Weasels in the Elfin Forest

A recent sighting serves as a reminder that some of the Elfin Forest's most fascinating residents are also the easiest to overlook. "I just saw a weasel chasing the bunnies at the little bench area on the way to Sienna's View," one local visitor reported. "I had forgotten about weasels being in the Elfin Forest." An additional sighting was reported on iNaturalist in October 2020.

Elusive, quick, and rarely seen, the long-tailed weasel (Neogale frenata) is a small but formidable predator quietly playing an important role in the local ecosystem.

Primarily nocturnal, long-tailed weasels are highly efficient hunters that help balance rodent populations. In habitats like the Elfin Forest, they are often found in coastal scrub and may take shelter in abandoned burrows.

Measuring roughly 12-15 inches in length, these slender Weasels in the Elfin Forest mammals have a rich brown coat that remains consistent throughout the year in coastal California. In colder regions, however, long-tailed weasels undergo a seasonal transformation, turning white in winter, known as the ermine phase.

Bat Walk Reveals Nightlife of the Elfin Forest

Retired biology instructor Ron Ruppert led participants on an evening walk that documented five bat species, and he's asking the community to help track local bat populations by reporting sightings. Ron shared many fascinating insights into the habits and mysteries of these elusive flying mammals. Using the Echo Meter Touch 2 with a Samsung (Android) tablet, Ron confirmed the presence of five different species of bats:

Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus)
- This was the first bat recorded but I did not discover that until analyzing the Echo Meter this morning. This is a large bat in our area. They are often solitary when roosting where they hang our under tree bark and on tree branches where they blend in by looking like leaves. They have broad wings allowing them to maneuver while chasing their prey. This is the ONLY land mammal found on the Hawaiian Islands.

Mexican Free-Tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis)
- I also missed this one early on but it showed up on the recorder. They have the mouse like tail that is not connected to the tail membrane thus "free." They form large colonies in caverns and under bridges such as the Yolo Bridge near Sacramento. They are the fastest bats in level flight and may be the fastest mammals recorded at nearly 100 mph! They are known to devour 25-50% of their body weight within a nightly 30 minute foraging flight.

Common, Bush or Sticky Monkey Flower

As I write this (late February), I anticipate the orange or golden tubes of the bush monkey flower to be one of the most common and obvious flowering shrub all along our immediate Pacific coast. It's one of the most common shrubs throughout the California Floristic Province, which extends from southern Oregon to northern Baja, Mexico, and west of the crest of the Cascade, Sierra, and Peninsular Ranges. In this county, at least four more or less recognizable types are known. The one around the San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay and Arroyo Grande areas has the flowers are borne on long stalks (pedicels), have shorter tubes, and are orange in color (Mimulus (and/or Diplacus) aurantiacus). This is form that Bonnie has drawn. I suspect it would make a great addition to any garden as it tolerant of a wide range of exposure, moisture, and soil type.

Common names include common sticky, or bush monkey flower. Monkey flower comes from the observation that one can recognize the face of a (laughing) monkey in the spot pattern of the fused petals (corolla). I have to admit, since coming to California, I have often looked for this face and have yet to see it in any of the species I have observed. In a search of the internet I found that others have had the same problem. One author even indicated that over active imaginations may be the source of the name. The adjectives, common, bush, and sticky are all appropriate as they are all descriptive of this monkey flower. First, it is the most common and widespread monkey flower in our area and the only one visible from the Boardwalk in the Elfin Forest. Bush refers to the fact that it is tall (up to 3 feet or 1 meter) somewhat woody, i.e. it is a shrub or bush. "Sticky" refers to the trichomes (hairs) that cover the leaves. They have a bulbous tip that breaks down into a sticky goo.

The scientific name does offer some confusion. The specific epithet (second name or aurantiacus) is generally no problem especially for the plants that grow here on the coast and in Elfin Forest. The name "aurantiacus" is derived from New Latin and means the color orange, which is the color of the corolla in our plants. But this species of monkey flower is extremely variable and changes color in different areas of it range. For example it's mostly yellow in our county in the Santa Lucia Mountains and eastward. The genus name is a bit more confusing. Is it Diplacus or Mimulus? I decided to do a little literature search on the Internet. It turns out there is not really scientific consensus on this question. Maybe a little history would be helpful.

Conservation Report

May 2

Eleven volunteers worked about 2 hours each at various tasks. Dave Bowlus removed a rotting wooden bench from Bush Lupin overlook. Natalie and Julia tackled the remaining Veldt Grasses along the path from 15th to 16th. Zarah and her mom dug up Narrow Leaf Ice Plant in various locations. Pat Brown pulled down and dug up Asparagus Vine in an area that's been infested in the past. James Solum, Mason Price, a new volunteer Shy Gardner and I trimmed the entrance to and all along the 11th Street sand trail. That left Thad Geer to battle the: "Freeway Ice Plant" that's encroaching into the Forest off 14th Street.

The Veldt Grasses, the Asparagus Vine, and all trail trimmings were jammed into over a dozen 30+ gallon "Contractor" bags. This was the first time we tried hauling away the trimmings. Chopping up chaparral bushes into semi-manageable pieces, filling the bags and dragging or rolling it all out of the Forest took a huge amount of time and energy. But THEN: we were left with the problem of how to dispose of it all. Many volunteered to take bags to their individual green waste bins. I know I hauled three. In the end, we had to leave four very full and heavy bags on the side of the 11th Street parking area. I asked Kali and she kindly sent out someone from County Parks to take them to the maintenance yard for Co. Parks for disposal. (Later I retrieved the bags to patch and reuse). This seems to be a less-than-desirable solution to the challenge of disposing of trail trimmings. My thanks goes to Steve and to Dean for emailing me their thoughts on this topic last month.

