Diario del proyecto Eaton Canyon Biodiversity Project

Every year Los Angeles County teachers use Eaton Canyon and other natural areas to enhance their biology and botany coursework. Students are often sent out to make observations using iNaturalist, learning about the biodiversity of the San Gabriel Mountains and foothills.

Here are some tips to get the most out of this experience and possibly create life-long naturalists.

As a teacher, it is a good idea to become familiar and comfortable with iNaturalist yourself before asking students to do the same. If you are new to iNaturatist or looking for tips on how to enhance your classroom experience, please read the Teacher’s Guide on iNaturalist.

The Getting Started section on iNaturalist is a good place for students to begin.

Rather than have students upload observations and wild guess what species they saw, students can virtually explore over 1,000 species catalogued by the Eaton Canyon Biodiversity Project. The species in the project are sorted by the number of verified observations made within the canyon on iNaturalist. So the most common species, ones your students will most likely observe, are listed first. By reviewing the Species Organized by Taxa page, they will gain familiarity with what they might encounter during an in-person visit to Eaton Canyon.

iNaturalist is often not the best tool for younger students. Instead, Seek by iNaturalist may prove more appropriate. Seek provides important tools such as automated species identification and nature journaling while using a simplified interface. In short, Seek is a remarkably powerful tool that may be better adapted to the educational needs of elementary school students while iNaturalist may be the better choice for middle and high school classes

The Cuscutas (Dodder) of Eaton Canyon and the San Gabriel Mountains
By Susan Hopkins aka squirrelbait revised 12/25/2021

It can be difficult to believe that these plants are part of the morning-glory family, Convolvulaceae. Cuscuta’s are a parasitic vine which climbs other plants and takes nutrition directly from them via haustoria, a root-like structure. Dodder resembles a pile of yellow-orange straw wrapped tightly around its host plant. It is mostly stem, the leaves are reduced to scales on the stem's surface, since they are not needed for photosynthesis while the dodder is obtaining nutrients from its host. It bears tiny white flowers which are only about 3 millimeters wide, and fruits which are even smaller.

There are two common species of dodder in the San Gabriel Mountains, Cuscuta californica and Cuscuta subinclusa. While at first glance they appear very similar, there is a way to tell them apart. By their host plants and their flowers.

Let’s start by looking at Cuscuta species that you are unlikely to find and get them out of the way.

There are 3 rare Cuscuta that occur in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Cuscuta campestris on herbs and shrubs Elevation < 350m
Rounded calex, like a little ball.

Cuscuta denticulata Found in desert scrublands and Joshua tree woodlands
Tiny flowers shorter then wide, little teeth.

Cuscuta indecora on herbs, Maybe Lytle Creek Canyon, super rare
Very pale threads

Cuscuta pacifica
There is a forth Cuscuta that tends to show up on the iNaturalist suggestion bar, Cuscuta pacifica or Pacific Goldenthread. C. pacifica is a halophyte, meaning that it is a salt-tolerant plant that grows in soil or waters of high salinity, living in coastal salt march habitats. Which means, you are not going to find this cuscuta in the San Gabriel Mountains or Eaton Canyon.

A hand lens is recommended for inspecting the flowers.

Cuscuta californica, California Dodder
Flowers: Shallow bell, with long filaments

Host plants: Parasitizes herb & shrubs; non-woody perennials and annuals

California Buckwheat* Eriogonum fasciculatum
White Sage Salvia apiana
Black Sage * Salvia mellifera
Yerba Santa* Eriodictyon crassifolium
Scale Broom/Broom Sage * Lepidospartum squamatum
Showy Penstemon * Penstemon spectabilis
Southern Monkey Flower * Diplacus longiflorus
Deerweed *
Phacelia (seen on an iNaturalist observation)
Pine-Bush (seen on an iNaturalist observation) Ericameria pinifolia
California Croton (jrebman observation) Croton Californicus

California Lilacs ** Ceanothus

Cuscuta subinclusa, Canyon Dodder

Flowers: The corolla tube is very long and narrow with no or nearly so filaments.

Host Plants: Parasitizes woody shrubs and trees
Laurel Sumac * Malosma laurina
Poison Oak * Toxidendron diveralobum
Mule Fat * Baccharis salicifolia
Blue Elderberry Sambucus nigra
Bush Poppy Dendromecon rigida
Willow * Salix
Tree Tobacco * Nicotiana glauca

California Lilacs ** Ceanothus

• I have observed these relationships
  ** Cross-over host

References:

Field Guide to the Flora of the San Gabriel Mountains
Orlando Mistretta, 2020

Wildflowers of Orange County and the Santa Ana Mountains
Robert L. Allen & Fred M. Roberts, Jr. 2013

Conversations with Robert Allen

The most common reason Fungi don’t make it to research grade observations is the lack of a photo of the underside and/or stipe - a photo of just the cap doesn't get us very far.

