8/14/2019 Waucoba News Vol. 7 Spring 1983

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'Waucoba Wews Vol. VIISpring 19834 issues per year

Waucoba News is dedicated to report ing the natural history andresearch on the eastern slope of the Sierra .

Wind clouds over Owens Valley.Photo: Zeiss Contif lex, by Enid Larson, Feb. 1983

JUNIPER VS CEDARToo often in California the juniper is mistakenly cal led "cedar" . Cedar Flat on

Westgard Pass is an example. In botanical terms, there are only 3 species of cedar inthe world: one, the Deodar Cedar, Cedrus deodara, is a native of India and is often seenas an ornamental planted t ree in Owens Valley; one in Africa, Cedrus a t l ant i cus , withbluish s i lvery foliage (see east side of Courthouse in Independence); and the cedars ofLebanon, so often mentioned in the Bible. These t rees are being cut an d the fores tsthere are now depleted of this cedar.In California there are 3 species of juniper: the California Juniper in the KernValley (also in the Great Basin), the Utah Juniper in the Great Basin, and the massiveSierra Juniper mostly occurring on the west side of the Sierra , an d reaching large size;also reported from the Inyo Mountains.Junipers are a long-l iving t ree . They produce modified cones tha t resemble b1uishpurple "berr ies" with seeds incased in a hard woody seed cover. This t ree withstandsdr ier condit ions than most other cone-bearers. A specimen near Fresno i s l i s ted as "older"than the Brist lecone Pines in the White Mountains. The Utah Juniper is associated withthe pinyon pines but i t s members extend to lower l imits than can the pinyon.

True cedars produce cones tha t stand upright on the branches. The male (staminate)cones make the Deodar Cedar look l ike candles on a Christmas t ree . The seed bearing conehas scales tha t usual ly f a l l to pieces while s t i l l at tached to the limb, hence maturecedar cones are seldom noticed.The Incense Cedar in the Western United States is cut as a timber t ree . I t growsat mid-elevat ions on both east and west sides of the Sierra but this i s not a t rue cedarinspi te of i t s name. Often planted as an ornamental. In Idaho, along the Lolo Tra i l ,I saw harvested Incense Cedars tha t were 11 feet in diameter.

Enid A. Larson

8/14/2019 Waucoba News Vol. 7 Spring 1983

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SECOND ANNUAL LONE PINECHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

Lone Pine Christmas Bird Count Dec. 18 , 1982(7:30am-4:30pm). Clear skies , 26oF-53 0 F, nowind. Coverage 3700'-8500'. 59 party hours- 52 on foot, 97 by car. 128 party miles 31 on foot, 97 by car . 58 species seen,1189 individual birds.Throw 22 birders into a 15 mile circle nearLone Pine for an a l l day census and whatdo you get? Lots of fun, 58 species and1189 individual birds! Beginners and experienced birders worked a l l availablehabitat . Skiers and hikers covered pinyon/sage from 7000 up to 8500 feet .Others covered streams,ponds, r iver bottoms, residence areas and sewage lagoonsdown to 3700 feet .Clear, cool weather made for maximum comfortfor people, but was too good for water

fowl apparently. Going from 9 species ofduck l as t year to zero this year was ourbiggest disappointment. However to ta lspecies counted exceeded last years (57)by one.Eagles to house sparrows, a l l were l is tedto provide good winter base l ine populat ion data. Most bird census work isdone during spring, summer and fa l l soAudubon Christmas counts provide much ofthe winter population data for a l l N.Amer.I t ' s fasinat ing to think of the tremendousnumbers of birds that leave ou r area afte r spring and summer food surpluses aregone. Not able to feed on insects, necta r and ample seeds means entire families of birds simply disappear from OwensValley. (No swallows, hummers, orioles,vireos, nighthawks, swifts, warblers downto one species: Yellow-rumped, and f lycatchers down to one species:Says phoebe).Which stay'? How do they survive? In genera l omnivorous, extremely well-roundedsurvivors who will even change theirdiet and habits remain year round. Seedeaters (sparrows, juncos, bushti ts , s t a r l ings, black birds) are well representedand are flexible feeders. An aquaticversat i le feeder is the omnipresent coot!So our winter bird species are e q u a l ~ admirable, not for the i r beaut i ful colorsor distant migration routes, but forthe i r unsurpassed survivor sk i l l s . Andgetting together for an a l l day censuswith fr iends that are looking in par t ic ular for winter birds is a birding highpoint for a l l of us.

- - __ Mike _Prater, Lone Pine

The SCARLET LOCO (Astragalus coccineus)was in bloom along Westgard Road,6500 feet , by March 15 , 1983.

George Anderson, Santa Barbara, Ca.,reports th is LOCO in . bloom along theWhitney Portal Road the second weekApril , 1983.

- - Enid A. Larson

WEATHER IS INTERESTINGMrs. Dorothy Johnson, Crocker Ave., BigPine, has kept a weather record of pre

cipita t ion and daily temperatures at herhome for more than 20 years. "Average"precipi ta t ion is never meaningful unlessthe fu l l range of highs and lows aregiven. She summerized these recordsfrom 1961 - 1982:1 year less than 3 inches2 years 3 - 4 inches3 years 4 - 5 inches5 years 5 - 6 inches1 year 6 - 7 inches1 year 7 - 8 inches1 year 8 - 9 inches7 years 10 or more inches

Seasonal precipi ta t ion for 1982 - 83 givespromise of exceeding 13 inches as I prepare this report in April , 1983.

't't't't't't't't't't'tUFOXTAIL PINE(Pinus Balforiana)

A remarkable ar t ic le by Jacob Sigg on "Foxt a i l Pine of the Sierra" is offered asthe lead ar t ic le in Fremontia (JournalCalifornia Native Plant Society)Apr.1983.

This pine is unusual in i t s growth and habi t a t requirements. Photos by LeonardBavins accompany the tex t , showing theset rees growing ,at elevations of 11,000feet . The northern most l imit of thispine on the eastern side of th e Sierraappears to be Birch Mountain west ofBig Pine.J . Sigg is in charge of the Native PlantGarden, Strybing Arboretum, Golden GatePark, San Francisco. Fremontia is available at the Inyo Co. Library, Bishop.

't't'tU't't't't't'tUMIGRATION OF BUTTERFLIES1983

Derham Giuliani reports that this springTHE PAINTED LAVY BUTTERFLIES are migratin g in large numbers for the f i r s t timesince 1973. He saw many in f l igh t ; theywere moving in a northwest direction nearthe south end of Death Valley and as farnorth as Ridgecrest. In late March hesaw small numbers of this species flyingin the Whipple Mts. This butterf ly doesno t overwinter in Owens Valley, but comesup from the south. In t ravel ing they flyin relat ively s t ra ight l ines withoutpaUSing on flowers. Individua1:s- have-been seen in Big Pine since early April .These large migrations are spectacular andmost in teres t ing to observe. To makeaccurate counts: set up a l ine of knownlength perpendicular to the l ine off l igh t , use a stopwatch or second hand,and a compass for measuring direction oft ravel . HOW MANY CROSS THE LINE IN AGIVEN LENGTH OF TIME? HOW MANY PER HOUR?

MONARCH BUTTERFLIES are also in migrationin southern Inyo County. They winterin Mexico, then come north.U't't't't't't't't't't't