1924

DEPT RT: ENT OF TIE INTERIOR NNTIOEAL PARK SERVICE

YOSEaITE NATIONAL PARK o 1lane III, hu,us t ?S. 1924 Number 17 Yosemite Nature Guide Service C. P. Russell, Park Natu :'alist Pais is one of a series of bu) letins 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 stud : 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 possiW. ' B. Lewis, Superintendent

THE TUOLUMNNE MEADOWS HIKERS' CAMP

For John Muir, Atuolumr_e Meadows held the best of.all the Sierra wonder that were as food and drink to him. Present day Nature lovers agree that the wealth of high country attractions accesssioie from here call for an extended visit. The. hiker visiting Yosemite's Hikers' Camps will find.Tuolumne Meadows to be the center of a region unexcelled for varied beauty and grandeur.., The preceding one of this series of notes on the Hikers' Cam ps briefly described the trail between Merced Lake and Boothe Lake Camp. Leaving Boothe Lake for Tuolumne Meadows, the traveler may choose between two routes. The longer of the trails ascends tile five h'?.ndred foot ridge east of Boothe Lake to Fletcher Lake,'whore heads the stream paralleled by the, Babcock Lake Trail. A few of the rare golden trout are here attempting to hold their own against the eager fishermen who have learned of their. presence. Climbing again a short distance above Pletcher `Lake,,onereaches the crest of the Cathedral Range, and tll trail is seen skirting.• little Evelyn Lake and winding to obscurity over a great plateau-covered with White-bark Pine. The altitude here is 10,500, feet, and the-picturesque trees well show the effect of the adverse conditions under which they attempt to grow.

For about two miles the trail traverses this stunted forest near timber line and then descends by a series of zigzags to the flat floor of the gle. oiated Ly'1I. Canyon. Here the trail intersects the Lyoll Canyon Trail. A :few miles up cne canyon is the Iivir{; Lyell Glacier, evidence of whose activity.s seen even at this intersection of trails in the milky appearance of the stream. The abrading ice constantly adds glacier dust to the water which flows from it. Teeming1e-:t at this ereil jig:otion, a ver7 easy walk down the flat floored conyon teeinE. one to Tuolrmee h'.eaciows. • Near the point where Rafferty Creek flows into the t,*ll Fork, the hiker ehould ford the lager stream, climb over the low divide, avid then ford the Dena Poik, This beings one directly to the Tuolumne Hikers, :amp and saves several miles of walking, necessitated if a foot bridge is -Joked for. The other alternative in the way" of trails between Boothe Lane arra T'aolumne Meadows is the route down Rafferty Creek. This is a more. direct trail and should be used if time is of prime consideration. PUNnHES OF THE MOUNTAIN SUMMITS Most mountain climbers are acquainted with the unique Leucostfote or Rosy Finch, which they meet on the bare, rocky passes above timber line. perhaps fewer climbers recognize the finch found at the edge of the timber belt in the highest of the tidnite bark pines. The rassin Purple Finch is the largest of the three Sierra finches with strawberry colored heads, and it is found at higher aleitudes 'than the other two.. At the present time, little group, of the birds are tobe seen at Dana Meadows and the Tioga Pass at an altitude of 10,000 feet. The male birds have bri(,ht crimson crowns, that are apparently more "squared off" than are the erow.as of male California Purple Pinehss. The breast and rump also are pale pink. The females are dark brown above, and the tinder parts are dirty white with brown streaks. The Tioga Pass birds were feeding on grass seeds when ohserved ' on Au;usa 10.

DO AADDYLONGLEGS DRINK?

