Wild Turkey
While Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) are fairly common across North America, they are not native to California. These big birds were first introduced for hunting in the 1870s. They tend to live in mature forests where they travel in flocks and scour the forest floor for nuts. Wild turkeys are relatively large birds with mostly dark plumage and a red-blue head. Wild turkeys eat a large variety of foods, from insects and seeds to lizards.
Bioswale
Claremont Avenue is dotted with bioswales on both sides of the street. Bioswales are channels designed to concentrate and convey stormwater runoff to drain into the creek. This particular bioswale is hidden in the hillside between various residences. It is covered in grasses and appears to connect with the culvert pipes below. A bioswale serves to biologically infiltrate water into the soil to filter water with plant roots and soil microbes. It is one of many strategies used in Green Infrastructure to manage stormwater. You will see several of these channels as you tour the headwaters.
Culvert Pipe
This is one of the last visible culvert pipes along this path. It is a much smaller pipe than the others and runs under Claremont Avenue to the other side of the street, where there is a large culvert area that continues to run up the watershed until it eventually reaches the University of California Claremont Conservancy. This is the largest, relatively undeveloped canyon on the Western slope of the Berkeley/Oakland hills. Here you can see eucalyptus, which was initially planted by Frank Haven, owner of Claremont Hotel, for fast-growing income-source wood. Once planted, these trees quickly became invasive and took much-needed resources from nearby native flora.
Broad-Footed Mole
The Broad-footed Mole (Scapanus latimanus) is found throughout the state of California except dry desert regions, and native to the Bay Area. This species spends most of its life underground, feeding on earthworms, insects, and some plants. They play an important role in maintaining the health of soils by mixing nutrients as they build their burrows. Moles are generally solitary, given that they are incredibly territorial of their burrowing systems, which they patrol and defend. Their diet consists of insects, earthworms, centipedes, millipedes, snails, slugs, grubs, ants, sowbugs, termites, beetles, and crickets. Their predators include snakes, skunks, foxes, weasels, coyotes, hawks, and owls. This is a deceased mole, in fact a lucky find, since they are primarily underground.
Mule Deer
The California Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus californicus) lives in hilly and mountanous areas of California, often migrating between summer and winter territories. Pre-colnization, the Bay Area saw much larger herds throughout. This mule deer prefers habitats with extensive shrub growth where they can feed on the leaves and twigs of woody plants, most often at dusk and dawn. They are characterized by their large ears, black foreheads, and small, black-tipped white tails. Mule deer can grow to be 3-3.5 feet tall at the shoulders and can weigh between 130-280 pounds. They can also hybridize with the Columbian black-tailed deer.
Dumping Site
Farther up into the headwaters, the creek bed becomes deeper with steep banks. Much of the bank is overgrown with common ivy and other vegetation shaded by large trees. However, open spaces along this stretch of creek have been taken over by illegal and destructive dumping sites. This particular image shows lots of trash, including bins, water bottles, plastic bags, and wrappers. It is one of many signs that we have lost our connection to water sources and devalue local watersheds. Any and all debris has the potential to further damage the creek and pollute the Bay at the creek's mouth. Sadly, you will see many similar spots along this walk.
Song Sparrow
The Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) is one of the most well-known birds in the United States and can be found all throughout North America in a wide variety of different habitats. The Song Sparrow is a medium-sized sparrow weighing between 0.5 and 2 ounces. Their plumage is a mix of red, white, and gray, with thick brown streaks covering their whole body. They are one of the most regionally variable songbirds in North America. As you walk along, listen for a loud song that generally starts with well-spaced notes and ends in a trilling sound.
Dusky-footed Woodrat
Dusky-footed woodrat (Neotoma fuscipes) is a native rodent that looks like common rat species, but has larger ears and eyes, softer coats, furred tails, and dark-colored feet. Around 16 inches long, their tails account for nearly half that length. Commonly called "packrats," they build large, domed dens up to five feet high and eight feet in diameter. The big den helps protect from predators such as coyotes, owls, hawks, and bobcats. They sometimes build satellite dens in trees, and their dens are often found in clusters forming "communities." Found in California and western Oregon, usually in coast live oak forests and native willow trees, with thick underbrush and cover. Dusky-footed wood rats eat fungi and plants, including seeds, fruits, and greens. They are nocturnal and retrieve food at night, sometimes bringing it back to the nest for storage.
False Turkey-Tail
False Turkey Tail Fungus (Stereum ostrea) is a type of crust fungi that has fan-shaped fruiting bodies with characteristic red and brown stripes from which its name is derived. It is a wood decayer and causes white rot in trees. One of the main differences between false turkey tail fungi and true turkey tail fungi is that false turkey tail fungi have a smooth, spore-bearing surface without any pores. This fungus is reported to have antifungal and antibacterial properties.
Bushtit
Bushtits (Psaltriparus minimus) are found in woody or brushy habitat from low- to mid-mountain elevations. A small, fluffy brown-gray bird with a long tail, they travel together as a flock. Cheeping as they go, Bushtits move quickly through trees and shrubs, primarily eating small insects, plus some spiders, berries, and seeds. They build soft, hanging nests of materials like grass and spider webs. The flock forages over a large range of at least 250 acres, and roost huddled together. Bushtits are found on the west coast of the U.S., into Mexico and Central America.
