CALIFORNIA FLORISTIC PROVINCE

CALIFORNIA BIODIVERSITY GALLERY

DSC_1113	_DSC3804	Laguna Creek	Chaparral whipsnake One of the region's endemic snakes, a beautiful denizen of the chaparral
Western Bluebird Male bluebird pausing to take food back to its nest	Hypogymia lichen in redwoods	_DSC8035 Samuel Taylor turkey fan	Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge One of the most prolific waterfowl areas along the Pacific Flyway
DSC_3020 5.2 diff 3	Ten-Lined Sphinx Moth Hyles Lineata, a widespread moth shown clinging to a blue sage (Salvia clevelandii)	Sierra Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog Rana sierrae, an endangered frog once abundant in the northern Sierra Nevada. Efforts to recover it have become world famous.	Fall Leaves Big-leaf maple, poison oak, and California blackberry near Samuel Taylor State Park
Roosevelt Elk A bugling Roosevelt elk ruts near Prairie Creek	Bakersfield legless lizard Anniella grinelli recently-described lizard, currently only known from two locations: around Bakersfield and the Carrizo Plain.	Northern Red-Legged Frog Rana aurora, a common large frog of the Pacific Northwest	Mt. Diablo Wildflowers Chinese Houses (Collinsia multicolor) and caterpillar phacelia (Phacelia cicutaria)
Oak titmouse A common songbird, found exclusively in the region and a tiny portion of southern Baja	California quail The state bird of California, a hallmark species of the region	Arboreal Salamander One of California' rarely-noticed treasures. This incredible species is capable of climbing, and has a prehensile tail. This photograph is staged to demonstrate its ability. The animal is not known to regularly hang by its tail.	Yosemite Toad Yosemite toad (Anaxyrus canorus), a bizarre species found only in the Sierra Nevada. It migrates across snow to breeding pools in mountain meadows.
Southern California Legless Lizard Annuella stebbinsi, one of 4 recently described species of legless lizard endemic to California. A total of 6 species are currently recognized.	Mt. Diablo globe lily One of several species found exclusively on Mt. Diablo and its foothills	San Francisco Dusky-Footed Woodrat Woodrats gather sticks to make a midden, or nest. Middens inadvertently provide a home to other rodents, salamanders, and lizards.	Alameda whipsnake A threatened snake found in the East Bay
Bitterroot Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva), a succulent. The original specimen collected by Lewis survived a year in a plant press, and was planted at the National Academy of Sciences.	Cobweb thistle Cirsium occidentale at Mt. Diablo	_DSC9954 2	Tule Perch Hysterocarpus traskii, a unique genus, is the only inland member of the surfperch family. It lives in only Central California.
Tule Perch An unbarred color morph of the tule perch	Tule Perch A colorful morph of the tule perch	_DSC7368	_DSC8199
Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse One of the most enigmatic endangered species, the salt marsh harvest mouse occurs exclusively in salt marshes around San Francisco and San Pablo Bays.	_DSC0055	Common Sharp-Tailed Snake Contia tenuis, a slug-eating snake. Two species of Contia exist, both mostly restricted to our area.	Chaparral blazing star Mentzelia micrantha, found in profusion after chaparral burns
_DSC3902 2	Arboreal salamander The East Bay Arboreal salamander (Aneides lugubris ssp. nov.), a large salamander with heavy jaws for eating beetles.	California broom rape Orobanche californica ssp. grandis, a chaparral species found in sandy soils of Coastal CA.	Sierran Creek A waterfall spills into Silver Creek
Aspens and Sierra Juniper Near Silver Creek	Wilson's Warbler A common and widespread bird which breeds in North America and winters in Central America	California fawn lily with leaves	American bittern
Monarch butterflies The California overwintering population of monarch butterflies famously gathers en masse on trees along the coast	Wrentit One of the region's most unique species, its closest relatives are the penduline tits of Asia.	Bleeding heart California bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa formosa), in the Sierra foothills	Samuel Taylor State Park
Sacramento Splittail Although depauperate in freshwater fish diversity, California contains a surprising number of unique genera. The splittail is a peculiar endemic which breeds in shallow floodplains.	_DSC8400	Carrizo Plain Blooming recurved larkspur, tidy-tips, and owls clover	Fall in Marin Co. Big Leaf maple provides the majority of the fall color in coastal California
Polypody growing on California Bay	Temblor Legless Lizard One of the rare, newly described, legless lizards. This species is currently known only in a portion of the Temblor Ranges.	Forest Floor Bigleaf maple, evergreen huckleberry, and sword fern	Bay Laurel Mossy bay laurel (Umbellularia californica) in Butano State Park
Bakersfield legless lizard Another example of the rare Anniella grinnellii	Santa Lucia Mountains Looking westard towards Cuyucos from Green Valley Road	Northern Western Pond Turtle Actinemys marmorata, one of the only turtles native to our area	Tule elk Tule elk (Cervus elaphus nannodes), once at the brink of extinction, thrive at Pt. Reyes. Here a rutting male follows a female.
Yellow-eyed ensatina The ensatina represents a textbook example of a ring species in California	Moss The understory below a rare Shreve Oak	Erythronium sp. From an unidentified population of Erythronium growing in El Dorado Co.	_DSC7092
American avocets	_DSC7776	Pacific sideband Monadenia fidelis, a colorful snail of the Pacific Northwest	Chinese mantis A non-native species of mantid
Sierra Nevada Ensatina Another link in the Ensatina ring species	California Drought March 2012 in the iconic Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve. March is typically the peak of the blooming.	Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Millions of snow geese migrate through the Sacramento Valley in November	Tule Elk Rut
Overwintering Monarchs	Sierra Nevada Ensatina	Dana Meadows	California Condor Perhaps California's most notable flagship species
DSC_3035 fake 2	Tule Elk Tomales Peninsula	Black-necked stilt	Lange's Metalmark Butterfly_Why I love endemism #19_ The entire world population of the Lange's met An extremely rare butterfly, found only in the remnants of the Antioch Dunes
_DSC9268	_DSC3813-2	thamnophis gigas	San Simeon Slender Salamander One of the rare and restricted slender salamanders of California, this species is known only from southern Big Sur
Bishop Creek

