On 2/19/2016 1:00 PM, Chuck Norcutt wrote:
I didn't know that the evergreen oaks of northern California were also called "live oaks". I looked it up to discover
that there are numerous species of live oaks around the country and also around the world with evergreen foliage.
I use the generic popular name "live oak" for a reason. There are many varieties in Calif., and they are an important
part of my life and sense of place. I thought I could identify a few, but was unsure. So I bought a lovely book, "Oaks
of California". There I discovered that the lines between species and/or varieties is very unclear. The book says that
it's not uncommon to find a single tree with the morphology attributed to one type on one side and that of another on
the other!
So now I occasionally leaf through the book looking at the pretty pictures -
and just call them all live oaks. :-)
Of course, a "proper" live oak also needs an immense amount of Spanish moss
hanging from its branches. :-)
Depends on where it lives. They live in quite a wide variety of habitats. These grow to only 8-10 feet in the poor sandy
soil of the Elfin Forest of the Los Oso Peninsula, creating little bowers like this one. It is not big enough to crawl
inside without causing all sorts of damage, but head and hand with camera can peer in.
<http://galleries.moosemystic.net/MorroBay/ElfinForest/slides/_MG_1141ptl.html>
One of the relatively few places these days where a true SWA lens is needed, and makes the space appear larger than it
is. And yes, in this damp area, Spanish Moss, as you can see. Out in the Central Valley, where it gets very hot in the
summer, the much taller Vally Oaks seldom have Spanish Moss.
On 2/19/2016 1:18 PM, Charles Geilfuss wrote:
Resurrection Fern
We have lots of ferns, some in the above image, and some that grow on tree branches, but not that SE species, and
perhaps no epiphytic ferns. Some ferns grow profusely on dead trees and dead parts of trees. I also see them on the top
of living limbs, but mostly ot broad tops also covered with moss, leaf debris, etc., so I've thought them to be growing
in soil that has developed there. I've also not noticed the dead/alive phenomenon.
Oaky Moose
--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
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