Archive for Almaden Valley
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.
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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Jeff Powers
Paul Ringgold
Meghan Scanlon
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