The. season is certainly dry when the daddylon;legs are put to drinking red ink: Every night after the lantern is lighted, I am visited by half a dozen or more of these long legged striders, who seem to be attracted by the lantern and appear to enjoy running over everything in sight. Several nights ago, I noticed a "daddy" strolling around near my red ink well. Be nearly ran into one Corner of it and then, reaching:up, he pulled himself up on top and straddled the inky pool with his eight slender lags. He carefully began 'to lower his body toward the crimson surface, pawing meanwhile at the air with his feelers. Finally he struck "later" and brought his feelers up into his mouth, evidently "licking :Lis chops" to see haw he liked it. The result seemed satisfactory, for he lowered his body down so that it barely touched the surface and remained in this position for several minutes. V'hilehe was thus engaged, another of the same species came along and bumped into hire. Now there were two : The new arrival was bent,on "jumping the claim"; so the original discoverer rather meekly withdrew to one corner of the

back and forth as _tho zg h,.he _ had a napkin and was wiping; his mouth. No, he didn! appear to ' get drunk nor did he curl up and die. The following night no adventurers climbed the wall to sample my ink, and •I thou :~;ht it best to record the. incident - it does sound rather stretc i but the ri - t nij ht b.roliaht. the whole tribe back : again. No less: than five dadd;y- " lbng.teg;s cliff ed::-dp_en 'top and with their total forty legs alltangled up tr'.ed to think all at ones. 'Onelcg would mav -esljehtly and that `wolird stimalate the otheir. thirtyeni tle to action. Three cif = :the:•fibve finally in i,ed ta• teonepeliee -,, the t wellchile phe other two tried veil - y to break in. Whether the 'ink principle i harmful,_.neutral, or beneficial is still a mystery.-Vb. M. Harlow, Rani

EXCEPTIONAL AUGUST BIRD RECORDS

°'The :month of August ih the Yosemite Valley is usually a poor bard mo inrebard to `. the number of` spdcies noted. This yearYioiveber, just the-opposi i s the case. Every two-how - ihei.ng the.ti jst twelve days of the month brought to our. attention at least thirty different -species of birds.,fire di.rin these morn.r4 : walks over forty species were noted. Forty different spe of.''bi is in a tw.o..hour walk"is a§. ad one could ex et to see :;in.;the:-:ve'fy,; 'height of tpe.b.i=rd;season. Different morning_walks 3ro ht different species ~ --, „,`. _ Via.., ~tY;e< s °fiat' Au,ust was maxisa xty_ three had been recorded. Sixty-th ya ' remar_cble number;_wherl. it is considered that fifty-five was the best pre. vious• record for-the full month of Augu;t. A. etudyof - the birds listed : tiaould at,once convince the bird student that the long stretch of dry weather was in. r..ost port responsibl&for the exceptional• number of birds this month. THEi FLORA - Or YOS MIW RAND CAPE COIF, (.co itinued. ) SEDUM. Plants may also meet dry situations by storing.water fleshy leaves. CapeCbd representative of this. germs' is Sedum3acre, the 11ossy' Stonecrop..The Yosemite counterpart is Sedum obtusatem. Both species spread moss like on the t,,round with thick leaves and yellow blossoms. The. Sierra form is cannon on rol

ARTEMI

:1 or -Cormwood is.. mpst :litter, aroatic plant. - The • typical -western representative is= Artemisia,tric ei1tata or, Sa,ebruuehs : and the prevailin' Beach.. Wormwood on Cape Cod is oommor_ly, known as' Desty. i1iller eArt'emasia s~telleriana)~ The dense t ree wool which oovei.s” these plants assists in retaining moisture aril enables then: to grow in exxeed•.ugly dry. situations. `ihe Dusty Miller is often used a a be dor plant in -Cade Cod gardens. and, although introduced from. Asia, has taken, naturally tp ssncl "6ea hes. These pee 2?Pals are dominant wherever t1 grow axui attract. m@rep ~rttei tz ozl'b3 -their -whitehad. faliage than they to ey their less showy yellos;ish`-flowers Bitter concoctions were made from these plants by the settlers. - -r, ROBINIA PSEI3DO.-ACAC1. the Common Locust.=Qr False. -Acacia was named 'for -3ahn Rdbin. and-his -sort Ve:spasian, who _first cultivated. the Locust tree in-Europe. 1 colonist. loved the.trei - f §, ris' fragrant whiteflowers and its value as an erne naental•tree. - This may be;die reasotl that it was_carried to Yosemite and also l Cape Cod.. ?'e find it growing in both places wherever the early-.homesteaders L Gated and since those times it has established itself in waste,.Nlaces. It pre to be durable as a. fence post. One old farmer sail that 3t• Would, last a hands years. He knew that it would as he had tried it.several times. The coast pee found it useful in.ship _building. -3.-

