Birds

• Audubon: http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird
• All About Birds: http://www.allaboutbirds.org

• You can upload your audio to this page: https://birdnet.cornell.edu/api/
  Then click on the spectrogram to hear exactly what BirdNet thinks at each moment. This API is basically the backend used by the BirdNet sound ID app, but it shows everything including low confidence matches. So the caveat is that you have to decide what is too low confidence to be considered.

Feathers

• The Feather Atlas: https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/

• Featherbase (Germany/Europe-based): https://www.featherbase.info/en/home
  later Wing and Tail Collection: http://digitalcollections.pugetsound.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/slaterwing

Animals

• Identifying Newts:
  * http://www.californiaherps.com/identification/salamandersid/newts.html
  * Many references regarding newt roadkill:
  https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/pacific-newt-roadkill-main-project-lexington-reservoir/journal/30430-pacific-newt-taricha-roadkill-references

• Bones:
  http://www.boneid.net

• Tracks & Sign:
  * https://www.thinktrees.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Scat-Identification.pdf
  * https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/16435-who-are-the-trackers-on-inaturalist
  * https://www.youtube.com/user/beartracker777/videos

• California Mammals:
  * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mammals_of_California
  * http://www.sfbaywildlife.info/species/mammals.htm

• Identifying Deer in CA:
  * https://www.solanocoe.net/blacktaildeer
  * https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=23228&inline

• Voles
  * https://photographyontherun.com/wp/california-vole-foraging-in-upper-las-virgenes-canyon-open-space-preserve-video/

• Turtles
  * https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/90583-guide-to-distinguishing-western-pond-turtles-actinemys-spp-from-common-pond-sliders-trachemys-spp
  * https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/90583-guide-to-distinguishing-western-pond-turtles-actinemys-spp-from-common-pond-sliders-trachemys-spp#activity_comment_251923a9-f591-4428-89ee-e50e20be978e

• Wildlife Preservation:
  http://www.openspaceauthority.org/preservation/wildlife.html

• Animal Control:
  http://www.aaanimalcontrol.com/professional-trapper/wildlife/ca-san-jose-wildlife.htm

Insects

• BugGuide: http://bugguide.net
  


• What's That Bug: http://www.whatsthatbug.com
  
• Bumble Bees: https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/truthseqr/32809-yellow-faced-bumble-bees-other-pyrobombus-species-in-the-sf-bay-area
  
• Flies:
  * https://sites.google.com/view/flyguide
  * drone flies (a type of flower fly) https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1CsEP9tn79Xa7S7ptxh2XeHXB5NHy2Al_KtVwbzkwopk/preview
  
• Ticks:
  * Bugguide example of Male--larger than female, more spotted, less pronounced shoulder plate. Female shoulder plate is beige, giving it a two-tone appearance from a distance.
  https://bugguide.net/node/view/96854

  * BugGuide Photos of male and female Pacific Coast Tick (female on top of male)
  https://bugguide.net/node/view/909245

  * https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=Awr.zl0J8Ytm3jcakxn7w8QF;_ylu=c2xrA3RleHQEaXQDQWxzb1RyeQRzZWMDcmVsBHBvcwMy?p=Tick+Identifier&fr2=p:s,v:v,m:rs-top,ct:relatedSearches&fr=mcafee&type=E210US714G0#id=1&vid=941934a8854bbf60b7795461f4cdd3d3&action=view
  

• Galls:
  * https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/finatic/2183-gall-identification
  * http://joycegross.com/galls_ca_oak.php
  * https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/39523-130-california-galls-listed-by-plant#activity_comment_5376724
  

Lichens

• Caloplaca (firedots)
  https://data.environment.sa.gov.au/Content/Publications/JABG29P053_Kantvilas.pdf

Mosses

• http://bryophyte.cnps.org/ (Click on the resources tab, and click Beginner. There are a bunch of things there that you might find interesting.)
  

California Ecosystems:

This is an excellent series by Erika Zavaleta, Ph.D., professor at UC Santa Cruz. Highly recommended!

• Ecosystems of California: Introduction
• Ecosystems of California: Biodiversity
• Ecosystems of California: Grasslands
• Ecosystems of California: Jasper Ridge Chaparral
• Ecosystems of California: Fort Ord Chaparral (maritime chaparral)
• Ecosystems of California: Coastal Sage
• Ecosystems of California: Oak Woodlands
• Ecosystems of California: Northcoast Forests
• Ecosystems of California: Stripbark Growth  
• Ecosystems of California: Montane Forests
• Ecosystems of California: Subalpine
• Ecosystems of California: Alpine
• Ecosystems of California: Offshore
• Ecosystems of California: Estuaries
• Ecosystems of California: Intertidal
• Ecosystems of California: Beaches
• Ecosystems of California: Tracking Beach Animals
• Ecosystems of California: Kelp Forests
• Ecosystems of California: Rivers
• Ecosystems of California: Deserts
• Ecosystems of California: Franklin Point Dunes
• Ecosystems of California: Younger Lagoon Dunes
• Ecosystems of California: Mono Lake
• Ecosystems of California: Lundy Lake
• Ecosystems of California: Lake Tahoe
• Ecosystems of California: Urban
• Ecosystems of California: Agriculture
• Ecosystems of California: Climate Transect

Biologists from the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) led three hikes at Sierra Azul for the 10th Annual Wildflower Survey that was held on Earth Day this year.

I chose the hike led by Ellen Gartside, Volunteer Program Lead, at Cherry Springs Pond (2.25 miles, 4-5 hours) . This hike was moderate in length and grade along an old road bed that passes around Cherry Springs Pond through wetland, mixed conifer, chaparral, and grassland habitats.

Our team identified 82 species of wildflowers. Whoo Hooo!

See the following link for 125 observations recorded during the Soda Springs hike:
https://www.inaturalist.org/calendar/truthseqr/2017/4/22