CALIFORNIA FLORISTIC PROVINCE

CALIFORNIA BIODIVERSITY GALLERY

DSC_1113

_DSC3804

Laguna Creek

Chaparral whipsnake

One of the region's endemic snakes, a beautiful denizen of the chaparral

Western Bluebird

Male bluebird pausing to take food back to its nest

Hypogymia lichen in redwoods

_DSC8035 Samuel Taylor turkey fan

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

One of the most prolific waterfowl areas along the Pacific Flyway

DSC_3020 5.2 diff 3

Ten-Lined Sphinx Moth

Hyles Lineata, a widespread moth shown clinging to a blue sage (Salvia clevelandii)

Sierra Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog

Rana sierrae, an endangered frog once abundant in the northern Sierra Nevada. Efforts to recover it have become world famous.

Fall Leaves

Big-leaf maple, poison oak, and California blackberry near Samuel Taylor State Park

Roosevelt Elk

A bugling Roosevelt elk ruts near Prairie Creek

Bakersfield legless lizard

Anniella grinelli recently-described lizard, currently only known from two locations: around Bakersfield and the Carrizo Plain.

Northern Red-Legged Frog

Rana aurora, a common large frog of the Pacific Northwest

Mt. Diablo Wildflowers

Chinese Houses (Collinsia multicolor) and caterpillar phacelia (Phacelia cicutaria)

Oak titmouse

A common songbird, found exclusively in the region and a tiny portion of southern Baja

California quail

The state bird of California, a hallmark species of the region

Arboreal Salamander

One of California' rarely-noticed treasures. This incredible species is capable of climbing, and has a prehensile tail. This photograph is staged to demonstrate its ability. The animal is not known to regularly hang by its tail.

Yosemite Toad

Yosemite toad (Anaxyrus canorus), a bizarre species found only in the Sierra Nevada. It migrates across snow to breeding pools in mountain meadows.

Southern California Legless Lizard

Annuella stebbinsi, one of 4 recently described species of legless lizard endemic to California. A total of 6 species are currently recognized.

Mt. Diablo globe lily

One of several species found exclusively on Mt. Diablo and its foothills

San Francisco Dusky-Footed Woodrat

Woodrats gather sticks to make a midden, or nest. Middens inadvertently provide a home to other rodents, salamanders, and lizards.

Alameda whipsnake

A threatened snake found in the East Bay

Bitterroot

Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva), a succulent. The original specimen collected by Lewis survived a year in a plant press, and was planted at the National Academy of Sciences.

Cobweb thistle

Cirsium occidentale at Mt. Diablo

_DSC9954 2

Tule Perch

Hysterocarpus traskii, a unique genus, is the only inland member of the surfperch family. It lives in only Central California.

Tule Perch

An unbarred color morph of the tule perch

Tule Perch

A colorful morph of the tule perch

_DSC7368

_DSC8199

Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse

One of the most enigmatic endangered species, the salt marsh harvest mouse occurs exclusively in salt marshes around San Francisco and San Pablo Bays.

_DSC0055

Common Sharp-Tailed Snake

Contia tenuis, a slug-eating snake. Two species of Contia exist, both mostly restricted to our area.

Chaparral blazing star

Mentzelia micrantha, found in profusion after chaparral burns

_DSC3902 2

Arboreal salamander

The East Bay Arboreal salamander (Aneides lugubris ssp. nov.), a large salamander with heavy jaws for eating beetles.

California broom rape

Orobanche californica ssp. grandis, a chaparral species found in sandy soils of Coastal CA.

Sierran Creek

A waterfall spills into Silver Creek

Aspens and Sierra Juniper

Near Silver Creek

Wilson's Warbler

A common and widespread bird which breeds in North America and winters in Central America

California fawn lily with leaves

American bittern

Monarch butterflies

The California overwintering population of monarch butterflies famously gathers en masse on trees along the coast

Wrentit