Facing Drought in California, 2012

What does the face of drought look like? Plants that typically should be robust and green in March displaying leaves curled from water stress.

non-native spider plant

native currant

Natives like the currant which should be blooming, this year are producing only leaves. There are ramifications for later in the year. A lack of blooms means no summer fruit. Birds and small mammals will find less to eat in August and September.

native bush anenome

Are we really looking into the eyes of a long dry summer? I keep track of the rainfall in my yard. There is a reason why the California slender salamanders aren’t out and about and why the bush anemone is looking stressed. We have had very little rain this season.


From October to April is our rainy season. In 2010, our first measurable rain arrived on October 6th and by the end of February we had received 12.58 inches of rain. This year our rainy season began on October 5th, but as of today, March 5, 2012, we have received only 5.375 inches.


The average annual rainfall in Los Angeles since 1878 is 14.98 inches. Typically, weather forecasters measure our rainfall against a rounded-up 15 inches. If you look at the graph of annual recorded rainfall, patterns are tricky to spot. There are years of less than 5 inches spiked with years of 20 or 30 inches.

seasonal rainfall numbers sourced from National Weather Service

But if you delve a bit deeper into the numbers you see that the mean amount of rainfall since 1878 is 13.19 inches (a few years of heavy rainfall actually push the average up). Over the last 50 years the mean amount of rainfall has dropped to 12.48 inches. The two lowest years are 2002 (4.42 inches) and 2007 (3.21 inches).


If rain doesn’t arrive soon, we will probably arrive in June with a total of less than 8 inches of rain, drought levels. This impacts every living thing in Southern California, from frogs and fish, to agriculture and humans. The hillsides and their wild residents can’t ask for more water from a river far away. They have to survive on what falls from the sky.

battered mourning cloak butterfly

The mourning cloak butterfly has awoken from its winter hibernation ready to find a mate and breed. But it is tattered by a long year of wandering and the flower blooms that it needs to survive are few and far between.

Fungus Among Us - Amphibians and the Global Chytrid Fungus Crisis

Why are frog, toad and salamander populations declining worldwide? What is the Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis fungus and why is it a threat to local amphibian populations?

7:30 PM Thursday, February 2

I'll be presenting:

Fungus Among Us:

Amphibians and the Global Chytrid Fungus Crisis

Around the amphibians are facing unprecedented rates of extinction and one of the reasons is a fungus. Southern Californians move through a variety of wildlife habitats and areas. You can play an important role in protecting endangered amphibians by being aware of the chytrid fungus. I'll debunk the myths and misconceptions about chytrid fungus and provide specific suggestions on how we can all help save the frogs, toads and salamanders that are facing threats from this fungus throughout Southern California.


I'll be speaking at the monthly meeting of the Del Air Rockhounds at:
Northridge United Methodist Church 
9650 Reseda Blvd, Northridge, CA 91324 
Guests Are Always Welcome At Their Meetings & Events

Amphibians of Autumn

A cool autumn day and a nighttime shower, this is my favorite time of year and a time for California’s precious amphibians.

We think of cold-blooded or ectothermic creatures as sun lovers, but amphibians must balance temperature with moisture. Summers in California are hot and dry, but our autumn and winter climate is moderate with occasional showers.

On these mild nights rain invites amphibians out of their hiding places to frolic. This California toad has been visiting a friends’ yard.

We’ve spotted our young garden slender salamanders born last spring. And students of mine have seen Pacific tree frogs and a different species of slender salamander in their yards. 

This species of slender salamander has distinct rings along its body giving it a striking resemblance to an earthworm. It is much larger and stockier than the garden slender salamanders in our yard.

Amphibians are part of our local wildlife, but too frequently they disappear first when development or human impacts alter nature’s delicate balance. Frogs, toads and salamanders eat insects and other arthropods. They also are an important food source for mammals and birds. An ecosystem without amphibians is missing a main pillar of balance.

There is something remarkably resilient about amphibians. They have evolved from an ancient line of creatures that first left the primordial seas to live on land. They’ve survived major cataclysms including the end of the dinosaurs. Shouldn’t your yard be safe for them?

The next time you reach for insecticide or herbicide, pause for just a moment. If your yard isn’t safe for amphibians, is it safe for you and those you love? 

Green Action #2 - Understanding Local Biodiversity

Focusing for a month on the sustainability of the food we eat has changed how my husband and I think about food.

February is a short month, but the Green Action I’m taking this month is to become a more active participant in understanding our local biodiversity.

This is a photo of a slender salamander in our yard. We live in one of the world’s largest cities, yet we have a population of these tiny amphibians that make their home on our hillside. Some of their close relatives, other slender salamander populations, are highly endangered because of habitat loss. We’re moving plants and structures around in our yard, but we know that these creatures are part of our specific biodiversity. We always keep an eye out for them when we are digging in the yard and try not to change the natural drainage of the hillside because it could have a negative effect on the salamanders.

If you don’t think there are any wild animals or plants where you live then you haven’t looked up and seen a bird or looked down and noticed the seedling growing up from the crack in the concrete. Living things are all around us, but we have become disconnected from them. Backyard Biodiversity Project

We can teach young students that rainforest and arctic ecosystems are endangered, but unless they can connect their daily actions to cause and effect, they won’t change their behavior. Adults are the best example of this. How many of us donate money to save an animal or an ecosystem far away, but have no idea what lives within 10 miles of our homes and might be endangered or threatened by our daily actions?

February offers several opportunities to learn more about what lives around you and to participate in Citizen Science Projects. You can play an important role helping scientists understand what species live where and how they are doing.

So here are the specific plans I have for this month:

1. Organize 2 birdwalks for Cornell University’s Great Backyard Bird Count President’s Day weekend.
   
2. Establish a site survey bird-counting area at Serrania Avenue Park in Woodland Hills through ebird. (I went out and did my first count this morning, 23 species)
3. Learn more about local amphibian and reptile species.
4. Find at least one new way I can help local plant and animal biodiversity.

Tomorrow I’ll post the specific information about Great Backyard Bird Count and how you can participate.