Coastal Woodfern
The coastal wood fern (Dryopteris arguta) is native to the west coast of North America. It often grows in shady oak woodlands. They can grow to be about two feet tall and have a variable range of appearances, with some growing leaflets turned at an angle from the leaf and others with bristles on the tips of toothed leaflets. This fern supports the Orange Tortrix Moth (Argyrotaenia citrana).
Thimbleberry
Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus) also known as redcaps, is a plant with edible red fruit similar to a raspberry, but smaller. Because the fruit does not hold together well, it is not sold commercially. The berry is also eaten by birds and bears. Black-tailed deer eat the young leaves and stems. The plant has large hairy leaves and no thorns, and grows a small white flower. A species of Rubus, it is native to northern temperate regions of North America. Typically found growing along roadsides, railroad tracks, and in forest clearings, it shows up after clear cut and in forest fire areas. Many parts of the plant were used as medicine by Native Americans.
Entrance to Willow Trail
Willow Trail is part of a network of fire trails. A fire trail is sometimes built along an old logging route or cut new and used by fire trucks in case of forest fire. They can also create a break in the path of a moving fire. Located off Claremont Avenue, Willow Trail is a path that winds for 0.64 miles through a thick reserve of native California plant species. The path is dotted with small bridges over springtime rivulets that run into Claremont Creek, one of the headwaters of Tmescal Creek and the top of the watershed. Willow Trail runs parallel to another trail, Summit House Trail, and also connects to the Gwin Canyon Trail.
Myleta Crescent
Mylitta Crescent (Phyciodes mylitta) is butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, abundantly-found in western North America. The buttery's wingspan is about one inch. They visit many flowers and breed continuously in warm weather, breeding on thistles and in disturbed habitats, including urban areas.
Claremont Canyon Conservancy
The Claremont Canyon Conservancy is a non-profit organization founded in 2001 that promotes trail stewardship, public awareness, and access to the Claremont Canyon Trail. They also work on wildfire safety programs in the canyon and support the landowners of the Canyon UCB, EPRBD, EBMUD in their efforts to reduce invasive trees, like eucalyptus that become wildfire fuel on their properties, and to preserve wildlife.
Signpost
This is a guiding sign post that provides directions to the Willow, Summit House, and Gwin Canyon trails.
Bridge
Willow Creek Trail winds through the Harwood (Claremont) Headwater and crosses over a network of rivulets at many points along the trail. This particular bridge crosses over one of the deeper rivulets.
Mica Cap
Mica Cap (Coprinellus micaceus) is an edible fungus characterized by its bell-shaped ochre-brown cap lined. Its gills start out as white but gradually fade to inky black as the mushroom ages. This mushroom also features distinctive glistening granules that are only visible on young mushrooms. They grow to be only a few inches tall and have a cap that is between 1-2 inches thick. Mica caps often grow in clusters at the base of tree stumps or among wood debris.
Sara Orangetip
The Sara Orangetip (Anthocharis sara) is a butterfly found throughout the western United States. This species has white wings and is characterized by a large orange spot located at the tip of each wing. They are found mostly in oak woods, meadows, near streams, and canyons. Adult Sara Orangetips ingest nectar from mustard and thistle plants, thistles, fiddleneck, and brodiaea. Host plants Brassicaceae: Milkmaids (crinkleroot, Toothwort), Dentaria (Cardamine); Yellow Rocket (Barbarea); Hedge Mustard (Sisymbrium officinale var. leiocarpum); infrequently on weedy Mustard (Brassica spp.) and Radish (Raphanus). Eggs are blue-green when laid but turn bright red. Larvae feed primarily on buds, flowers, and fruit.
Gutter
This wooden walking section has a gutter running down the middle of it that allows water to run through it.
Coastal Redwood
The Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is the only living species of the genus Sequoia and has been native to coastal California for millennia. These towering giants are evergreen trees and can live for 1,000 to 2,000 years, making them some of the oldest living trees on Earth. They are also the tallest trees on Earth and can grow to an astounding 379 feet tall. Redwoods are monoecious, meaning both male (pollen-producing) and female (seed-bearing) cones are borne on the same tree but on different branches. The pollen is shed in winter or in spring, whereas the mature, fertilized ovulate cones ripen in early fall to shed their seeds in late fall and early winter. The Ohlone indigenous people built houses made from redwood bark. During the Gold Rush, whole towns were constructed of redwood.
Pacific Dampwood Termite
The Pacific Dampwood Termite (Zootermopsis angusticollis) is found throughout the west coast of the United States. They have large white wings and caramel-colored bodies with black mandibles. The termites attack all types of wood in their range and generally target wood in close contact with soils or water. Pacific Dampwood Termites play a crucial role in spreading wood decay fungi by carrying their spores in their guts and transporting them to other locations. They do have natural predators: house sparrows, swallows, swifts, European starlings, and ants. During early spring, look for piles of wings that indicate the termites have flown!
Dog Vomit Slime Mold
Dog Vomit Slime Mold (Fuligo septica) looks like a fungus, but as a slime mold in the kingdom of Protista, it is more closely related to an amoeba. This common species is found worldwide, and is sometimes called by another nickname, scrambled egg slime mold. Found mostly in shady, moist places, it's a saprophytic, meaning it feeds on decaying leaves or wood. Dog vomit slime mold is not a disease and does not harm plants. There are more than 700 different varieties of slime mold.
