1925

]~~ z' Volume IV September 15 192 ~Joo~

VACATION-LAND IN OUR HOMES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

Few of us are fortunate enough to spend more than a short vacation each year in our mountain playgrounds. How many of us, as we stood upon the heights and felt the thrill of fellowship that comes with first-hand acquaintance with the birds, the Sowers, the trees and the mountains themselves, have wished that the inspiring influence of these associations could be with us throughout the year in our everyday life. Our government is doing its part to help us to more thoroughly enjoy and understand our great playgrounds, the National Parks. In Yosemite we find a splendid museum and a corps of naturalists who conduct daily field trips along the trailsides and who deliver evening campfire lectures on a wide variety of, natural history subjects. But why should we be satisfied with but an introduction to the trailsides of our beloved Sierra? Is there no way in which we may continue our friendship with the Big Country during each month and each week of the year? There is a way! Lovers of the California mountains have organized to interpret and present in popular form all of the manifestations of Nature of the Sierras and more particularly of Yosemite National Park. Primarily the Yosemite NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION concerns itself with the living things of the Yosemite region; yet it must necessarily be a factor in inspiring a regard for American Wild Life in general. Yosemite Nature Notes, which has been published in mimeographed form by the Park Naturalik for a number of years, has been adopted as the official organ of the Association. Cooperating with the.government, the Association prints "Yosemite Nature Notes" weekly during June, July, and August and monthly throughout the remainder of the year, each of the twenty-four issues being sent to all members. If you are one of the hundreds of thousands who love Yosemite, you will wish to keep in touch with her through the Association. There are hundreds of thousands of others who have no conception of the big message of the Out-of-doors. You will want those uninitiated to learn of what the Park has to. offer. Ad now! Fill out the enclosed application for membership and mail it with a check or money order for $1,00 to The Park Naturalist, Yosemite National Park, California. Every cent of. the $.00 will be devoted to keeping :you in touch with your Yosemite.

plume IV. September I'5, 1925' Number.17

BLOOD LUST. IN WOODPECKERS

By Enid Michael Cit the morning of August 24 : to satisfy his blood lust when parppenod to witn(sa what I believe eat pewees ceme to the rescue : Th: be unusual behavior on the part young pewee was held by the a California Wno.ipecker (Meshoulder, and thue with his body nettles tormicivorusb.iirdi). While and one wing free he was able to dyne walking tr.ieugb a glove of offer conriderat.le resistance. The;Legg oaks on the north side of wc.odpecker could not fly far with Osemite Valley n.y attention was his struggling victim aria when he trected by the exalted chatter of came to perch again in a nearby Number of Wood pewees true we was. immediately pounced y 1 ouhanes richardsoni). I upon by angry parent pewees. L-njust Been young pewees being der this second attack he loosed his by their parents and on hearhold and the young pewee fluttered the notes of distress my away, apr.arently uninjured. Perchght was that one of the young mg on a dead twig the hero of the sea had gotten into trouble. adventure stood the Inspection of tine t irds, like children, have a Ids parents. Moon the excitement r of Petting into trouble_ Howdied away and fdyeatchers were r. I was shocked to discover a again plying their trade in an atng pewee In such real trouble., tempt to satisfy the Insatiable ape branch about twenty feet petltes of Young birds. ye my head there was a callIt so happens that Wood pewees to Woodpecker. and apparentl y and California woodpeckers nest is vary face there fluttered a commonly in the same rcves. If tt ll bird. Diving from above and were the practice nt California king at the woodpecker were woodpeckers to feed upon young Wood pewees. Between blows pewees it is not likely that pewees scolding flycatchers fiercely would choose to nest in the taped their mandibles. The onvorite groves of the woodpeckers. ht Weenie too trot for the But, suppose that pewees were so pecker and he sought safety in foolish as to nest in the stronghold t As he left his perch the of their enemies, then would it be ae of all the expitement came to strange that we had never before In a flash. The bird that apseen the result of this mat udgTed to flutter in the face of the ment? No : I am inclined to think pecker was really a captive that this particular woodpecker was anerpes had pounened upon a a bloodthirsty individual, and not Mg wood pewee and was about the normal Melanerpes.

