Photos of the Month: March
Thamnophis hammondii – Two-striped gartersnake
Submitted by Noah Morales
Noah found this two-striped gartersnake in Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara county. As seen in his photo above, these gartersnakes get their name from the light stripe along each side of the body. They occur along the central and south coast in California. They are typically found near water where they feed on aquatic prey including fish and amphibians. Two-striped gartersnakes are a CDFW Species of Special Concern and have disappeared or declined in portions of their range due to habitat loss and stream alteration. Many thanks to Noah for this awesome detection!
Fritillaria pluriflora – adobe-lily
Submitted by Ryan Elliott
This eye-catching flower was featured in our March 2nd Taxon of the Week. Ryan Elliott has since found more in Glenn County! Fritillaria pluriflora is named for the many stunning pink flowers each plant produces (pluriflora means "many flowered"). It was originally listed in 1974 and is currently considered as a 1B.2 (rare or endangered in California and elsewhere, fairly endangered in California) in the California Rare Plant Ranking system. Fritillaria pluriflora can be found in chaparral, cismontane woodland, as well as valley and foothill grasslands most often in adobe soils. It blooms early in the year, flowering from February to April, making it some of the first flowers to add color to the landscape. Thank you, Ryan, for this amazing photo and all the great work you do!
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