1950

YOSEMITE

Nature Notes; ter.:...

Photo by Anderson Summer visitors afield with a ranger naturalist in Yosemite Valley.

THE MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE YOSEMITE NATURALIST DIVISION AND THE YOSEMITE NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION, INC.

Filip Tossibill, Superintendent D. E. McHenry, Park Naturalist H. C. Parker, Assoc. Park Naturalist R. N. McIntyre, Asst. Park Naturalist

VOL. XXIX JANUARY, 1950 NO. 1 WHEN HELP CAME FROM THE MOUNTAINS

By C. M. Goethe t Jedediah Smith, nicknamed " the It may be said here, however, that Bible Toter, " was the man who inauSmith 's thrilling crossing of the desgurated the movement which made ert required superhuman courage. thirty-first star in our flag. By his companions and for his own consolation ing the first white man to cross the upon the first verse of the 121st Mississippi to the Pacific, he was Psalm : "I will lift mine eyes unto able to recommend a military exthe hills from whence cometh my pedition for blazing the trail. This help." These words of the Psalmist came under General Fremont and had a peculiarly potent value in the paved the way for the first Covered crossing after leaving the Sierran Wagon folk. Two decades between crest. It is well known that Nevada Smith' s crossing and the Mexican is ridged with parallel mountain War decided the fate of California chains, of which the writer once in a way that probably only those wrote that "the map of Nevada engaged in historical research apmakes them look like army worms preciate. We are only beginning a-march. " In the sagebrush desert now to discover how the French govplains between these mountain ernment disregarded the advice of chains, Smith and his two companone admiral after another as to ions, again and again, almost utilizing France 's New Caledonia dropped from exhaustion and neargarrison to seize California. What starvation. Smith continually rallied impresses the writer, as a churchthem with the reminder that once man as well as a scientist, is the fact more they would find water and that Faith in times of crises has been pasture in the next mountain range. known to supply something that the It was literally a case of men hardheaded scientist sometimes with thirst-blackened tongues stagmisses in his probing for facts. gering toward climbing the next The story of why Smith was mountain height where there could called the "Bible Toter" is too long be expected springs and green to tell here. The writer has written grass. Literally "help came from the it repeatedly in some of his books. mountains." 1. Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Goethe were responsible for the introduction of nature guiding in the United States. This has subsequently developed into the naturalist programs of the National Park Service as well as in state, county and metropolitan park systems—Editor. Cover Photo: Icicles and Willow Twigs. By Ansel Adams from "Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada" text by John Muir, 64 photographs by Ansel Adams. Reproduction by kind permission of Houghton Mifflin Company.

TALL TALES OF TINY MICE

By Richard G. Beidleman, Ranger Naturalist Up in the Mariposa Grove where the trees grow a little taller than elsewhere in the park, tall tales are equally easy to find, even tall tales about tiny mice. Next to tourists, our attractive white-footed mice are perhaps more abundant in Yosemite than any other form of wildlife. Although these little brown-and-white rodents are almost entirely nocturnal, they impress their unseen presence upon our campers by their

nightly pattering of feet, their audible gnawing of crackers and bread, and their facility at converting sweaters and blankets into nesting material. For perhaps every hundred mice who lead normal, unobtrusive existences, there is one who, unduly talented or abnormal, leaves behind his nocturnal navigations unusual tales for the visitors. Two such mice we encountered at the Mariposa Grove Museum during the summer of 1949. Over the winter months, when the snow lies deep beneath the giant sequoias, the white-footed mice are the sole occupants of the museum, scampering about over the oak floor searching for stray sequoia seeds and nesting in the two large wooden chests by the fireplace. Now, normal mice would build a cozy nest of grass and down in a corner of the chest; but not our particular mouse! Selecting our turkey duster, this mother mouse constructed her nest of tattered rags in the very center of the duster, surrounded by the feathers; and there, early in the summer, she raised her family of babies. When we opened the museum in July, pulled our turkey duster out of the chest, and began to sweep off our display table, our surprise was surpassed only by the surprise of Photo by the Author The Author's Guest the mice, young and old, as their nest catapulted out of the duster onto the floor. Perhaps it was one of these same young mice of turkey duster fame who provided us with our midsummer night's tale. In the museum by our filing cabinet we have an old navy gun shell case about three feet high which we keep our topographic maps in during the daytime. At night, emptied of its maps, the case stands in the dark museum as an impregnable mouse-proof fortress, impregnable, at least, to all but one. On the morning of August 10 at 8 :10, the wooden chest in the museum was opened; five maps were lifted out and dropped down into the shell case. At 8:11 the maps began moving around rather excitedly, not at all the way dignified government maps ordinarily act. As the rolled maps had been bound by

rubber bands, we concluded that the movement was due to the maps unrolling inside the elastics. At 8:12 a crunching sound began to emanate from the shell case, not the type of noise produced either by maps or rubber bands but decidedly suggestive of mouse chewing. Upon investigation, we discovered a wideeyed mouse at the bottom of the shell, surrounded by white bits of map and about as frustrated and starved as a small mouse ever becomes. As punishment for his trespass, we kept the animal in the shell for several hours, on a diet of sequoia seeds (which he made short work of), awaiting an opportune moment for release. When a bus crowd of Photo by the Author Baby Whitefoot some hundred visitors arrived at the museum around noon, we gathered the tourists around us in the shade of the General Sheridan tree, spun a few tales about the tall trees, and then released our shell case prisoner, who seemed as relieved to bounce away in one direction as some of the audience seemed to run the opposite.

1949 CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT IN YOSEMITE VALLEY

By Robert N. McIntyre, Assistant Park Naturalist The morning of December 28th mallard, 9; Cooper' s hawk, 1; Westdawned clear with 15 inches of ern redtailed hawk, 3; plumed quail, crusted snow on the Valley floor. 9; band-tailed pigeon, 96; Western Twenty-one volunteers including the belted kingfisher, 3; red-shafted flicklocal troop of Boy Scouts met at the er, 5; western pileated woodpecker, postoffice where transportation was 3; California woodpecker, 29; Modoc available to take them to assigned woodpecker, 7; willow woodpecker, areas between Mirror Lake and El 4; northern white-headed woodpeckPortal. The day was spent in searcher, 2; ash-throated flycatcher, 1; ing out by sight and by call some black phoebe, 10; blue-fronted jay, 37 species numbering 552 birds. 117; long-tailed jay, 4; short-tailed The birds counted, both residents chickadee, 16; slender-billed nutand visitors, gave the searchers not hatch, 3; red-breasted nuthatch, 7; only a thrill, but an insight into the Sierra creeper, 52; dipper, 12; westamount of bird life available to the ern winter wren, 1; dotted wren, 4; student in Yosemite National Park. western robin, 2; western bluebird, Few places exist today outside of 7; Townsend 's solitaire, 1; western the parks and monuments where golden-crowned kinglet, 27; western birds and mammals can live in a ruby-crowned kinglet, 19; Hutton 's natural state free from the predations vireo, 3; English sparrow, 1; greenof man and his domestic companbacked goldfinch, 6; Sacramento ions. towhee, 10; Sacramento brown towThe following list compiled the hee, 22; Thurber 's junco, 35; white morning of December 28th -is a repcrowned sparrow, 2; Modoc song resentative sample of the birds sparrow, 18. found at Christmas in Yosemite ValIn 1948, 42 species and 622 inley: California heron, 1; common dividuals were counted.

"BUT YOU'VE DONE YOSEMITE"

