Plant habitats of California

[Tom Barr]

Here's a photo journal of the locations and habitats in California USA, I took at these pictures the last 1-2 years.

Can you guess what plant this is growing in the Santa Ynez river in Santa Barbara?

Veronica anagularis-aquatica!
It's green in the aquarium but in very hard water and limited N, it turns very red and grows slow.

Echinodorus is also present in the Santa Ynez, I've extended the known range 25 miles up river, this is Ech. berteroi, the cellophane sword, very pretty plant! This is an emergent form with a huge floral spike.

And the coast near Trinity state beach, the wave is about 15-20 meters tall!

Ludwigia repens from Florida in about 20 ft of water growing on limestone. Farther up the bank is shallow water with nutrient rich mud and much more light, the same species is green.
Note, this is Florida, not California.

More to come

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Tom Barr]

Tidepools here, I keep marine tanks as well.

A prime evil redwood stream

Callitriches macrophylla in Yosemite national park, Spring.

Willow moss red due to low Nitrogen in the same stream.
Weird!

Callichtriche and crow's foot at Folsom lake not far from where I live.
Lupine along the lake bank:

Me by the "Seahag":

Darlingtonia (native Carnivoruous plant) at 8000ft at a nice alpine lake.

Water cress falls:

Fern canyon, Redwood state park, Parire Creek, CA

The oldest tree in the world, Pinus longevia:

Hipperus vulgaris at Lake Tahoe:

Here's a Redwood tree:

A nice little liverwort growing in a redwood stream:

More to come

 

[Tom Barr]

This is the world's largest living tree/thing.
At Sequoia national park:

The redwoods are the tallest, about 110 meters.

Mt Lassens volcano:
See the Crow's foot growing in the stream?
Hard to beat this place.

Giant Alpine Pondweed:

Burney Falls is awesome.

Monkey flower growing permanently submersed in the Burney River.

There's quite a few nice aquatic plants near here.
As well as other neat places:

enjoy

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[MaikundSuse]

Hello Tom!

Very nice pictures und nice landscape!
Can you tell me the name of this plant?

I think I have this plant in my tank (involuntary).
Very irritating to collect it out of my Hemianthus callitrichoides every week. :evil:

But very interesting to see how our plants grow in the nature!
So you don´t need pet shops.
You can go out and collect the plants for your tank.
Enviable!

Greetings
Maik

 

[Sabine68]

Hello Tom.

thank you for the wonderful pictures
It's very interisting.
Is it allowed to collect plants?
I think in Germany it is mostly forbidden.

I hope you understand my english. 20 years ago there were my last english lessons

regards
Sabine

 

[Tom Barr]

Hello Tom!

Very nice pictures und nice landscape!
Can you tell me the name of this plant?

I think I have this plant in my tank (involuntary).
Very irritating to collect it out of my Hemianthus callitrichoides every week. :evil:

But very interesting to see how our plants grow in the nature!
So you don´t need pet shops.
You can go out and collect the plants for your tank.
Enviable!

Greetings
Maik

Hallo Maik, this is Utricularia vulgaris, it's about 3-4 cm in diameter, the weed you have is Utricularia gibbla, far worst than algae as it's a plant and very tough to get rid of.

The plant I showed is a nice Utricularia, much like U. grammifiola or U. stellaris.

To remove the U gibba, you have to replant and pick the entire tank clean as you replant. A lot of work!

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Tom Barr]

Hello Tom.

thank you for the wonderful pictures
It's very interisting.
Is it allowed to collect plants?
I think in Germany it is mostly forbidden.

I hope you understand my english. 20 years ago there were my last english lessons

regards
Sabine

Many of the plants are considered "weeds".
Many of these are in national parks or state parks where it's illegal to collect.
But outside the parks, in irrigation canals and ditches, many of these plants grow.
A snip of a piece for vegetative propagation is likely okay or collecting of seeds is likely alright, but do not let them see you

I take pictures mostly or collect outside the parks etc. But those places are not as photogentic.
It's easier collecting pictures and doing research collecting than trying to avoid the Law


I do not suggets the latter, hehe.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Pflanzenfreund]

Hallo Tom

Auf dem ersten Bild ganz oben ist das die Ammannia gracilis?

 

[Ulla]

Hi Tom,

wonderful pictures of California's natural habitats and very interesting information!

A few weeks ago we were in California, too and I had the chance to walk along the Rubicon River, Lake Tahoe and some of the smaller Lakes in between. These are really wonderful places.

 

[Tom Barr]

Hallo Tom

Auf dem ersten Bild ganz oben ist das die Ammannia gracilis?

Nien, est Venronica anagularis aquatica

Looks like Ammannia though!

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Tom Barr]

Hi Tom,

wonderful pictures of California's natural habitats and very interesting information!

A few weeks ago we were in California, too and I had the chance to walk along the Rubicon River, Lake Tahoe and some of the smaller Lakes in between. These are really wonderful places.

The Rubicon is awesome! Great for 4 wheel driving and Moto cross!

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Tom Barr]

More:

A pond in a redwood forest:

Our native and rare golden trout (these are from a farm) :

And a nice wild one form the upper Kern River:

Close up of the submersed monkey flower: