Richardson Springs
Map SatelliteLocated in the rolling foothills, this area is a particularly attractive example of the foothill woodland community. Gray pine, Pinus sabiniana, California bay, Umbellularia californica, and several oaks, blue, Quercus douglasii, canyon, Quercus chrysolepis, interior live, Quercus wislizenii, and valley, Quercus lobata, form the relatively open overstory. Buckeye, Aesculus californica, is also present. Coffeeberry, Rhamnus californica, buck brush, Ceanothus cuneatus, goldfields, Lasthenia californica, yellow carpet, Blennosperma nanum, a shooting star, Dodecatheon clevelandii ssp. patulum, bird's eye gilia, Gilia tricolor, and several species of Brodiaea are abundant.
Coyotes, Canis latrans, and mountain lions, Felis concolor, are found in the canyon. Among the numerous birds, the silky flycatcher, Phainopepla nitens, breeds near the springs.
Mud Creek, which is fed by several saline-sulphur springs, traverses the area. The shaded canyons and open woodlands provide an excellent habitat for a variety of mammals, birds, and other animals.
Integrity: The area is relatively undisturbed. At the end of the access road there are cabins and a hotel which were once part of a popular spa built around the five saline-sulphur springs found in the immediate vicinity. (There was also a natural gas well which was used by the hotel.) At the present, the area is owned by a religious organization.
Use: Private
March 1975
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