By A. W. and Mary V. Hood Yes, 'way back in 1928 we spent edge gained to recognize or know a week in the Valley; we drove to what is needed at the museum. But the Mariposa Grove and Glacier the intelligent observer can on ocPoint. Each a full day ' s trip, and an casion be of real help whilst having adventurous one, along the old a wonderful vacation in the mounwinding roads. We hiked to Vernal tains. and Nevada Falls, saw Mirror Lake In 1947 we visited Saddlebag and that was that. We had done YoLake, and while watching a duck semite. hawk (I prefer the name Peregrine But somehow, we kept on coming Falcon) through the glasses spotted back. It was so convenient with the some especially fine clumps of children, just the right distance, we mountain columbine (Aquilegia pubescens Cov.). Clumps well worth a the museum the campfires. As we picture, sometimes they seem to rebecame acquainted our interests produce all the varieties of color were aroused by the individual natfrom the very metamorphic schists uralist's personal enthusiasm. They amongst which they grow. So up suggested things to watch for. What and over the rocks, and after a few a thrill to come home from a ramble minutes what should we become in the Grove and report a new stand aware of but a great stand of alpine of round-leafed ginger (Asarum lemmonii Wats.) to the local botanist, or a Townsend solitaire's nest to the ornithologically-minded naturalist in the Valley. fireweed (Epilobium latifolium L.). After taking both pictures and collecting specimens for identification, we consulted Dr. Carl Sharsmith, ranger naturalist at Tuolumne Meadows, and found the plant was one that had been reported many years ago "from the Lundy region, " that no specimen existed in the Yosemite Museum herbarium, that he knew of no stand, in fact, he had been looking for it lo' these many years. So next day we returned to Saddlebag thousand feet and all at the end of a twenty mile hike. Then there was the time, down by Ned's Gulch, with him and he collected a series. a twenty mile hike. Then there was The same Carl Sharsmith started the time, down by Ned 's Gulch, us off on the study of trailsign and when we found the giant Indian it is now a natural habit to watch pestle, that weighed thirty-five for the gnawed branch, the droppounds, but this time the car was pings (scats) and other marks as we not far away. If our backs ached a go along. These particular scats bit, it was all forgotten when we have come to our attention. reached the Yosemite Museum and Between Taft Point and Bridalveil were met with the thanks of the Creek, on August 10, 1948, at 7,400 "Enthusiast." feet along the Pohono Trail, it was Finds like these are not made in easy to see that the coyotes have a single summer, nor is the knowlregular stopping places; in one of

the scats observed the hoofs of a in the accomplishment of our project. tiny fawn were plainly visible. Now we can report the project 90% On August 2, 1948, near Porcucomplete. pine Flat Campground, 8,000 ft., we What do our Matthes ' pictures found a coyote scat containing the show? Perhaps the most startling, all over impression is how end of a grey squirrel 's tail. Now the grey squirrel does not belong to little the face of nature changes the red fir (Abies magnifica) associain 30 years. Here and there a tion but is found among the black tree has fallen. Trees, young oaks (Quercus kelloggii) at 4,000 feet in 1913, show some growth, old or thereabouts. This, therefore, trees remain unchanged. In most would seem to indicate a trip from cases logs and dead trees show very the Valley since " breakfast, " a dislittle change. Many questions come tance of about five miles, and a to mind— "How long can a dead climb of three to four thousand feet. tree exist?" As a home for how A third observation was made many generations of various forms above Merced Lake, 8,000 feet, on of wildlife will it serve? And in what August 13, 1949, A golden-mantled order will the various creatures ocground squirrel was seen eating on cupy its many crevices? a large boulder that stood near the We had the honor of showing Dr. trail on the brushy hillside. Here Matthes the results of our first sumwas an opportunity to gather mamer 's work and receiving his blessterial and also to find out what these ing and good wishes. Now it has creatures eat in their natural state. become a matter of honor to find, It was found, through later identifinot just a similar spot, but the exact cation, that this small spermophile one. Sometimes we have been sucwas eating the larva of a small cessful almost to the inch, and we wasp (Disholcaspis truckeensis). They knew we were standing just where galls, which he gathered and carhe stood way back in 1913-14. ried to the rock, were found growing on the huckleberry oak Now that the series is almost complete (Quercus plete : What do we have?—First a vaccinifola Engelm.). Here then, this unique set of slides illustrating the squirrel is a control factor for at least park, for not only do we have the one of this small oak's many Matthes shots but also many more enemies. that he would probably have taken Our last three summers have been had he been with us in person to based in Tuolumne Meadows, with guide our efforts. Then we know the frequent overnight trips to the Valbyways of the park as few others ley, Glacier Point and the Big Trees. know them. And again our eyes For besides our general ecological have been opened and we have interests we had undertaken to rebeen able to recognize geological trace the steps of the late Francois phenomena, hitherto unreported. E. Matthes and see how many of the The sketches accompanying this plates in his "Geological History of article have been made directly the Yosemite Valley" (Professional from the Kodachrome slides we took at each Paper 160) we could find and photonew find. It is hoped that later a graph in color. He has led us hither professional geologist will see fit and yon, and we estimate that in to duly report them in the proper the last three summers we have place. hiked at least seven hundred miles In 1947 we found a beautifully