FOLLOWING, SPRING UP THE MOUNTAINS

By Nancy Yerkes Student in the Yosemite -Field School of Natural History As Yosemite is remarkable -for richest valley woods are still misty its wide range, of floral habitats, so here and there with the dainty is it delightful in the joyous sueGilea leptalea and Lessingia leptocession of seasons up the slopes to clada, and there are, too, flashes of the mountain - tops—each shorter bright Conchala g ita (Erythraea than the last till In that highest verusta) and Clarkia (C. rhemboizone winter holds.-sway mcst of the dea) and deep stands of Godetia year, (G viminra) and larkspur (DelHare within a range of some 3000 phinium endersonii) and pale Colfeet we may find marsh, meadows linsia tinetoria, but, for the most and swamp, coppice, wood and part, the pine floor Is dry and.sum-. sheltered deep grown slopes, desert mer sweet. flats and burning sand slider, But if. you will leave all this mamountain meadow and alpine lure beauty and pass up the hot wastes. Yosemite Falls trail, past the fruitWe may come in February for ing Ceonothus Integerrimus and the first stirring of spring in the Manzanitas (Archtostaphulos nevalow valleys and follow that fresh densia and A. patula), the shinbeauty up the heights month after ing golden-slip oak (Quereus chrymonth till its last flash on the solopus) and the dusty Chinquapin mountain tops in August and Sep- (Castanea sempervirena) and turn tember. left along the Eagle Peak trail Into Upon my first visit to Yosemite the high woods and meadows, you in May, t920, spring had possession will still catch that first glory of of the valley. The dogwood (Coespring. It has not yet quit the nus nuttalli and C. pubeseens) lit earth, but only mounted higher. up, the dark trees along the road There in the woods are now to be from El Portal and in the deep found the daintiset and most deliwoods were many of the delicate sate of the first annuals and lilies. associates of the Itypatica and DogIn the deep wet woods are all the tooth violet so dear to the eastener sweet violets, the Columbine (Aquiafter-howsoever short a sojourn in legit( trunsatat tall nodding-larkCalifornia. There were all the viospur (Delphinium hansenii, D. delets, blue, yellow, and white. (Viola corum, D anderson,I) scattered oxyeeras V. pupurea and V. acres wide in that soft shifting sunWanda). light. And there are the tiniest So it. was with some disappoir - CoIlinsias (C. Wrightil and C. Torment that coming this year in early reyi), the bright Mtmulus lianas July I found all the summer flowers and M. memphiticus, mountain blue far advanced, Tht-ugh deep and bells (Mertensia siberiea) with a lush -with full summer'; promise, and M. memphiticus, lnountatn blueyet it seemed, "that there hath des. B. hyacinthina, var. lactea; B. pass'd away, a glory from the grandiflora, Calechortus venilstus, earth." AIong the ways the fireC. nuttalli, Lllium washingtoniaweed (Epilobium• angustifolium); nun, and Camassia quamash, And the Artemisia, Yarrow (Achillaea in the meadows, also, are even pools millefolium) and Goldenrod (Solidof the Indian pond lily (Nymphaea ago elongata) are rushing on to rolysepalutn) end the well-loved their showery display, but along shooting star (Dodeca'theon Jeffthe hedges the roses (Rosa callreyi), fornicS) hang of drted clusters They areall still there, with of blossoms and up the slopes the many more, and in such fresh luxumessage "Late, too late" comes riance as is hardly to be seen in a again from the curled panicles of lower level spring tide. The peace "Ocean Spray." The wave of spring of a high country is upon them and ham broken here and receded to anthe lightness of a fresher air. Go other level and only its blown up now. You are not too late for spray lingers on the chaparral. The spring.,

NOTICE OF CORRECTION.

In "Yosemite Nature Notes " of September 8 on page 86, the tree in which the elk 's horns were found was called oak; it should read naadrona.

YOeEM!TE NATURE NOTffi

FIELD WITH THE NATURE GUIDES

IOUNG RED-ll1tlAS'I'LrIJ struct an arderly sap-trap of

SAPSUCKERS

roundish or squarisn holes about sdtentuie of the day was a one-fourth of an inch across, runt y with two young red-breasted Ling part way around the tree ekern. 1 was passing along trunk, in parallel rows. When dye of Stoneman Meadow when working u-non Kellogg oaks it,has 1'd, corning from a dense wigbeen observed that the birds make I. Ieket, those strange, mechanirectangular cuts an inch or less. Ueaky bird notes that sound long, and arranged in an orderly )oh like the notes coming from Pattern with narrow strips of bark; •er doll when squeezed by the between. The sapsuckers in the By moving cautiously toward willows followed no set, pattern; pond I tsas able to get within their work was careless. The feet o1 tit author. Thi, small twigs upon which they sapsucker was a very attic:- worked may have had, something Ird, on his hack was woven to do with the lack of order In tricate design in black and their sap-trap or this may have which gave the impression been due to the bird 's, inexpert: handsome shawl thrown over enee.—Enid Michael. oulders. His dark smoky head f.reaetgave off glints of deep

A LATIl: NESTER sIor which suggested the color Oil '1'hurs(lay, August 1';;, 1925, Was to come to the mature "'btu ws now camp in a clump ofTn the mature bird the entire lodgepole pines olt'osite the Tuoland breast is a bright red. I unite Meat:ows chocking station we r liked better the appearance unconaciouriy intruded on the d"fellow. his colors were main of a. t\ t 'gilt f''lycctchef, First

