Hiking Edgewood:Western Bluebird Succeeds

 Before the 1940's, Western Bluebirds were a common sight in places like Edgewood .

After WWII, large-scale building development seriously impacted the ability of these avians to reproduce. Back in the 1960's and 1970's, it was rare to spot a bluebird around here.

 In the 1970's people across the western United States, began efforts to bring bluebirds back. Edgewood is one of a number of places where nesting boxes help this effort. There are currently twenty three nesting boxes for Western Bluebirds in the area of Edgewood Preserve. Bluebirds nests are monitored by Friends of Edgewood volunteers in conjunction with the Sequoia Audobon Society. In 2013, 77 baby bluebirds were born in nests their parents built in park bluebird boxes. 

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 Wikipedia: Western Bluebird - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Bluebird 

       

      

Edgewood Rocks! (Geology)

Geology is key to the diversity of habitats and the success of Edgewood as a nature preserve. Because of the specialized geologic makeup of this 467 acre site, rarely seen native California wildflowers and other plants have maintained a toehold.

Because of Edgewood geology, animals dependent on plants that grow in this specialized area find a home.

Because of Edgewood geology's contributions to rare and endangered plant and animal communities, local citizens preserved this area as a natural space for future use by plants and all animals (including humans)


Key Components of Edgewood Geology

1. Tectonic Plate* Boundary
   
   • The North American Plate
   Edgewood lies along the western edge of this formidable slab of rock, that floats over the Earth's mantle in much of North America.
   • The Pacific Plate
   This plate is the largest of the tectonic plates. Though it's not beneath Edgewood, it does provide a foundation for the Santa Cruz Mountains, which can be viewed from the western side of the park.
   • The San Andreas Fault
   This fault marks the border between the North American and Pacific plates. Evidence of this junction can be seen in the valley covered by the Crystal Springs Reservoir, beyond the 280 freeway on the western side of Edgewood preserve. Many earthquakes in the area are due to movement of these two great plates along this boundary.
2. Rock Types
All the rocks at Edgewood started out on the ocean-floor. They arrived in the preserve via subduction**, the movement of one tectonic plate beneath another, and were later recycled as continental crust. Much of the rock within the park is part of the Franciscan Complex.
1. Serpentinite/Serpentine
A particularly significant rock in the Franciscan Complex when it comes to the success of Edgewood meadow and chaparral plants, and the survival of the Bay Area Checkerspot Butterfly. Serpentine rock, and the soils and plants it contributes to, are found on the Clarkia and Serpentine Loop Trails. Only 1% of CA rock is serpentine. It breaks down into soils that produce masses of flowers, and other plants adapted to it's unique composition.

2. Other Rocks in the Franciscan Complex
These rocks include greywacke, melange, and greenstone. They contribute to soils, and therefore plant and animal life, in the central ridge (Ridgeview Trails) area and upper oak woodlands of the popular Sylvan Trail.

3. Whiskey Hill Formation
This sandstone occurs in the woodland area of Old Stage picnic grounds. It extends into areas beyond the preserve, notably in Pulgas Ridge Open Space (Dogs not allowed at Edgewood are permitted at Pulgas Ridge!). Handley Rock , a popular local rock-climbing site and an intriguing view from Edgewood, is composed of Whiskey Hill 

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Web Resources

*What is a tectonic plate?
**Subduction
Geologic Timeline of Western North America
The North American (Tectonic) Plate The Pacific (Tectonic) Plate
Friends Of Edgewood: This site is an excellent source for everything from docent hike schedules to Edgewood wildflower search (Use the Photos tab in the upper right hand corner, to figure out what kind of flower you saw).
Edgewood Quick Facts

Feels Lichen You Are Givin' Me the GOLD Eye (Hiking Edgewood)

Edgewood Gold Eye Lichen
( Teloschistes chrysophthalmus) 

Freddie Fungus and Alice Algae took a lichen to each other.

It was an old-style relationship.

Freddie provided the house.

Alice made all the food.

Hunh?

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Fungus can't photosynthesize, but they can make structures.

Algae are great at photosynthesizing, converting  solar energy and carbon dioxide into food. They need a place to hang out.

Lichen, like the Edgewood Gold Eye above, are a combination of fungus and algae. The fungus provides a place for the algae to live, and the algae makes nourishment for both of them. 

It's symbiosis at it's best.

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Web Resources

Really good Explanation of Lichens and discussion of the impact of pollution and toxins on them  

http://www.durangonaturestudies.org/articles/111005.htm

Hiking Edgewood: A Mule Deer Strolls Past

Click on the illustration above to enjoy more details

Though a common sight,

My heart stands still, when mule deer

Stroll across my path.

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Web Resources

Edgewood: http://www.friendsofedgewood.org

Black Tail, Mule Deer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-tailed_deer 

Crow Talk (haiku)

Crows are regular, though temporary ,neighbors in my hood

Birds chatting on high,

Discuss other times and places.

Corvus - Stinking smart.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crow