While it is not possible to harvest mushrooms in this area, you can pick it to get a better ID. Pick and flip over at least one of the mushrooms for a photo might help with the quality of the observations. This is especially true for bracket fungi, the flat ones on logs. The underside reveals if it has pores of not, making it either. Without a look at the bottom, a firm identification cannot be made.

By Brenda Kyle, Arboretum Amy & Susan Hopkins

English / Latin / Spanish (Mexico)

California Buckwheat / Eriogonum fasciculatum / Alforfon or Flor de Borrego
NOTE: buckwheat or sheep flower (because the look like fluffy sheep)

Cochineal / Dactylopius / Cochinilla, Cochinilla grana

California Quail / Callipepla californica / Cordoniz, Codorniz californiana, Codorniz de California

Coast Live Oak / Quercus agrifolia / Encino de la Costa, Encina de California, Encino verde NOTE: Encino is an evergreen oak

California Dodder / Cuscuta californica / Grenas or Fideo, Cabellos de ángel
Note: Fideo is a long thin noodle like spaghetti

Yerba Santa / Eriodictyon crassifolium / Hierba Santa, Hierba santa de hoja gruesa

Mule Fat / Baccharis salcifolia / Huatamote or Jarrillas, Azumiate, Chilca, batamote

Laurel Sumac / Malosma laurina / Lentisco

Shortpod Mustard / Hirschfeldia incana / Mostazilla, Rabaniza amarilla

Poison Oak / Toxiodendron diversolobum / Roble Venenoso del Pacifico
NOTE: Poison Oak is not an oak, but Roble means deciduous oak

Sugarbush / Rhus ovata / Saladitos, arbusto de azúcar

Black Sage / Salvia melifera / Salvia de Miel (honey)

White Sage / Salvia apiana / Salvia Real (Royal Sage), Salvia Blanca

Toyon / Heteromeles arbutifolia / Tollon

Chaparral Yucca / Hesperroyucca whipplei / Yuca de Chaparral

Western Sycamore / Platanus racemosa / Sicomoro, Aliso

Prickly Pear Cactus / Opuntia / Nopal, cactus de higo, xoconostles
NOTE: Nopal is the word for the pad, Tuna is the word for the fruit

I was always under the impression that our local cochineal bug was the Dactylopius coccus. Based on further research and conversation I understand that I was incorrect. According to "Insects of the Los Angeles Basin" by Hogue, and Bob Allen of "Wildflowers of Orange County and the Santa Ana Mountains, there are possibly 2 species of cochineal bugs in the canyon. D. opuntiae, known as the Cactus Scattered Cochineal, is the commonest local species. D. confusus, the American or California cochineal bug, is also present in the basin. Their waxy protective covering makes identifying them beyond their genus rather difficult. Neither of our two locally occurring cochineal bugs are D. coccus, known as the True Cochineal.

A big thanks to the over 1000 Observers who have entered their sightings for Eaton Canyon. The project is greatly improved by the diversity of species demonstrating Eaton Canyon Biodiversity.
We'd like your help to improve all sightings with identifications that meet "Research Grade" and can be used by specialists and others for real science value.

Observers should try to respond in a timely manner to their messages that their observation has been reviewed, identified, especially when the observation needs a second agreement, if you agree, to become Research Grade. Check back on your earlier sightings to see if they've been reviewed.

There's no question that photo quality has been improving so that observations can be identified. However some of them will remain unusable as being too far away, out of focus or failing to show needed parts. If you're photographing a plant, for instance try to include the whole plant, fairly close, then a closeup of the leaves, and the flower, if it's flowering.

>We like people to have the freedom to add any species to their own list and we don't want to discourage anyone from adding their sightings to iNaturalist, but ask that you think of the purpose and value of the whole project. Rather than submitting more coast live oaks or western fence lizards or planted Agaves, try to focus your submissions on something uncommon or rare, maybe not even in the list yet! Insects and many other arthropods (esp. bees, wasps, flies . . .) are grossly underrepresented, compared to plants and big, easily-seen things.

When entering any observation please also click on the "Life Stage" (Adult, Egg, Larva, Juvenile) entries or the Phenology (No Flowering, Flowering, Fruiting, etc.), if you can determine it, as this adds a lot of information. Phenology in particular can help researchers track early or later flowering periods with climate change. It only takes a few seconds.

Remember, if you're photographing a plant in the landscaped garden around the Nature Center, please add to the comments something like "planted in landscape" or "cultivated."

All this will really help to improve the usefulness and accuracy of this Eaton Canyon Project.

If you have any questions, please contact Susan Hopkins, at user name squirrelbait
or Mickey Long, at user name mickeylong