CNDDB News Blog

Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum – Santa Cruz long-toed salamander
Submitted by Noah Morales

Noah spotted this juvenile Santa Cruz long-toed salamander crossing a road and some train tracks northwest of Watsonville in Santa Cruz county. This salamander sub-species is endemic to California and can be found under rocks, logs, or wood around the Monterey Bay coast in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. It is listed as endangered under both the federal Endangered Species Act and California Endangered Species Act, due to loss of habitat to land development. Adults spend most of their lives underground, using tunnels created by burrowing mammals to get around, only coming out during breeding season. These creatures may be tiny, but they are completely carnivorous! Their diet consists of small crustaceans, worms, spiders, and other invertebrates. Larger Santa Cruz long-toed salamander larvae have also been known to cannibalize smaller larvae. Currently, CNDDB has 26 occurrences across their native range. Many thanks to Noah for snapping a picture of such a rare and incredible species!

Veratrum fimbriatum – fringed false-hellebore
Submitted by Ayla Mills

This month’s amazing find was discovered by Ayla Mills in Mendocino County. Ayla is an ecologist working for Prunuske Chatham, Inc. on natural resource assessment, vegetation monitoring, and reporting for parks and preserves throughout the North Bay. She shows her passion for California’s native plants through her experience in invasive plant research, native plant propagation, and her participation in California Native Plant Society conferences as well as Jepson Herbarium workshops.

Veratrum fimbriatum was first listed in the CNPS Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants in 1974 and is currently considered a California Rare Plant Rank 4.3 species (plants of limited distribution; not very threatened in California). It is found growing in mesic bogs and fens, coastal scrub, meadows and seeps, as well as North Coast coniferous forests. The flowering structure is known as a panicle, meaning it has several branching points with flowers off each branching point. In V. fimbriatum the flowers are deeply fringed which is one of the defining characters for this species. These fringed blooms can be found in late summer from July through September. Thank you, Ayla, for sharing your amazing photo and the passion and experience you contribute to rare plant conservation!

CDFW photos by Katie Ferguson

This spring, Sacramento City College will offer a virtual version of their field botany course. This is a valuable opportunity for those new to botany to learn about the flora of California, and for veteran botanists to brush up on the basics.

In this course students will learn how to identify many common plant families and species and learn how to use the Jepson Manual for plant identification. There will be a weekly in-class meeting via Zoom as well as pre-recorded videos. The instructor will also distribute plant specimens so that students can get hands-on experience with dissection and keying.

If you are interested in learning more about California’s beautiful and diverse flora, 2021 might be an ideal time to take this field botany course thanks to the flexible nature of virtual learning. If you have any questions about this course, please contact Lisa Serafini at serafil@scc.losrios.edu.

Taricha rivularis – red-bellied newt
Submitted by Sheila McCarthy

Sheila was in eastern Sonoma county when she came across this critter crossing a trail. Red-bellied newts are a California Species of Special Concern and are endemic to California. You can find them in redwood and coastal forests from southern Humboldt county to Lake and Sonoma counties. There has also been an isolated population confirmed in Santa Clara county. They are mainly terrestrial but will breed in streams. When rain starts in the fall, adults will start to move around, find food, and eventually head to streams to reproduce. Red-bellied newts have poisonous secretions that come out of their skin to protect them from predation. If they are eaten in large quantities, they can kill most animals and even humans! However, their main predator, the common gartersnake, has a high resistance to tetrodotoxin and can consume them without harm. This newt species has an impressive longevity too – estimated between 20 and 30 years! Their diet consists of many types of invertebrates and they are usually active at night and late afternoon. Agriculture and urban development pose a threat because of the alteration and degradation of streams these processes require. The development of natural areas can also bring more vehicle traffic which poses a serious threat to this small species, especially during migrations to breeding areas. Currently, the CNDDB has 136 red-bellied newt occurrences throughout its range. Many thanks to Sheila for snapping a great shot of this tiny but mighty species!

Cladium californicum – California sawgrass
Submitted by Joy England

This fascinating grass was discovered by Joy England and Duncan Bell in Inyo County. Joy and Duncan went out looking for this grass as part of California Botanic Garden’s effort, working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to conduct status assessments of native species considered at risk of decline. For any questions on the status assessment effort, please contact the principal investigator: Naomi Fraga, Director of Conservation Programs, California Botanic Garden at nfraga@calbg.org. Cladium californicum was first listed in the CNPS Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants in 2006 and is currently on California Rare Plant Rank 2B.2 (plants rare, threatened, or endangered in California, but more common elsewhere; moderately threatened in California). In California it is found growing in meadows, seeps and alkaline or freshwater marshes and swamps throughout the central coast and southern California. Outside of California it can be found across Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and as far east as Texas. Blooms of C. californicum can be found throughout the summer from June to September. Thank you Joy for your work checking on the status of this amazing grass and thanks to both Naomi and Joy for their continued work protecting California’s native plants!

Do you have some great photos of rare plants or wildlife detections? Submit them along with your findings through our Online Field Survey Form and see if your photos get showcased!