V alley W ilds
April 2010
4444 East Avenue, Livermore, CA 94550-5053 (925)960-2400
Vol. XXI, No. IV
Interpretive programs at Sycamore Grove Park, Veterans Park, Ravenswood Historic Site and Brushy Peak Regional Preserve
Flutter-By Butterfly
by Ranger Dawn Soles
Now that Spring has sprung, the wildflowers are
beginning to bloom and spread their beautiful shapes
and colors across the landscape. Along with the
wildflowers comes a bloom of a different sort. These
colorful shapes, the butterflies, flit and fly across the
landscape. The Livermore area is home to more than
one hundred species of butterfly, and they come in a
wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors.
Butterflies have been around since the early
Cretaceous period (about 130 million years ago),
evolving with flowering plants that arose at the same
time. Belonging to a group known as the Lepidoptera,
which translates into “scale-wing,” they have evolved
to take advantage of a variety of environments
throughout the world. With approximately 30,000
species world-wide, butterflies are recognized by
people from deserts to rain forests and sea-level to
high in the mountains.
Butterflies are very good fliers, having two pairs
of wings. Some species are able to reach speeds of
30mph or more. As they fly about, butterflies need
to be on the lookout for the many critters that enjoy
making them a meal. A short list of their predators
includes ants, spiders, wasps (those that eat them
directly and others that parasitize them), parasitic flies,
birds, rats, toads, lizards, mantids and many, many
others.
Depending on the species, butterflies use
different strategies to avoid being eaten. Some may
use camouflage to blend into their environment.
The camouflage can be so good that they are almost
impossible to see when resting, looking like dead
leaves or tree bark. Other butterflies don’t bother to
hide. They use bright colors to warn predators that
they are toxic or taste really bad. These butterflies
acquire their toxin in the caterpillar stage from the
plants they feed on. Other species rely on mimicry.
Some yummy butterflies have colors and markings
that are very similar to a toxic species. However, the
major defense for almost all species is flight. Butterfly
flight is erratic and quick, making them very difficult
to catch in the air.
Wings are the most noticeable feature on a
butterfly. Usually brightly colored they catch the eye.
However, butterflies use their wings for more than
flight, beauty, and camouflage - some hear through
their wings. Though most butterflies are missing a
hearing organ, some have the ability to sense changes
in sound waves through their wings. Though it isn’t
hearing in the way we think of it, it seems to work for
them.
In addition to an unusual method of hearing,
butterflies also deviate from the norm in some of
their other senses. They have a strong sense of touch
through hairs on their body. They taste with their feet.
To smell they use their antennae, palps (little feeling
Please see “Flutter,” page 3
photo by Dawn Soles ©LAPRD
buckeye
Mammals
Saturday, April 3
April Programs
Turtles
10:00 a.m.
Sunday, April 18
Lots of critters are mammals, but what exactly
makes one a mammal? What are the advantages and
disadvantages of being one, and where do humans
weigh in on mammalness? These and other questions
will be answered, and we will also look at some really
cool critter stuff. Good for ages 5 and up.
Ranger Darren Segur
Veterans Park
Sunset Hike
Sunday, April 4
2:00 p.m.
They come in different shapes and sizes. They live in
different environments from the ocean to the desert
and everywhere in between. Some are small, and some
are the size of a small car. Join us today to learn about
that charming group of reptiles – the turtles. There
will be live specimens for us to look at.
Ranger Dawn Soles
Veterans Park
7:00 p.m.
Let’s end the day with a hike to the center of the park
and enjoy the sunset. Afterward, we’ll hike back
looking and listening for the park’s nocturnal residents
as they stir from their slumber. No flashlights please,
but don’t forget the insect repellent. Cancelled if
raining.
Ranger Patti Cole
Sycamore Grove Park
Wetmore Road Entrance
Prime Time Birds
Sunday, April 11
Holdener Hills
Saturday, April 24
8:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
Join us to discover the rarely visited hills of Holdener
Park to catch the late wildflowers of spring. We’ll
walk through the quiet canyon and then scale the steep
hills for a great view of the Livermore Valley. Wear
sturdy shoes and be prepared for some steep offtrail trekking. To get to Holdener park, drive East on
Hansen Road until you get to the end of the road. Park
in the lot near the water tank.
