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Map Satellite In this pocket of undeveloped land is one of the few remaining stands of valley oak, Quercus lobata, in Sacramento. This remnant stand is of a mixed age and is producing seedlings. There is a small, dense understory which includes blue elderberry, Sambucus mexicana, and some 50 other plants, many exotics.
The vertebrate animals are typical, though there is a nesting pair of white-tailed kites, Elanus leucurus. There are, however, two invertebrates, the California hairstreak butterfly, Satyrium californica, and a long-horned beetle, Desmocerus californicus dimorphus, worthy of note. The butterfly is a recently discovered race which here feeds on the valley oak; the typical form feeds on Ceanothus spp. At present, less than a dozen populations of this race are known. Less than six populations of the beetle, which feeds on the elderberry, have been discovered. In this area 33 other species of butterflies have been collected, which represent 54% of the known butterflies in the Valley.
The site is on an alluvial plain.
Integrity: The area is adjacent to various urban developments and the understory shows the usual disturbance caused by the introduction of exotic species. The oaks are in excellent condition.
Use: Private
October 1977
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
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