I am a bulb and you will recognize me by my 1-inch wide wavy green leaves.
American Indians found several uses for me, one was mixing my bulb with water to form suds that helped in washing hair.
We serve as nutritious food to larvae, jays, squirrels, deer, and indigenous
We are a mortar bowl or depression in rock and a rounded stone pestle used to pound and crush acorns or nuts into a powdery meal or flour.
We are still a tool used in kitchens today.
I am a small rodent with a bushy tail that lives in the oak woodlands. My double jointed ankles allow my feet to face frontwards and backwards.
You will see me climbing trees and burying my acorns for winter.
I am a handsome bird with contrasting black, red and white feathers.
I prefer eating mostly insects. I do however
store acorns in old snags just in case I need more food in the winter.
I am an invasive, non-native species of mustard. My bright yellow flowers are made up of four small petals and I can grow quite tall in open fields.
Farmers like to plant me to help improve the soil’s fertility.
Stephen Joseph
At 3,849 ft high, Mount Diablo, a part of the Diablo Range, offers spectacular views of the Bay Area and well beyond.
In 1931 Mount Diablo State Park opened to the public.
I can rise rapidly during heavy rains changing course and carving the landscape. I provide the deer and wildlife a source of water.
Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium)
I have delicate lacy looking, gray-green leaves and a flat fan of white flowers. My scientific name is after the Greek god Achilles who used the plant on his wounded soldiers to stop bleeding.
Native Americans created a tea from my leaves to help with stomach problems.
You will find me on a sunny grassland slope. I have beautiful palm-shaped leaves, my flowers can be blue, purple, white, or yellow.
I attract butterflies and birds.
Christopher Foster
I am the state flower. My flowers only open up when the sun is out.
Native
Americans used my orange root as a medicine to reduce headaches and stomachaches.
I have a bushy tail and brown mottled fur. I like to run around the fields and when I am frightened by predators like a hawk, I run into my burrow network for safety.
I look like a crow but am bigger. I am completely black and very smart. My mate and I often circle about high in the sky looking for ways to raid smaller bird nests, or a fresh carcass.
I am a bluish-green colored oak with wavy leaves.
My leaves were chewed to relieve sore throats and my wood, burls and other parts were used to make baskets, bowls and utensils.
I am a bright, shiny yellow flower that may be swaying on a windy slope under blue oaks.
I will come back year after year to bring spring cheer.
I am a vine with “leaves of three that you
should let be.” I give off an oil that most people are allergic to and that causes an itchy skin rash. Learn to recognize and avoid me!
I am a beautiful tree that grows near water.
I have palmate leaves and candlestick shaped whitish pinkish flowers. My big brown seeds are poisonous to all but squirrels.
You will find me on a shady, moist bank. I have bright green rounded leaves. Unfortunately, I am a carrier of Sudden Oak Death, a fungal disease that can harm oak trees.
Crush my narrow long leaves and you will smell
the camphor oil I release. I was and am used to flavor cooking. My leaves can be used in teas to help treat sore throat and cold symptoms.
I grow in shaded, moist areas and have a spongy, thick saucer-shaped leaf that is rich in Vitamin C.
Indians ate my seeds and Gold Rush miners my leaves.
I am soil made up of lots of fine particles that soak up the water slowly.
Look for animal tracks left on me during the wet months that have become baked into me.
I am a mushroom, see my fruit body above the ground.
Underground I am a huge network of interconnected strands that help break down minerals in the soil.
I am a small agile falcon that eats insects, and small animals like mice, lizards, and smaller songbirds.
I depend on standing dead trees as nesting sites, so please leave the snags behind!
I am a hardy bush that grows in chaparral or dryer areas. My yellow-white flowers attract many insects. I help stabilize the ground from erosion and provide habitat for birds.
A natural spring provides enough water for this olive grove to survive in this northern most part of its range.
I am an important weed because the endangered Monarch caterpillars rely 100% on me for food before they can grow and change into a beautiful big butterfly!