Figure 1 balanced rock (Figure 1) whilst looking for plate 38a near Eagle Peak. A quick calculation estimated a weight of at least six tons, yet so fine is the point of balance that it can be rocked with one finger. In 1948 on the way to North Dome we rediscovered a natural arch (Figure 2) on Indian Ridge and towards the northern end there is a boulder on a low pedestal. But our big find for the summer came on July 24th. When returning from Delaney Creek to the Tuolumne River near the "Little Post Pile " we crossed over the shoulder of a large dome. We had, it must be borne in mind, been on the "Little Geology Hike" and visited "Pothole Dome" where plate 34b was taken. Imagine our surprise then when we found two great lines of ancient subglacial potholes on this dome; which we have tentatively named "Torrent Dome. " A week later we had the pleasure of taking Dr. Waldo, geologist and ranger naturalist at the Meadows, and his party to see our Figure 2 find. Some of the potholes (Figure 3) are twelve and fifteen feet -across and one has a wall of about 20 feet at one side. Our friends, the Trailfinders, rappelled down into it. In 1949 we had three more geology notes to bring into the Yosemite Museum, all concerning interesting erratics. Early in the summer we climbed Illilouette Ridge in order to study the Starr King country which we were then planning to and later did visit. The ridge runs roughly from the shoulder of Sentinel Dome and ends in three great steps above Mono Meadows. The last is a bare open rock, clearly seen from the Figure 3 Glacier Point Road. On this dome there are many erratics, two with pedestals. On the step above is another small pedestalled rock and a huge rock on a very low platform. On the main ridge itself, right above Illilouette Falls, we found what may prove to be the most significant find of all. We had the pleasure of having Dr. Waldo with us and he tentatively confirmed our suspicions. On this ridge and at 8,300 feet there are several large boulders that appear to be erratics. What we were all surprised to find on consulting the maps, even the latest ones at the Yosemite Museum, was that no record has been made of the ice having ever crossed this ridge, or pushed up to it. In fact

the present marked line of the Glacier Point stage is 500 feet lower (Matthes p. 74, plate 73c.). Our last experience this summer would probably never have happened if I did not associate with bird observers a good deal of my time, hence I have that undressed feeling on a hike if I do not have my field glasses with me. Now there are three Matthes pictures (nos. 12b, 13b and 36) that come from the Upper Merced Canyon, and a three day trip was undertaken to hunt them down. From the river trail on our way up to Merced Lake High Sierra Camp we stopped to take a picture. After it was done and the notes jotted down I glanced up to the summit of the dome across the river. There through the glasses I saw what appeared to be a giant stony mushroom (figure 4). Again we could find no name, so for our notes we have dubbed it "Sunrise Dome" as it runs due south from Sunrise Mountain. Two days later the first part of our mission accomplished we returned via the high trail and detoured up and over the Great Moraine (see Matthes p. 60). There at the end of the dome we found and took pictures of two boulders perched on a great series of ancient " shells" that were once the line of the dome. The figure Figure 4 in the sketch (five feet six inches) will give some idea of the height of the pedestal which is evidently higher than that which Dr. Matthes shows in plate 38a "five foot pedestal... the highest pedestal in the Yosemite region." How one wishes the good Doctor were here to see our pictures and share in the fun of it all. Yes, surely "We have done Yosemite" and yet, we hope, next summer will find us on the trails (and off). We have never explored the Red Peak country. The north end of the park is an unknown country. And then there are all those trips we want to take again. Perhaps we are in a rut, but we like it. Our grateful thanks to Dr. Matthes and the ranger naturalists who' showed us the way.

