August 16, 1924

DEPARTMENT OF THE INT A I OR. NATIONAL PARK 'aERV:. SS:; YOSEivITE NATIONAL PARK

TDll7I'16~Ia. August 16, 1924 Number 16 Yosemite Nature Guide Service C. P. Russell, Park Naturalist This is one of a series of bulletins issued from time to time for the information of those interested in the natural history and scientific features of the park and the educational opportunities the park affords for the study of these subjects. Utilization of these bulletins by those receiving them to the end that the information contained therein might be as extensively distributed as possible will be appreciated. I V. B. Lewis, Superintendent

NATURE STUDY PARTY CLIMBS MT. DANA

Leaving Happy Isles at six thirty on the morning. of August fourth, a party of twelve hikers led by a nature-guide walked twenty-five miles and climbed six thousand feet on their way to Boothe Lake Hikers' Camp, where they spent the first night. The following morning. they explored the chain of beautiful lakes that lie along a bench some two hundred feet above the hikers' camp, In the afterno they followed down the Ireland Creek Trail to the Tuolumne Meadows where the second night was spent. By this time some of the hikers thought that they had earned a rest; however, a party of eight on the following morning got an early start from the Tuolumne Hikers' Camp and climbed Mt. Dana, the second highest peak in the park. The first five miles were along the dusty stage road. The party turned off at the Mono Pass Trail. A quarter of a mile through the Taman Forest bseught them to a little stream, following which they soon found themsel on the saddle between Mount Dana and Mount Gibbs. From the to? of the saddle a thousand-foot climb brought the party to the summit of Dana. Here a delightful hour was spent enjoying one of the most glorious outlooks to be had in the national park.

it was all down hi. ?.l going home, and the party arrived in the Meadows pleased with the knowledge that they had been the first nature guided party to reach the elevation of 13,050 feet.

MAT I` "BULL PINE?

The nature guides are o fen asked the question, "What is Bull Pine?" "Bull Pine" is a term ap plied in various 1. ta7.^ ::? es by woodshon and lumbermen to rather wide y different trees. Immature 7estern Yollca r Dy nes !,Dims Poros3) An which the be rk has not yet assueed the alligator.-skin-•like c heeacter of thet of tee mature trees is usually called by this name In other localities the i6or =Ins Piiege sabiniana) is designated by the name of "Bill Flue", while In stir othee looalities the term is applied to the bishop Pine (pint ".s ur dsjal.. In o;X' oases the term is apparently applied to any pine lumber of inferior quality.

WESTERN KINGBIRD VISITS YOSEMITE

To the bird student August has one compensation. This month needs some bright spots, for this is the month when birds moult, Cor..sequently, bird horizons drop from the shirty mark to a':aund fifteen, for birds cease to sing and hide away in the fol,e,,e to such an extent that their r°•esence is difficult to establish, The compen;:z.ion in the month of august is to be found in the post nesting season migrants, ti;ragglers from the lower elevations that have completed their nesting and have spread out searching a be ter food enp•1y. The first bid of this charactee to be noted by the wriiter this year was a `,hstean K age i rd. seen August 6 in lower Sentinel Meadow. Its dark wings and tail and yellowish breast are attractive, a;^d this flycatcher is graceful on the wing. One ceases to admire, however._, when the noisy chattering call is given. To many this bird is known as the Bee Mann, for it sometimes feeds about beehives. As an insect catcher it has few egu.:a :.s, and its pugnacity die laved against birds even as large as a hawk is well known. A PLYCeTCIPaR WEEK The first week An August was "Flycatcher week" in the Yosemite Valley. Never were more kinds of flycatche s noted in a single week before. The dry season was perha :- responsible for this condition, as specie: tint habitually spend their time at lower elevations were present in the Va?.'e. And peculiarly one species that really belongs above the rim of the Valley was ale),resent. Besides these four species; there were the two common nesting species of the Valley and one species that is believed to nest here very sparingly. The following paragraphs give the status of the seven species noted: Western Kingbird (Tyrar._nns verticalis) Nests at lower elevations, a rare visitor to the Valley in early spring before the nesting season. Not previously noted during the month of August. Ash-throated flycatcher ~1~T~iarc _as cirerascens cineraseen) i. bird of lower elevations. The single bird that was twice noted during the month established a new record for the Valley.

Black Phoebe (Savornis niaricans) Nests at lower elevations but is usually to br found in the Valley before and after the nesting season. Olive-sided Flycatcher (Nuttallornis borealis) A common nesting bird above the rim of the Valley. For the past two years a single pair have nested on the floor of the Valley. Western ?;rood Pewee (Mviochanes richardsoni richardsoni) The most common flycatc-: er in the Valley during the nesting season. Traill Fl cateaer (Emeidonax t.raili trailli) common nesting bird on the floor of the Va :ley but not so numerous es the Wood :Pewee. Western Fi oatcher (bnpidonax difficilis Affic lis) A rare bird in the Yosemite, but it is.believed that one or two pair nest each year in the densely wooded secs ion above Mirror Lake.