Ranger Amy Wolitzer
Holdener Park
Spring is a prime time for birding. Our summer
residents are here with courtship, mating, and nesting
urges uppermost in their avian minds. Join us on
this relaxed walk as we look and listen for birds of
all feathers as they sing, feed, and nest in Sycamore
Grove. Beginners are encouraged to attend. Don’t
forget your binoculars and field guides; we’ll have a
few to lend. This birdwalk will last about two hours.
Ranger Pat Sotelo
Sycamore Grove Park
Nature Area Entrance
Contact Information
About the programs...
For more information on the parks, ranger-led
programs or other LARPD programs or facilities check
our website or call one of the numbers below.
Unless otherwise noted, weekend programs
are 1-2 hours in length.
A donation of $2 is requested.
www.larpd.dst.ca.us
A $4 parking fee is charged at Sycamore Grove
and Veterans Park. Annual passes are also
available and provide a substantial savings for
repeat park visitors.
Telephone numbers
Ranger Office
LARPD Office
2
(925) 960-2400
(925) 373-5700
Special Programs
Earth Day Event
Preregistration is required. You may register on-line
at larpd.dst.ca.us or by phone at (925) 373-5707, or
in person at 4444 East Avenue. Since these are group
tours, there will be no refunds.
Brushy Peak
Blooming Hills
Birds & Blooms
Saturday, April 18
Saturday, April 10
Sunday, April 25
Spring is wildflower time. Here’s your chance
to explore a pristine natural area of Brushy Peak
Regional Preserve that is not open to the public,
and if nature cooperates, see a variety of beautiful
wildflowers. Hikes include a trip to the top of Brushy
Peak for fabulous views of the Livermore Valley
and the Great Central Valley and are approximately
4 miles round trip, including a moderately difficult
climb. Due to the sensitive nature of the site and the
fact that it is closed to the public, all participants
must stay with the group at all times. For specific
information on these hikes, call the ranger office at
960-2400. Each trip is approximately 9 am-2 pm.
Participants under age 18 must be accompanied by
parent. Fee: $25
Flutter, continued from page 1
thingies around the
mouth) and legs.
Though all of these
facts are fascinating (at
least to me) the question
I am asked more often
than not is “What is the
biggest and what is the
smallest?” The answer
photo by Dawn Soles ©LAPRD
is: The largest butterfly
gray hairstreak female
in the world is the
Queen Alexandra Birdwing from New Guinea, with a
wingspan up to 12 1/2 inches. The smallest butterfly
in the world is found in North America, (I have even
seen it right here in Livermore). It is the Western
Pygmy Blue, with a wingspan of .62 inches.
Regardless of its size, everyone I meet in the park
is happy to see a butterfly. I hear comments on how
beautiful their colors are, how strange their flight
is, how wonderful it is to see so many in the parks.
Over the years I have seen many different species in
Sycamore Grove, and every year I look forward to
when the butterflies will flutter-by.
8:30 a.m.
Earth Day is a day to prove that an individual
has the ability to make a difference. And it’s
possible to start making that difference before
even starting on the Earth Day project –
participants are encouraged to ride their bikes to
the event. Based at Robertson Park this year, the
site’s accessibility from trails will make it easy to
leave the car at home.
Meet at Robertson Park to sign up. A
continental breakfast, snacks and water will
be provided (or bring your own water bottle to
reduce plastic consumption). To decrease our
carbon footprint we will be reducing our reliance
on bus transportation this year by having clean
up projects in and around Robertson Park, and
by having volunteers travel to some other sites
on their bikes. Volunteers are encouraged to wear
work gloves, boots, a hat and sunscreen.
After a rewarding morning of work, you
will return to Robertson Park for a barbecue
lunch, music, earth-friendly vendors, children’s
activities and this years special give away for
volunteers: a reusable grocery bag. For more info
call 373-5748.
One Generation Plants the Trees...