June 6

Eleven volunteers arrived ready to tackle multiple chores. Jeff Reifel and Keith Gardner took on the chore of removing encroaching "freeway ice plant" out of the Elfin Forest just beyond 14th Street parking area. This was met with resistance from one of the homeowners until another neighbor helped Jeff work out a solution that everyone could agree on. Dean Thompson trimmed areas along the lower boardwalk while Dave Bowlus repaired and painted those wooden benches which were in the worst shape. Pat Brown, Natalie Zaragoza, Angela Logan, Julia Ferguson,

Care of Elfin Forest Endemics in Your Garden

As fall approaches, it's time to prepare our gardens for the winter. Fall is also the ideal season to plant Elfin Forest favorites such as black sage (Salvia mellifera), buck brush (Ceanothus cuneatus), Morro manzanita (Arctostaphylos morroensis), and many others.

How do we prepare our gardens for winter?

Here are some steps we have developed over time. First, we like to walk through the garden and look closely at each area. Do some of these areas have old plants that need to be replaced? We sometimes take a note pad with us to write down our thoughts. Sometimes we like to do this after work, when we're feeling relaxed. If we are designing a garden plan, we ask ourselves, "What would grow here that I see on my nature walks?" This could take weeks, but knowing that the rains are coming can be encouraging. When possible, we try to match size to area. For example, a Ceanothus plant or a manzanita in a large sandy area along with Salvia mellifera would be appropriate.

We can't have fun all the time, so our next step is weeding. We prefer hand pulling, following up with mulch. When possible, use oak tree chippings as a soil top dressing to discourage weeds. In my experience, when mulch is applied too thin, it is ineffective. A thick layer of three inches will inhibit or kill most annual weeds. Perennials such as veldt grass will not be controlled with mulch. You must first remove established clumps of veldt grass by hand and then follow up with mulch to kill the seeds.

With warmer fall nights comes the need to keep a keen eye out for insect pests. Many pests will show up when you least expect them. Spider mites and aphids attack manzanitas (Arctostaphylos species), Ceanothus species, pacific wax myrtle (Myrica californica) and coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia). Luckily, we have a secret weapon—water. Using a spray nozzle, turn the operating dial to "jet" and rinse insects off an infected plant. You can safely control insect populations with a once-weekly early morning

Coming Up in the Elfin Forest

Autumn in our Elfin Forest remains colorful. Flowers on some species are changing as they age, often maturing into vibrant berries or seed heads. Birdlife continues to provide flitting streaks of color. Young hatched in spring are now maturing and feeding themselves. Some avian migrants will pause here on journeys southward. Others settle here for our mild winter, returning north to warming nesting regions in spring.

Yellow mock heather flowers (pictured) bloom from August into September. White dune buckwheat flowers age to pink, then rust. Honoring Halloween, the white flowers of black sage become robust black seed heads. Near the estuary, large bushes now carry the coffeeberries for which they are named (pictured), aging from yellow, through red, to black. Other flowers in autumn are California asters (white to pinkish or lavender petals around yellow central disks), seaside golden yarrow, coyote brush (fluffy white flowers), and dune buckwheat bush (white flowers of summer have aged to dark pink or rust). Birders in autumn will be looking for migrating species as well as our resident species. With climatic warming in recent decades, we miss seeing our estuary almost carpeted with huge flocks of migrating birds. However, there will still be at least some birds in those migrant species arriving to spend winters with us, or pausing in passing through during their migrations to Central or South America. They seek warmer weather and much better food supplies than their nesting areas can provide in northern winters.

Resident and migrant dabbling ducks to look for include mallards, northern pintails, gadwalls, American wigeons, northern shovelers, blue-winged teal, cinnamon teal, and green-winged teal. Diving ducks could include ringnecked, canvasback, bufflehead, common goldeneye, red-breasted merganser, and ruddy ducks. Horned, eared, piedbilled, western, and Clark's grebes also may be seen until March or April. Shorebirds such as sandpipers, dowitchers, and the American avocet (pictured) reach peak populations by the end of autumn.

Of course, we continue to have many resident birds in our Elfin Forest, such as California scrub jays, California quail, spotted towhees, and bushtits. We also host brush or woodland birds migrating through or wintering. Fox, Lincoln's, and goldencrowned sparrows join our resident

WALKS in the ELFIN FOREST
Docent-Led Third Saturday Walks

Reservations required.
To reserve a spot on the walk, email us at walks@elfin.forest.org and indicate the number in your party in the subject line of your email.

* September 19, 9:30 a.m. - Learn about Oaks and Acorns with Zarah Wyly
* October 17, 9:30am - Learn about the 9 Sisters, Salt Marsh, and Bay with Faylla Chapman
* November 21, 9:30am - Explore Potions and Poisons with Jeff Reifel and Barb Renshaw.

Walks begin at times stated above at the north end (1100 block) of 15th Street off Santa Ysabel in Los Osos. Wear closed-toe shoes, long sleeves and pants to avoid poison oak and mosquitoes. Park carefully, avoiding driveways and mailboxes, and leave pets at home. The easy-paced walks last 1-1/2 to 2 hours. For more information or if you use a wheelchair, call (805) 528-0392.

Thank You to Our Generous Members