ULVUS AMERICANA. If we think of the Common Locust as a homestead tree, we can think of the Elm as a street tree. The American Elm was introduced as a village shade tree both in Yosemite and on Cape Cod. Its wide-spreading branches make it particularly suitable for this purpose, and it seems to thrive in its new home. Why the tree did not find these localities of its own accord is rather puzzling. Possibly these glaciated areas were so remote that the tree had not had time to get there. Such trees as the hickories, beeches, birches, and the chestnut (Castanea dentata) are not native to the Yosemite or Cape Cod, and with the e..ception of the Gray Birch on Cape Cod have. not, found their way to these regions., Is „ it because they will not grow there ox because they have not been introduced? It is certainly not because they are shy of the mountains or of the lowlands nor is it because they are not of general distribu tione WIND BLOWN TR1:c;S. One example in the Yosemite is the Jeffrey Pine (Pines ponderosa var. ieffreyi Vasey) on top of Sentinel Dome. it grows at a higher and bleaker altitude than the true Western Yellow Pine.-- The typical Cape Cod evergreen, and only pine, is the Pitch Pine (Pinus riaida), It also is able to grow in dry, exposed areas and responds to the wind by growing to the leeward and at. other times forms deep carpets. Both of these pines are three needled with the scales of the cones bearing a short prickle. it is the same force at work that distorts them, The prevailing wind blows up the Safi Joaquin, and a southwester prevails from the Atlantic. Near timber line in Yosemite the Sierra Juniper (Junlperus occidentalis) becomes much gnarled and stubby. The only Juniper on Caps Cod is the Red Cedar (Juniperur virriniana), which occurs occasionally near old dwella ngs and was probably introduced to the lower part of the Cape. Unlike.its western namesake, it does not venture into exposed situations but simulates _ it by never growing into a forest, instead remaining alone and independent. (It does form thickets in other parts of Massachusetts and New England, especially in old, abandoned pastures). POPULUS TREOLOIDES. The Quaking As,Jen is one of the first broad-leaved trees to march out into the open meadows of the Yosemite rim. Its trim greenish-white bark and leaves, which tremble in the slightest breeze are sure to attract attention. The tree is not found in the Valley yet grows in light, open areas on Cape Cod. Is the fact that so many Cape Cod plants are found.•in the High Sierras and not in the Valley where the elevation is about 4000 feet due to the latitude? Is It is doubtful if such an explanation is sufficient, as this species ranges from Hudson Bay to Mexico. The to other poplars of Cape Cod grow around oll houses and were brought in by the settlers, the Silvere leaved Poplar (Populus albs) being int3roduced.for its shade and the Balm of Gilead (Populus balsamifera) for the medicinal qualities of its sticky buds. The Sil--ver Poplar is the met wide-spread of the Cape Poplars and has spread widely by its roots about old house lots. The Black Cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) is the most conspicuous poplar along the rivers in the Yosemite'and neighboring valleys. It has a slight varnish on its buds, which reminds; one of the fragrance of the Balm of Gilead. Black Cottonwood thicketsare n qul to similar to the Silver Poplar groves of the •Cape, except That the latter grow in dry situations. ALDER. The Common Alder of Cade God ie Alms rte asa or the Siriootit Alder.. he Yosemite relative is Alnus rhombifolia or the White :alder, The interesting Sl prise to a New Eiblander is to find-an Alder which is-a tree 30-80 feet high, for ie him all alders are shrubs. However, in the yards of Dr. Fred Canady and Captain Howe at ? rellf le git on Cape Cod there are Alder Trees. These trees are not :uaive but came ashore in the wreck of the British ship Franklin about 1870. OTHER PLANTS common to both localities are Brome Grass,which grows in exceedingl., dry situations;. the Eagle Fern or Brachen (Ateris aquilina) being commonest It both places; certain Bur-reeds (Sparganium) and-'Pondweeds (Potamb.eton)of use,. firQri AePi rA Greed (Epilobium au iistifoliurs);• and Shadbush..