Subdued, to a ttract our attention was. the Ile 1 was watching the first lender cull of the birds each n :urr'was coined by a second so much trig. W,• cc aid see them, hoPPitig

In size and color as to be about. in the branches overhead and ih brother. When the second randy identified them. Soon we nrrived there seemed to he some located tilt Sittig rest in the top of t argtmentThe argument a Lodgerole pine file and half feet nothing serious and soon both -Join the. ground. As we watche d # were' feeding peaceably on adSnita ustanco we saw the sparse-, nit branches In true sapsucker It down-covered heads and opentel 1,1on. Occasionally one or the mouths of two nestlings. The fet' of the birds would raise its mane came quite often and,the. -al" A to utter a few squeaky notes. but seldom. Whet: we woke we.Vldently the sanenekers had eould si a chi' ` mother oti the nest working in this particular patiently waiting for the sun to at for.a number of days, as t°`trrn things up and start the O' were thirty or forty willow etc[ wngs. 'tit that had been barked in On Mcrd,ty we did not notice the hest, to the sapwood. Some of bi ros nor on Tuesday morning. Older wounds were beginning Tuesday evening 1 went to the nest dry up, while man, fresh cutfor the tits[ time aid found the. L a were oozing sap freely. About two young bird_, cold and dead. One

runningwound were nun-terof them had a hole in the abdomen. tiles; there were flies of at The cause of the tragedy shall aIsix different species. And ways remain a mystery and whtie 1 it feeding tiles were not the there are several suppositions they ),et°s ones that An Annafhu themmingarFoe or bird may have 'also was attracted and -came killed the one and frightened the tip sap from the flowing Parents away. lids. The sapsuckers seemed The Parents unity have beenanto begrudge the "hummer" a °toyed by our presence, although we b which had been treed by were careful not to go closer than industry. And neither humten feet to the nest, and abandoned bird nor sapsueker, while f it. A. the nights were very cold present, made any attempt to the young could easily have frozen Litre the winged, insects that to death. " feasting at the banquet Some disease may have caused their death, after which they were e' had never before seen sapubendor.ed and the one was par-, bra hi willows, therefore, it tially eaten. with Interest that we noted The thing which attracted us in work. These -birds worked the first place was that there would small willow twigs about an be birds but a few days old at that In diameter, they worked out time of year in Tuolumne Meadows. tlar rnnndlih ' patches, the This species of bird, however, de- -r being an inch across. The Pending as it does upon insects for. Uckers observed at work' in food. Is notably late in rearing It-s Orchards of the valley eonyoung.—R. D. Harwood.

HOW A CHIPMUNK PROVIDES

trees, shrubs, ferns and flowers Glacier Point is a fine location This is a mistake, tut an actually for studying the habits of the Tahusking the climb, the wnule trail hoe, chipmunk, Eutamias speciosus is found to be clothed to verdure of frater, which occurs abundantly 7 : rune', tor and Canadian Life Zones. there. The small rodents are freely The total critlr,ge u, elevation fed by people about the hotel and ninue by Vie. Ledge Trail rs appruxare even found snatching crumbs imettely tee thousand felt since Inside the cafeterias as well as on the Valley flour alt'eaify has an the open-air porch. elevation of 3960 lest and the ereAt the nature guide lookout a vaticn of Glacier Point is (200 feet. large carton of vermicelli and rollers On the Ledge Trail then one cosoats has lasted out the summer in Ott :,hpruxrnlnWiy last fret of t,U spite of the fact that about a half per '1'ranaitiun Zone and 2000 fe i pint a day has been fed to the uE Canadian Zo_re. squirrels and chipmunks. A golden lit • ddition,•co the changes iu mantled ground squirrel found that flora due. to elevation, the beaulithe food supply was kept in this fill Staircase Falls grill fuft thi r enehi„s box, so he gnawed a hole through e w the by the addition if the side of it and in late afternoon ththe ware[-luting plants. hewould fearlessly enter the box, only soil is holy much the even while several people were only rich safound along tt e watching him. Once the box was trail in :pile rf the talus cover picked up with him inside and rt lu which it passes. prom its v0ry thereafter he hesitated about stufehre, though, there can ro nit fing himself in public view. As haractenst.cally mea ow that, its soon as the chipmunks found where conditions, hat aside from that, its this squirrel was getting so much flora re 11flect, €' in its wide thr ti th more food than they were they enranch t p life zones through tered the box, too, and many lively w The it passes: chases followed.' The ?Dryer part of the trail, in These little brightly marked chipfact, elmoet the first hilt, is well munks have a great curiosity and shaded o the California Black leak, will -search out a known food supPin ilredsc' cedar Maple, Yellow ply which may have been hidden The reue, Ceuar and awhite

