>Map >Satellite Grass Lake lies in the middle of a large sphagnum bog, bordered by a conifer forest, and supports a boreal bog flora, an unusual flora in the Sierra.
The perimeter of the area is a conifer forest with lodgepole pine, Pinus murrayana, and Jeffrey pine, Pinus jeffreyi, the dominants. There are groves of quaking aspen, Populus tremuloides, and various willows, Salix spp., present. Yellow pond-lily, Nuphar luteum ssp. polysepalum, is found in the open water of the lake.
Numerous species of plants are found in the bog area including Sphagnum spp., sundew, Drosera rotundifolia, corn-lily, Veratrum californicum, the rein orchids, Platanthera leucostachys and Platanthera sparsiflora, cotton-grass, Eriophorum gracile, numerous rush, Juncus, and sedge, Carex, species. This area is one of the few places in the Sierra where Carex limosa is found.
Portions of the bog are underlain by water, thus forming a true quaking bog. A number of streamlets feed the bog and lake. Grass Lake Creek, a tributary of the Upper Truckee River, drains the lake.
Integrity: The area is virtually undisturbed, though there are temporary campsites along the northern edge.
Use: Educational, research, observational. The bog is fragile.
September 1975
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2008 Steven Louis Hartman
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