Almost sixty years ago my father made the wisest decision of his life. A California Highway Patrol officer, Dad had put in for a transfer from the bustling, noisome city of Pomona (where I was born) to the rustic, slow-moving, quiet and clean-aired small town of Quincy, in the heart of the northern Sierra Nevada mountains. I was but five years old at the time. On September 17, 1960, with U-Haul truck and family station wagon loaded to their roofs, we arrived. Although I can only imagine how different my life would have been had I grown up a city boy, it is safe to say growing up in the mountains certainly changed the course of my life.
This was my new playground. Sorry I couldn’t find a larger image to show. But compare the “y” split of the street in the lower center with its appearance today in the following photo.
My new (old) playground today. A little growth, but not really all that much.
The above images were both taken from the same location. Back in the 60’s it was a steep hike to get up there. Today there is an easy 0.8 mile interpretive trail. I’d like to share with you some photos of yesterday’s hike along the trail.
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on Follow.
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Blossoms on Greenleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula)
Wolf lichen (Letharia vulpina) growing on Ponderosa Pine trunk.
New growth Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) next to Black Oak (Quercus kelloggii).
Shield lichen (the grey, leafy-looking stuff in the center of the photo, genus Parmelia), and Map lichen (Rhizocarpon geographicum, the green, dotty-looking stuff to the lower right of the Shield lichen), along with unidentified moss.
Lichen are very important living organisms, though they scarcely seem alive. They are a symbiotic combination of algae and fungus. According to Wikipedia there are about 20,000 known species of lichen throughout the world. They are considered a pioneer organism, actually breaking rock down into the constituents of soil over hundreds and thousands of years. Without lichen our planet would not support the life it does today.
As I have shared before, the naming of the Q Trail comes from this, the big letter Q up on the hill above town:
At one time the Q was made of native quartz. On the way up the trail I came across this remnant:
About the size of a large watermelon. The old white paint is still hanging on. Many of the original quartz rocks that made up the Q were as big as wheelbarrows.
This is what you see when you make it up to the Q today:
And what you hate to see:
C’mon, people. Really? Too heavy to carry back down? (I guess I’ll have to do it for you.)
There were a lot of birds about, but as is often the case they were photo-shy. I did get lucky just as I reached the end of the trail coming back down.
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
I count myself very fortunate to be able to live here. Throughout my life I have resided in many places; the worst I consider to be the twenty-five years spent living near Fresno in the San Joaquin Valley. But as the saying goes, you can take the man out of the mountains but you can never take the mountain out of the man. Of course, that goes for women too. It is splendid to be a mountain man back in the mountains.
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Now It's Your Turn
What have you noted happening in your area or travels? As usual post your observations as well as their general location in the comments.
Thank you.