SEQUOIA CONES AND SEEDS

By Richard G. Beidleman, Ranger Naturalist The wonder of the giant sequoias the sugar pine to the giant sequoia, lies not only in their tremendous illegally filling his car trunk with size and age but also in the unbelievably tiny size of their cones and them, to send to his friends at Christmas as souvenirs of the Big seeds. One would expect a cone at Trees. Revelation of the identity of least three feet long from a tree that the small sequoia cones by a rangstands more than two hundred feet er naturalist during the informal high and weighs several thousand Mariposa Grove Museum talks seltons. Indeed, the summer visitor to dom fails to draw a gasp of surprise Mariposa Grove will invariably atfrom the audience, surprise even tribute the foot-and-a-half cone of increased by knowledge of the size

and number of seeds in each cone! the under side of each scale and In his Mountains of California John were packed among flakes of red Muir described the cones and seeds dish tannin, a crystalline preservaas follows : "The fertile cones are tive. bright grass-green, measuring Some enterprising sequoia trees about two inches in length by one appeared unsatisfied at producing and a half in thickness, and are normal cones, as evidenced by the made up of about forty firm rhomnumber of abnormally large cones boidal scales densely packed, with collected in the Grove by Ranger from five to eight seeds at the base Uhte, Ranger Naturalist McFarland of each. A single cone, therefore, and myself. These abnormalities contains from two to three hundred were grouped as "large cones and seeds, which are about a fourth of "jumbo" cones. an inch long by three sixteenths Seed counts were made on two wide, including a thin, flat margin large cones which averaged that makes them go glancing and 2-13/16 " in length, 1 1/8 " wide and wavering in their fall like a boy 's

scales. The average seed count kite." Shirley, in his Redwoods of per cone was 260 seeds or six seeds Coast and Sierra, expands somewhat per scale. These larger than normal upon Muir 's statistics by describing cones were not at all rare in the the cones as " 1 and 3/4 to 2 and3/4" Grove and apparently were prolong; " the seeds "from

to 250 duced as readily by one tree as by in each cone." another. During the summer of 1949 it was Such was not the case with the possible for ranger naturalists to "jumbo " cones. Three mediumcollect a goodly number of sequoia sized sequoias in the Mariposa cones from the Mariposa Grove Grove, two in the Upper Grove and area and join Muir and Shirley in one in the Lower, provided all of statistical manipulations. these extremely large cones. The Ten green sequoia cones, freshly largest cone, discovered by Rangfelled by chickarees were selected er Uhte in the Upper Grove, measas typical, their average measureured 3 3/4 " in length, was 2 3/8 " wide ments being about 2 3/8 " in length and possessed 56 scales. Unfortunby 1 5/8 " in width. A careful count ately, this cone was old and conof the total number of seeds contained no seeds; but using an avertained in the ten cones was made, age of 6 seeds to a scale, it is withresulting in an average of 209 seeds in the realm of possibility that this for each cone. The seeds were obcone contained up to 336 seeds. Antained either as they naturally fell other "jumbo " cone measured from the cones, which opened and 3-7/16" in length, while two others turned brown when dry, or as they measured 3 3/4". As one of the latter were released by the use of forceps had been freshly cut and was green, and vigorous pounding of the cone it was possible to make a seed on a block of wood during lighter count. This cone, two inches wide moments in the museum 's interpretive and possessing 45 scales, contained program. These average cones 282 seeds, which again gives an had approximately 36 scales, which average of six seeds per scale. The would permit about six seeds per seeds of the large and jumbo cones scale. The seeds ordinarily apwere just slightly larger than the peared to be compressed against seeds of normal cones.

Why "large " and "jumbo" cones tistics. If trees could talk, we might should occur, particularly the latter discover that the giant sequoias, on specific trees, is a thought-provoking problem for some enthusiastic botanist. mightiest of living things in size and age, feel somewhat chagrined Future Grove visitors at producing tiny cones and are and ranger naturalists may find striving here and there to alleviate even larger cones to bolster the statistics. the humiliation.

THE BIG TREES

By Mary Dapron Westover, Hayward, California I stood within the awesome dusk Made by your towering stems; I marveled at your massive bulk That pettiness condemns. And as I looked cares fell away New peace there seemed to be The God who 's tended you so long Can surely care for me. For nearly fifty centuries Midst tempest, drought and strife You've kept your branches stretching up Your roots deep — searching life; You've grown a little every day; You 've sought the broader view. The One who ' s brought you through the storms Can guard and guide me too.

Digitized by Yosemite Online Library Dan Anderson