Biodiversity of Trione-Annadel State Park's Journal

The annual grasses have suddenly gone from "the golden rolling hills of California" (Kate Wolf) to a kind of burnt reddish hue. Things are really dry, but WAIT! There really are still wildflowers to be found! On a short hike up North Burma over to Lake Ilsanjo on Tuesday I found Spanish Clover with delicate tiny pink blossoms, pennyroyal still blooming in profusion along the lakeshore, Fitch's Spikeweed (taking on the look of something sinister like yellow-star thistle but more friendly). And it's now the season of GALLS!! I wasn't looking really hard for them yet, saving myself for the California Biodiversity Week bio blitzes, but one just one Valley Oak I found 5 species of galls all within my 5'1" reach.

I tend to find the most diversity of galls on Oregon Oak and Valley Oak trees. It seems to me that I more often find galls on the west exposure leaves of the oaks. Maybe I am just making this up? Certainly there must be influences for a gall wasp in wind direction, light/sun exposure for the galls and hatching young, even the direction or availability of the breeze to the newly hatched young for proper dispersal. Am I over-thinking this? Nature always has an intricate plan.

Look for galls usually on the underside of leaves -- so get up close and personal with the tree. Don't worry: if you are new to looking at galls, the gall wasps are tiny no-see-ums and don't bite or sting, but leave wonderfully creative and colorful "nurseries" growing on the leaves in which their eggs can grow. Get ready to be WOW'd.

If you are really into observing, documenting and learning more about galls, check out the gall iNat projects: Galls of California and Galls of North America. A great field guide (though a tad heavy to actually carry in the field) is Ronald A. Russo's "Plant Galls of the Western United States" (2021: Princeton University Press). He incorporates very clear beautiful full-color photos and great descriptions in sections according to gall types, as well as a section titled "The Gall-Inducers" describing the species who create the galls.

Greetings Annadel Addicts!
Thank you for adding your observations in Annadel!
Just a reminder that you can add observations while experiencing the park in whatever way you do -- by foot, bike, horse, in a watercraft on the lake, while doing volunteer trail work, how-ever you go (within the legal use limits). Remember drones are never allowed in the park.

It's really useful to add NOTES to your observations. For example, if you safely observe a rattlesnake, guess how long it is, what you guess the diameter is, see if you can determine how many rattles (from your photo), and note what trail it was on and what it was doing (what direction of travel -- do you think it was headed towards a water source?), did it appear to be freshly molted? You can add notes later after you have downloaded your photo. Remember if you observe a critter on a plant or flower, you can add an observation by copying it to include a specific entry for the host plant (like a bumblebee on a flower can result in two observations -- one each for the bee and the flower). Include notes on the behavior of birds or mammals you see -- were the ravens watching picnickers, waiting for dropped morsels? Were the coyotes playing or sitting and scratching, maybe hunting or vocalizing? Was the lizard doing push-ups? I once observed a bobcat being chased by wild turkeys!

As we experience the park in the dry dry dry summer and fall, remember to observe plants that are fruiting, nutting or going to seed. Then, too, some are blooming this time of year too!! Do you observe anything different this year compared to previous years you remember? Are there more, less, differences? Note that too.

There is a separate project for the burn areas (like for the Nun's Fire and Glass Fire) in Annadel too. You can search for those under "Projects."

It's always great to observe the same species in different areas of the park. So don't feel constricted if say you have already observed Coast Redwood on Richardson Trail, you can also photograph and observe them on Spring Creek, Marsh, Schultz, Lawndale ....

Have fun with your observations! Feel free to message me if you have any questions.
Happy Trails!
Sarah the Admin

Welcome to my project! I hope you enjoy Annadel as much as I do. I call it my "default" park. With the plethora of parklands available to us in Sonoma County, I often default to hike in Annadel. In all seasons. In all weather (except high wind events). On any trail.

I love the rich diversity that is this park. The living things, the geology and geography, the history ... makes it more deeply ingrained in my soul. Despite spending thousands of hours and miles here, I learn new things constantly.

When I was an active volunteer then employee here, then Supervising Ranger Neill Fogarty often teased that I know every rock and leaf in the park. I can't say that I do, but I have an intimate familiarity and memory of events and seasons here. I have thousands and thousands of photos to document my experiences -- many are in this project but equally many are not the thing for iNat -- photos of me and my horse and my riding friends and volunteer trail crews.

The very scent of Annadel is specific to me. It is a blend of the geology and the forest -- bay, redwood, fir -- and the soil. It is different from the other areas of Sonoma Mountains, of which Annadel is a part. Jack London has a different scent. Taylor Mountain has a different scent.

Annadel is situated on the northwestern shoulder of the expanse of Sonoma Mountains. The range launches itself out of the San Francisco Bay at Sear's Point, beginning as Cougar Mountain. She flows northward through Tolay Lake Regional Park, and up-up-up into the reaches of what we commonly refer to as Sonoma Mountain. Taylor Mountain, Bennett Peak and Annadel State Park are all part of this range. Where the Summit is, the mountain actually splits into the North Slope and East Slope. The East Slope provides views down into the southern portions of Sonoma Valley and across to the Mt Veeder skyline. From the North Slope are views north to Snow Mountain, Cow Mountain, Geyser Peak, Mt St Helena; northwest to the serpentine cliffs of Lake Sonoma; west to our tallest peak Pole Mountain with perhaps a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean through the gaps in the coastal hills; down over the Santa Rosa Plain.

Annadel provides a vital place for critters, a portion of an important wildlife corridor stretching from Point Reyes to Lake County. Here is where multiple mountain lions exist, fluidly moving in and out of Annadel throughout the seasons as they hunt, dine, socialize, find mates, and have kittens. Even having spent as many hours in this park as I have, observing animal tracks and scat, I have only ever seen one good pug mark (footprint) and a few fresh scat of mountain lion. I have yet to observe a lion myself, though while riding my Mustang I have observed his "mountain lion alert" to fresh scent of one (perhaps having crossed this trail last night). I have twice met cyclists -- eyes wide and excited -- having just seen a lion mid-day in busy areas of the park -- one was laying in the shade flicking flies, the other was sauntering along Canyon Trail. A trailrunner I knew saw one just sitting along Spring Creek Trail one morning, watching the world go by.

I love this park. I love sharing my passion of this place. I enjoy taking photos and making observations. It has been interesting to watch the progression of species over the 4 decades I have frequented the park, and especially following the wildfires here. I have seen the changes wrought by trail realignment in 1998, of the establishment of over 100 miles of social/illegal/desire trails especially since about 2006. I have observed the changes of visitation as more and more people "find" Annadel. Indeed, she has become a destination park for visitors from all over the world. As late as December 2020, I was completing the monthly Attendance Record for the park as a Park Aide. I observed upwards of 10,000 visitors per month -- some of my calculations were based on personal observation of 25 different access points into the park, including the 3 "shifts" of cars parked at the Cobblestone Trailhead most days (early morning, mid-day, late afternoon/evenings).

This park is seriously loved by our community. All types of users. It is beloved. I never tire of visiting, observing, experiencing, enjoying.

Check back for more journal posts. I plan to provide some factual history for anyone interested. To help you have a more intense sense of place. If you would like to help steward the park, pick up any litter you see, smile and greet others you meet, consider getting on the contact list of Redwood Trails Alliance for upcoming volunteer work days -- anyone can lend a hand no matter what your ability level or experience.

Ask me anything.