Hobbies And Interests
Shore Pine
This oft-contorted tree is actually a variety of Lodgepole pine, a conifer familiar across huge expanses of the western U.S., from the Great Plains to the east slope of the Cascade Range. Often situated on headlands and the edge of dunes on the Pacific Coast, shore pine frequently grows in twisted fashion, the product of exposure to salt and ocean storm winds. Defined by paired needles some two inches long and slightly curved cones, shore pine grows at elevations approaching 2,000 feet.
Coast Redwood
This is the tallest tree in the world, reaching heights of at least 380 feet. The redwood's close relative, the giant sequoia, which grows further east in the Sierra Nevada, is more massive, the biggest of all trees.) Once more widely distributed, coast redwoods today are found only in northwestern California and a small section of southwestern Oregon, mainly confined to the coastal fog-belt . The ocean fog helps nourish them during the summer dry season.
Pacific Madrone
The Pacific madrone is an evergreen broad-leaf tree, the most northerly on the continent. Easily distinguished by its rubbery leaves and fiery, peeling bark, madrones are common to the understory of the redwood forest, and also grow in the drier interior of Mendocino County. White, clustered flowers spray in springtime; the striking orange berries persist from late summer often through winter.
Blueblossom
Ranging from the Pacific shore to upper elevations of the coastal ranges, the blueblossom is an evergreen shrub noted for its springtime displays of blue flowers. Its preferred habitat ranges from deep conifer forests, including redwood groves, to the scrubby woodlands of hardy shrubs and trees called chaparral. Landscape disturbances like wildfire may pave the way for temporary flourishes of blueblossom thickets.
Common Manzanita
This is one of the defining shrubs (or small trees) of Mendocino County and surrounding regions. Common manzanita, recognized by its coin-shaped evergreen leaves, deep brown-red bark and twisted branches, is a major component of chaparral woodlands and scrubland in this part of California. Animals from black-tailed deer to human beings favor the berries: Indigenous Californians concocted manzanita cider from the fruits, which often hang through the winter. Grizzly bears, now extirpated from California, once favored chaparral jungles partly for their manzanita crops.