from them. When the carton was e lower pert. too, s : the Cali- 'finally 'finally emptied one chipmunk spent and flanked with shrubs : the aIy, a halt hour looking for it and perDee re Laure Service Berry, Elderberry-. mttted the guide to touch him Earl, ma Servce t Coifed while he climbed around the. stone Remy, My, Wil Goose ia, Wild wall : Raspberry, Wild Goose Derry and Of 'course, these chipmunks were Wild Current which straggle cornnot able to consume so much food ni i munahly alone the trail, with on the moment, so filling their alumn i, pentstem ria. wild Singer, cheek pouches with vermicelli alCial arkia. draper. cow pn. ready chewed up to the t sop celirz, cow parsnip. length they would dash off with it giant hyss• interspersed withe and bury It This they did by ranoranrkens, the cliff-brakes, (or the PcVineash idly digging a series of holes and \\'hen the trail reenhea the candropping a 'little of the food in each yen• or approximately the last halt one. When the mouth was empty of the climb, the red fir has bethey began to cover the holes• uscome eencpic•uous, together with ing their front paws entirely as the r:mall-leavert maple, while thL shovels and rakes. Ocean Spray, Green Manzanita and One industrious chipmunk was Bitter Cherry are the new shrubs. found cutting green acorns from the Here the glorious yellow Mimulus huckleberry oak. This he did by implexus the great soft pi n k clambering out onto the slender Mimulus lewisii and their flaming twigs which yielded alarmingly unsister Mimulus cardinalis, together der his weight. He ran out of sight with Sulphur FIowers, azure and with them. one at a time, and it is deep blue delphiniums. the rare and not known where they were being graceful Gentian detonsa and ths deposited. Pale exquisite sprays of Saxifrage Chipmunks are valuable foresters pnnetata become a marvelous because out of the quantity of seeds setting for the Staircase Falls which they bury many are not reS.I. ream. covered. but germ i nate. Many of Beside the falls at the very heart our forest monarchs owe their exof the Ledge Trail. where mosses istence to some chipmunk 's instinct cling to the bowlders, and water to store a food supply for the hard continually seeps through, the soft times of winter.—David D. BECK. tracery of the Five Finger fern

THE FLORA OF' THE

fronds sway gently with the breeze,

LEDGE TRAIL

Ieni ying their paie green witchery The Ledge Trail in its mile and to the magic beauty of the way. a half of length offers an interestOn the rim lofty Sugar Pines stand lug study in flora,. At first sight guard over tt aII. This is the one imagines the trail, after leavLedge Trail in mid-summer. and ing the wooded valley floor, passes comparing the range of its Horn precipitately over dry and more or with that of any other trail in the Less uninteresting bewilders of a 'Yosemite, there is little doubt that talus slope and is prepared to see, for an equal climbno other trail In contrast with the other trails to ran offer so much in variety and Glacier Point, compnratively few beauty of flora,—Mabel E. Hibbard.

YOSEMITE NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION ITS PURPOSES

o gather and disseminate information on the wild-life of the Sierras. o develop and enlarge the Yosemite Museum (in cotion with the National Park Service) and to establish subunits, such as the Glacier Point lookout and branches of 3nature. o promote the educational work of the Yosemite Nature uide Service. o publish (in cooperation with the U. S. National Park ice) "Yosemite Nature Notes".,, o study living conditions, past and present, of the Indians the Yosemite re.. a ice' o maintain in Yosrrate Volley a.Lary of historical, ientific, and popular -interest:?' o further scientific iniestigatlonalong lines of greatest pular interest and to publish; from time to time, bulletins of non-technical nature., To strictly limit the activities of the associationto purposes ' which shall. be scientific and `educational, in order that the organization shall not be operated for profit.

AY WE SEND YOU EACH ISSUE OF.`YQSEMITE NATURE NOTES?

our check for $2.00 sent to the Park Naturalist, Yosemite na1 Park, will help to pay the cost of its publication for year and make you a member of the Yosemite Natural Cory Association for the same period.

THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE.ON:OUT-DOOR RECREATION

Called by PRESIDENT COOLIDGE

T THE CONFERENCE ENDORSE NATURE STUDY

IN riCHOOLS

THE EXTENSION OF THE NATURE STUDY IDEA TO EVERY RICAN SCHOOL AND FAMILY; THAT THE ESTABLISH~ OF MUSEUMS OF NATURAL HISTORY IN NATIONAL PARRS INCREASE THE EDUCATIONAL RECREATIONAL VALUE OF THE

".—Resolution of the Conference.