Diario de seekingwithschultes

Last week the weather felt like summer as a heat spell came in for about three days. The light green new growth on the Pseudotsuga menziesii has turned to a darker green. The Black Oaks, Q. kelloggii, are fully leafed out and shading the ground from the heat. The hounds tongue have lost their flowers but the Iris douglasiana, Calochortus, Sisirinchium, and some plants in Lamiaciace are all still flowering. Bee's are loving the Rose Clover and all the grasses such as Avena and Bromus are going to seed.

Journal entry 1
I will be doing my NABS project on a 10 acre piece of property in North East Santa Rosa. The landscape is dominated by fairly open rolling hills with oak trees and also dense areas with mostly Douglass Fir. There are also some Redwoods in the landscape. A seasonal creek flows through the property which has been rushing most of this winter.

Journal entry 2
March 17
Wild flowers are starting to come up around the property. I spotted Ranunculus (Golden Buttercup), Checker Lilly, and Hounds Tongue. The Quercus kelloggii are staring to leaf out. Some of the grass is above my knee everything is very light green. The seasonal creek is still flowing but not as it was three weeks ago, although it is still more than a trickle. The Arctostaphylus are blooming out as well as the Arbutus and the Ceanothus. Toxicodendron diversalobum is also beginning to leave out and looking exceptionally oily. The Baccaris Pilularis has lots of new growth and some of it seems to be just staring to flower.

The rains continue to fall and a soft fog blankets the hillsides. The Douglass Firs are all spotted with new growth that shine in the distance like small florescent lights. The Black oaks are fully leafed out and have a new glossy finish. Even when the suns been shining for a few days the soft sound of the creek reminds me that the wet season is still upon us. Forbes flower across the hillsides- Themidaceae, Ranunculus, checker lillys, and the newest and most striking, Irises. Bright green leaves stand out through the fog and an atmosphere of new life and fertility permeates the landscape.