Archive for May, 2010
Spotted at Rancho San Vicente: Bay Checkerspot Butterfly
By Gordon Clark, Conservation Project Manager
To quote expert Stu Weiss, “Any day you see a Bay checkerspot butterfly is a pretty fine day.” Stu Weiss is a serpentine grassland scientist with Creekside Center for Earth Observation, and he, along with his colleague Christal Niederer, Ben Solvesky and Mike Thomas of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Chris Wilmers, a mountain lion expert at UC-Santa Cruz, Jon Christensen of the Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford and fellow POSTies Marc Landgraf and Sky Bintliff had the great fortune of spotting a Bay Checkerspot male, freshly emerged. Here are some photos from their butterfly safari:
Bay Checkerspot Butterfly (c) Stu Weiss
The group at the summit (c) POST
Have you had the good fortune to spot endangered or threatened critters? If so, tell us about it! You can read more about the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly here.
“Hike for Health”: Sunnyvale-Cupertino Adult and Community Education
By Ann Duwe, Communications Associate
On a bright April morning, 38 members of the Sunnyvale-Cupertino Adult and Community Education “Hike for Health” class met at Rancho San Vicente, south of downtown San Jose. Grasses stirred in bright green waves, wildflowers too numerous to count were popping from every crevice, while cows grazed lazily in the distance. We hiked to the highest point on the property, a rocky outcrop 1,058 feet above sea level. It was a “Eureka moment.” Captain Fremont could not have found a better vantage point for panoramic views of the Bay Area.
Poppies at Rancho San Vicente (c) Dan Quinn
Looking south we saw the placid waters of Calero Reservoir dotted with fishing boats. On the way up we had crossed the canal that carries storm water from Almaden Reservoir to Calero, and on this lovely morning, flow was brisk from spring rains. The peaks of the Diablo Range, including Mount Hamilton, were visible to the east. Rows of dark hills marched West toward Mount Loma Prieta and the expanse of the Santa Cruz Range, while Mount Umunhum marked another high-point. Looking north we could see San Jose, hear the hum of urban life at our feet and pick out the tallest buildings between ourselves and the San Mateo Bridge.
Grey-green serpentine formations were visible along our route. Because these rocks are low in nitrogen, only specialized native pants grow there. We found purple needle grass, blue dicks, owl’s cover and miniature varieties of California poppy. There were many, many Santa Clara Valley dudleya, almost camouflaged against the serpentine rocks. We also found lots of dwarf plantain, the most important food of the endangered Bay checkerspot butterfly. There were lots of bees and other winged things buzzing but no Bay checkerspots just then.
Wilma Wool leads the “Hike for Health” class on weekly hikes of five to eight miles in parkland not more than an hour’s drive from Sunnyvale. Assisting her with the class is Jed Cyr, the elected representative for Sunnyvale on the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. For the trip to Rancho San Vicente, the class was guided by POST staff members Gordon Clark and, yours truly, Ann Duwe. Gordon gave a brief history of the property, and I helped identify wildflowers.
Wilma Wool (c) Ann Duwe
POST purchased historic Rancho San Vicente in June 2009, to protect it from development and add it to 32,000 acres of open space and recreation land in south county. POST transferred the 966-acre property to Santa Clara County Parks as an addition to Calero County Park in November last year. The county is engaged in planning facilities to be available when the property opens to the public.
Sunday Hike: Almaden Valley Kiwanis at Rancho San Vicente
By Daphne Muehle, Senior Major Gifts Officer
Recently I met up with Martha Kelley and the Almaden Valley Kiwanis on POST-protected Rancho San Vicente. It was such a beautiful day—warm with a cool, light breeze.
After introductions and a preview of the day’s hike, we set off for the high-point on RSV. Along the way, we saw over a dozen varieties of wildflowers in full spring bloom, including: California poppy, morning glory, owl’s clover, blue dicks and cream cup. The colors were fantastic—bright oranges, hearty blues and brilliant yellows—all mixed together on a background of greens from the native grasses (although the grasses had that hint of gold, letting us all know that summer colors and heat were not far away).
Blue Dicks (c) Bill Buckley
Everyone from the Kiwanis group and their family and friends were gracious and interested in the natural surroundings. With the help of Todd and Cindy, and Bill and Gail, we spotted yellow and brown spiders, a four-foot gopher snake, and holes in the ground where we imagined many of these creatures lived. I’m just glad more of them didn’t make an appearance! I would rather look up and see the birds to tell you the truth, and we did see five American white pelicans flying in formation!
Todd and Cindy (c) Bill Buckley
Every time I asked our group to listen to nature, we were interrupted by the sounds of man. First it was an ambulance siren in the Valley, then a helicopter flying overhead. These sounds emphasized how close we were to urban development. RSV is on the edge of the city, and now that it’s protected it will offer recreational opportunities close to home. Luckily, we were met with pure silence when we reached the top of the hill, about a mile and a half from where we started. Plus we saw the breathtaking views of Calero reservoir from the top. Nothing beats this view in my opinion.
As we hiked down from the hill, we looked toward Almaden Valley and were reminded what a treat it is to have this open space. I hope these folks I met and others in Almaden Valley will become POST donors (and you too, if you haven’t already) as it takes a community to save a world-class resource like Rancho San Vicente.
View of Almaden Valley (c) Bill Buckley
And if you’re interested in getting a group together and going on a hike, just send me an email: dmuehle at openspacetrust.org
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Meghan Scanlon
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