By Ranger Darren Segur
Sycamore Grove Park, July 1991
It’s late in the afternoon. The temperature hovers
just below 100. In the middle of the park near the
bike path a grove of young oak trees has been planted.
A weathered old ranger truck pulls up to the grove,
and a young man and woman get out. They take five
gallon bottles of water out of the truck bed and begin
to water the struggling trees. “Do you think they’ll
make it?” asks the woman. “I hope at least some do”
replies the man.
When the District acquired Sycamore Grove
back in the 70’s, it had been farm and ranch land for
over a hundred years. Ever since then the rangers
have been replanting the disturbed areas in the park
slowly returning them to a more natural state. In the
beginning these efforts were modest, but over the
years they steadily became more organized. By the
mid nineties we began regularly purchasing native
stock from the California Conservation Corps (CCC)
3
Please see “Trees,” page 4
Board of Directors:
Maryalice Faltings
David Furst
Steve Goodman
Scott Kamena
Beth Wilson
Trees, continued from page 3
nursery in the fall to plant during the rainy
season, but we had marginal success for a
number of reasons including limited water,
limited budgets and various critters eating
them.
In the late nineties I was working at the
park and became involved in the planting
projects. One of the first things that was
needed was a permanent place to safely
propagate and grow plants. There was little
money, however, so I began to scrounge
around. We had a supply of empty planting
containers from the stock we had purchased from
the CCC. There was some unused fencing material in
an old garage, and I got permission to use it. A couple
of old office countertops with cubbyholes underneath
were rescued from the District’s storage yard, and
gravel was recycled from some left over from a nearby
roads project. When I put it all together (with a little
help from my friends), planted some acorns walnuts
and buckeye seed and added a misting hose around the
perimeter, we had the Sycamore Grove nursery.
We were very successful at growing plants in the
nursery. Unfortunately, when it came time to plant
them in the park, we were less successful. Aside from
the water and rodent issues, the young seedlings also
suffered from bad planting times and locations and,
most of all, our previously mentioned inexperience.
Slowly but steadily however our skills improved.
We learned how early in the rainy season to plant in
our area for maximum growth time before the dry
summer. We experimented with different cages and
methods to protect the seedlings. The District open
space fire truck became available for watering which
allowed us to adequately get the plantings through the
summer and expand our operations a bit. Eventually
we began to wean the program off of the CCC stock
and began using more and more plants grown from
park seed which produce plants that are genetically
adapted to local growing conditions.
As our knowledge and skills expanded, so did
the park nursery. A few years ago we added a second
nursery area and a composting system that allows
us to make our own potting soil. We also have a
germination area for seeds and cuttings and a full
watering system complete with automatic timers.
We have been self sufficient for a while
now with pretty much everything
planted in the park originating from
the park.
As time went on we developed other
methods of propagation including
cuttings and segmenting which allowed
us to branch out into native shrubs like
coyote brush and sages. One of our
seasonal rangers got interested in native
grasses and began to grow them in the nursery
and plant them in Sycamore Grove. He eventually
received a masters degree in grassland restoration
doing his thesis project in the park. Currently he is
getting his PHD at UCSC.
As we look to the future, the planting program
continues to expand in new directions. Other rangers
and volunteers have started their own projects and
nowadays I often walk into the nursery and am
surprised at the things that are coming up. It’s good
to see the fresh ideas and experiments that the next
generation brings to the program as I have been
around long enough now to start pointing to large
trees and shrubs that I planted years ago. That brings
us back to the beginning of our story. The young man
in the truck was me. The trees we were watering were
planted by rangers who have long since moved on
or retired. They now tower above the bike path as a
mature grove
One generation plants the trees, the next one gets the
shade-Chinese proverb.
Park News
4
Wildflowers in bloom
As the rain storms become less frequent and the
ground dries out, some of the spring blooms will be
fading this month. But there is still time to spot many
colorful blooms such as purple wally baskets (also
known as Ithuriel’s spear), white woodland stars, and
orange California poppies. To see photos of a few
more go to our web site’s “Nature Notes” page at
www.larpd.dst.ca.us/open_space/nature_notes.html
and click on the “Livermore Spring Blooms” link.