Vol. VI Number 7, July 2016
Next Meeting
Saturday, July 9th
(second Saturday this month)
Meeting 9:30
Program 10:00
Geology of
Caspers Park
Phil Hughes
Phil Hughes is a Geology
professor at Santa Ana College.
He grew up locally, having
graduated from Dana Hills High
School. He received his BS
degree from USC, then went on
to get a Masters degree at Ohio
State University.
Belding’s
Orange Throated
Whiptail Lizards
Aspidoscelis hyperythra beldingii
A recent Nature Center visitor
reported seeing an Orange
Throated Whiptail Lizard near the Nature Center.
This was very good news because this lizard is
listed as a California Species of Special Concern.
Much of its Coastal Sage Scrub habitat has been
destroyed for development, and what is left is
highly fragmented. Orange Throated whiptails live
in a relatively small range, from Corona del Mar
and the southern edges of San Bernardino county
down to Baja California. The coastal slope of the
peninsular ranges is also a desirable place for
people to live, causing serious loss of habitat. The
ideal real estate for an Orange throated Whiptail
is a south facing slope on a flood plain or stream
terrace. There should be a good number of
established woody perennial shrubs such as
California Buckwheat, Black Sage or Sagebrush.
Subterranean termites feeding on the old wood of
the shrubs should be plentiful. In 75% of those
ideal home sites, people have moved in, built their
houses and called in pest control companies to
get rid of those tasty termites. People’s yards
provide good habitat for Argentine ants which also
destroy the termites that Whiptails like to eat.
Orange Throated Whiptails are attractive
lizards. Juveniles have a cobalt blue tail which
fades to a blue grey color in adults. Males have
an orange throat and underside which is
brightest during the late spring breeding season.
Tan and cream colored stripes run the length of
the body and tail which is roughly twice the
length of the body.
The closely related Desert Grassland Whiptail
lizards Aspidoscelis uniparens, of Arizona and
New Mexico deserts have a different system of
reproduction called parthenogenesis. All the
lizards are female. They do courting behaviors
which stimulate egg production, but there is no
mating involved. The offspring do
not necessarily have the same
chromosomes as their mother
because this population of Whiptail
lizards start off with twice the normal
amount of chromosomes which
recombine in the eggs.
Weed Warriors
Ranger Ben Rogers reported a
patch of milk thistle in need of eradication on the
Juaneno trail. Michael Johnson and Marsha
Medina set out to
vanquish the invasive
seed heads. They
apparently did not hike
far enough to reach the
serious invasion, but
managed to vanquish a
number of smaller
stands. We will return
next year to get the
rest!
Rangers’ Report
Ranger Sean Bengtson and his
wife
Nicole
had
their
baby! Bennett Stanley Mather
Bengtson, was born Tuesday,
June 21. He weighed 8.0 lbs
and was 21 inches long. Senior
Park Ranger Ed Bridges (from
Riley Park) will be managing
Caspers while Sean is on
paternity leave.
The Nature Trail Loop reroute hasFigure
been1Bennett
rough-Bengtson
cut and after some fine-tuning, the Nature Trail
Loop and Loskorn trails will be reopened to the
public in the next couple weeks.
The new water tank is about ready for usage. It
will be fully functional and operating in unison with
the current holding tank soon.
Ranger Ben Rogers has
noticed quite a bit of
Sacapellote flowers, Acourtia
microcephala, throughout the
park in bloom. For the
wildflower seekers, they are
tall perennial plants with
lavender
flower
heads.
Check page 65 in Allen and
Robert’s Wildflowers of
Orange County and the
Sacapellote
Santa Ana Mountains.
Programs in the Park
Campfire Programs for Park Campers are every
Saturday Night at 8 pm in the Nature Center
amphitheater.
Star Parties: Join Caspers’ resident astronomer,
Allan White and friends Saturday, July 2 and
July 20 to look through their telescopes. This
Saturday Jupiter, Saturn and Mars will be up and
Scorpius and Sagittarius (Milky Way) will be
rising. Sunset is 8:05. Call the Park at (949) 9232210 for weather/sky updates if it looks cloudy.
News from Riley Park
Riley Park is Caspers’ sister Park and Riley’s
Senior ranger, Ed Bridges would love some
volunteers to help out at Riley in their new and
improved Nature Center. Read an excellent
article written by Gillian Martin of The Cavity
Conservation Initiative about the projects
groundskeeper Matthew Tratz has been working
on there.
http://cavityconservation.com/2016/06/14/exsoldiers-skills-benefit-wildlife-and-visitors-atriley-wilderness-park/
Snake Safety
Ranger Rogers also reports seeing a
number of rattlesnakes in the park. Last
month a family promptly returned to the
Nature Center to report,a large Red
Diamondback stretched across the path
to the parking lot. The snake went down a
nearby hole, but has been reported in the
Nature Center area previously. Red
Diamondbacks are a species of concern
so it is good news to see a healthy one,
but maybe not so good to have it so close
to the public.
.
Caspers Park is home to rattlesnakes
Please welcome new
Park Attendant
who are busy doing their job of keeping
Heather Glasgow
the rodent population in control. Most
bites occur when snakes are cornered
or startled. It is important to look
CPF Board Members
before putting your hands and feet
Bill Linas
President
anywhere, especially when stepping
Diane Etchison
Vice Pres
over rocks or logs. And never reach
Jean Savage
Secretary
Beth McConaughy Treasurer
into a rodent hole. If you do encounter
Marsha Medina
Editor
a snake, freeze and then move slowly
Don Benefiel
Member
away. You are bigger and scarier to
Spence Murray
Member
them than they are to you.
Fun Things
The Reserve at Rancho Mission
Viejo
Offers hikes and programs at:
http://www.rmvreserve.org
Sea and Sage Audubon Society
Has trips, classes and info:
http://seaandsageaudubon.org/
OC California Native Plant Society
Has programs and trips:
http://www.occnps.org/
Tree of Life Nursery
Advice on growing native plants
http://www.californianativeplants.com/
Upcoming CPF Programs
July 9 – Phil Hughes – Geology
August 6 – Michelle Rivers – Bees
September 10 - ???
October 1 – Domingo Belardes- SJC’s
Acjachemen Museum