THE FLORA OF YOSEMITE AND CAPE COD

It would seem that if one start with a fair knowledge of the plants in his backyard he would find either the same species or their counterparts the world over. Such at least is the experience of a nature guide venturing from the sand dunes of Cape Cod on Massachusetts Bay to the Sierras of the Yosemite national Park. The marked similarities have awakened so many pleasant surprises - so many trains of reminiscences along the trailside - the writer has been tempted to put'his ran= notes down as a permanent reminder. Our story must date back to the end of the glacial period, some 20,000 years ago, when both Yosemite and Cape Cod started wi th. a clean slate. The soil in both places is of granite origin - in Yosemite from the granite mountains of the Sierras and on Cape Cod from the granite coast of Cape Axon. The glacial streams sorted out and deposited some of the materials in lowlands but left large masses of unsorted gravel in hills, those pushed up at the end of the glacier being known as terminal moraines and those parallel to its course as lateral moraines. If the terminal moraine dammed a river course, lakes were formed in back of it. There were often ice masses left in the moraine material; as they melted they left kettle holes which now hold lakes. The shallower ice basins became sphagnum Ines without ' inlets to cove :' the plant growth with sand. The vegetation in both Yosemite and Cape Cod is mostly on this moraine material, the cliffs ani domes of Yosemite and the cliffs and dunes of C pe Cod being scarcely planted as yet. Me distribution of plants on the moraine de;;esits is determined by the moisture. Both regions have fine glacial meadow gardens. The dry sand areas of ancient lake bottoms and the recent talus slopes are populated by drought resistant plants. The polished domes and wind swept dunes scarcely hold moisture enough for pioneer plants. The comparison of plants in these similar areas merely scratches the surface of possibilities. These introductory notes may serve to remind others of how they have renewed plant acquaintances as they traveled from east to west or west to east. If the chain of evidences can some day be gathered into one story, it may make a fascinating chapter in plant annals.

ARCTO>3hd TiYLOS : Aretostaphylos Uva-v, si oe the Bearberry of Cape Cod ccwei's whole hilsJ es and indeed. serves as the lawn for man;' simmer homes. Tat was almost a thin :.. to meet what at first appeared to be the same ejeoies at a 1001 loot elevation o' the rim of the Yla omi to. hie now know that the Sierra form is A r otostaphylos i sead,ensis or the Dwarf Manzanita. Both plants form loose mats in den stu ry open 4; ::°ound. They are evergreens with zigzag branches and peeling red bee., Their are : :Lae-like blossoms come early in the season and mature into red acid be e-._ies, nheeh eee searje :iy edible to _ruse of their many large seeds. After s ending for. a Cap;: d, spec_inen, we were still impressed h f the of mi lari tie s rather than tbe d::.'`r-e : :,tels. The leaves of b o ll are thick, entire, and glabrous. The main _1dferenee :e leaves is the presenle of a ioinute tooth on the e,pea of the Mansanitc "-Aare '1t also broader in proportion to its length, being on the average abcu; one-eight ieen longer than i.t-. At:i,antio cousin. The Manzanita berry is abou t )me-eighth ireh awelder. in diame ter, the j6e atstone sepals being acute rather than 1eate as fin the Bearbs 'ry. The differences in these two members of the Heath Family are quite minute when t e '.!?'_nk of one gnott'.ng w'i th in ten feet of sea level. Ind then suddenly appearing aom ?dOO feet;,c timberline some 3000 miles away, Ibsen seen Bearberry in the Elite Mountains growing under e milar conditic!. s Appalacaiens are older°, a am wondering 12 'Aretostaphylos appeared there ':rot;? If it d`;d, how did it get to the high Sierras? Did it come by a granite Coate on by a moraine road? there is it found n. between, and what are its va n o-dc : :^? U we knew all about Bearberry, we might

be able to answer other enigmas tY e to plant worl.de f'OSF?k RCT[T"DTFOL?A, Dire is another pleat, that grows near sea level on Cal god end is.ourd. in T:aaaya Canyon at an elevation of anat.,: : o00 feet. Here it void on tni no :Ath wall of the garde,.: he seam of a T. -eist £ _^ l.-i-te cliff some 'iii_ ty feue.ove the river beds,° comparison of the two plants shows a persi step.if_eaendro he leaves, The alpine „.dant has a rotted. blade averaging about one ourch inch _a diameter, whe_ee.s the leaf,f the coast -plain ?Jan is broadly eliptto, be. ir; transversely ll/16 inches wide and 7/16 inches in length. An examnatton of the flowers of the two plants may show them to be separate species* here is no eensi s=gent difference in the height of the, f Lower stalk or in the numer of floee, J. A s ndy of this plant acoo:.litg to its geographic range across Ole Great.a ho region and Montana to California might give interesting data in eriatiow4.".hen the glaciers swept it south, how did it march back? HEATHPLATS. We have been speaking of p l ants that are most closely reated.. it is also possible to have totally unrelated plants meet the same condi ions in a l'ae manner.

On Pape dcd there are two heath-Jik_e plants covered with _Awl-shaped leaves - Htdheonia orteoides and Hudsonia tcmentosa. They are locally Aitsewt as Poverty Gress a.s t} F'i can grow on dry sandy hills. These low shrubs are ambers of the Rockross 'au:i ly (01. s;iacee.c). in the granite reeks of the Sierra sta.:.: its, above 6,000 feet, is found the beautiful Alpine Phlols E,:r?hacll; (cli,,% ), a amber of the Gilia Family,Po:.ggpn aoeae'. These homologous x".a:.ts of the East rid ".est form dense mats in dry open si beat•ona and bear flora s on the urper part-; early arly in the season before the soil is completely dried out. The reduced awlaped leaves prevent excessive loss of moisture, and the matting of the leaves m2y end to hold the dampness in the soil. (To be continued)