Interconnected Story Placards (V2- simpler)
Soap Plant
Soap Plant
I am a bulb and you will recognize me by my 1-inch wide wavy green leaves.
American Indians mixed my bulb with water to create a soap.
Acorns
Acorns
We are a nutritious food for larvae, jays, squirrels, deer, and indigenous peoples.
Mortar and Pestle
Mortar and Pestle
We are a grinding tool made and used by native peoples to crush acorns or nuts into a powdery meal or flour.
Many
cooks still use use us in their kitchens today.
Gray Squirrel
Gray Squirrel
I am a small rodent with a bushy tail that lives in the oak
woodlands.
You will see me climbing trees and burying my acorns for winter.
Acorn Woodpecker
Acorn Woodpecker
I am a handsome bird with black, red and white feathers.
I prefer eating mostly insects. I peck holes into decaying tree to store acorns for winter.
Field Mustard
Field Mustard
I am a non-native species of mustard.
Farmers like to plant me to help improve the soil.
Soap Plant Mount Diablo
Mount Diablo
At 3,849 ft high, Mount Diablo, a part of the Diablo Range, offers spectacular views of the Bay Area and well beyond.
Soap Plant Galindo Creek
Galindo Creek
I can rise rapidly during heavy rains changing course and carving the landscape. I provide the deer and wildlife water.
Soap Plant
Yarrow
Bob Brittain
Yarrow
I have delicate lacy looking, gray-green leaves and a flat fan of white flowers.
Native Americans created a tea from my leaves to help with stomach problems.
Lupine
Barey Howard
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.
Soap Plant
Christopher Foster
California Poppy
California Poppy
I am the state flower.
My flowers only open up when the sun is out.
Native Americans used my orange root as a medicine against headaches and stomachaches.
Soap Plant
Ground Squirrel
Scott Hein
Ground Squirrel
I have a bushy tail and brown mottled fur.
When I am frightened by a predator like a hawk, I run into my burrow for safety.
Common Raven
David Hoffmann
Common Raven
I look like a crow but am bigger. I am completely black and very smart. My mate and I hunt for smaller birds and mammals.
Blue Oaks
Scott Hein
Blue Oak
I am a bluish-green colored oak with wavy leaves.
Native
Americans used many parts of me to make baskets, bowls and utensils.
Soap Plant California Buttercup
California Buttercup
I am a bright, shiny yellow flower that may be swaying on a windy slope under blue oaks.
Poison Oak
Poison Oak
I am a vine. My leaves “come in threes” and they have an oil that most people are allergic to. If you brush up against me, you may get an itchy rash!
California Buckeye
California Buckeye
I am a beautiful tree that grows near water.
I have palmate leaves and candlestick shaped whitish flowers. My big brown seeds are poisonous to all but squirrels.
Maidenhair Fern
Scott Hein
Maidenhair Fern
You will find me on a shady, moist bank.
I have bright green rounded leaves.
Bay Laurel
California Bay Laurel
Crush my narrow leaves and you will smell the oil I release.
I was and am used to flavor cooking.
Miner’s Lettuce
Miner’s Lettuce
I
grow
in shaded, moist areas.
I have a spongy, thick round leaf that is rich in Vitamin C.
American Indians ate my seeds and Gold Rush miners my leaves.
Clay Soils
Clay Soil
I am soil made up of lots of fine particles that soak up the water slowly.
Fungi
Scott Hein
Fungus/Fungi
I am a mushroom, see my fruit body above the ground.
I help break down minerals and dead materials.
Kestrel
American kestrel
I am a small falcon that eats insects, and small animals like mice, lizards, and songbirds.
Coyote Brush
Coyote Brush
I am a hardy bush that grows in chaparral or dryer areas. My roots hold onto the soil and I provide shelter for many small animals.
Desert Olive
Desert Olive
I am a native olive tree you will see on our hike.
I live over a natural underground spring of water.
Milkweed
Denise Castro
Milkweed
I am an important weed because the caterpillars of the Monarch butterfly rely 100% on me for food.
Be
sure to protect me!