Llano Seco Area
Map SatelliteHere the Sacramento River is some 300-plus meters (1,000 feet) wide and flows in sinuous patterns through most of this area. Oxbow lakes and cut-off meanders are common, indicating the frequent shifting of the river.
Several communities are found here, including a well-developed riparian woodland with cottonwood, Populus fremontii, sycamore, Platanus racemosa, and various willows, Salix spp. There are also valley oak, Quercus lobata, woodlands and freshwater marshes. The latter include cattail, Typha sp., bulrush, Scirpus sp., and Ludwigia peploides. The rare Hibiscus californicus is found here.
There is a variety of animal life, though the agricultural activity in the area has made it less abundant than in other areas where the riparian community is present. The rare yellow-billed cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus occidentalis, nests here.
Integrity: The deeper soils in the area have been utilized for intensive agriculture. Current use is compatible with remaining undisturbed areas.
Use: Private. The river is, of course, navigable and some of the land area may be publicly owned; use of the latter should be for research, educational and observational purposes.
August 1977
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman