Wednesday Filler: Oak Savannas of California

While not as densely forested as the more verdant parts of the continent, California does tend to have more trees than most of the rest of the arid parts of the west.  Enough moisture makes it off of the cool Pacific Ocean to bless the land with 15-25 inches of rain a year, and this provides for slopes dotted in oaks and covered in chaparral.  As the land is still relatively dry, the oaks do not really form dense forests, at least not in the foothills and the transitional space between the lower elevations and the coniferous mountain forests.  Instead, they form lovely park like spaces in savannas that do not look altogether different from other savannas on the rest of the continent.

Pictured here is a gathering of California Black Oaks (Quercus Kelloggii), a species found normally at mid-elevations in California and southern Oregon mountains.  Like the chaparral in the elevations below them, they can respond well to destruction by fire, and usually sprout back before the neighboring conifers do.  They are adaptable to the lower elevations of the basins in central and southern California, and have started being extensively cultivated as shade and ornamental trees for gardeners interested in drought-resistant and native plants.  They are a lovely reminder of what is left of natural California.

Want to see some eastern oak savannas?  Come by tomorrow as we explore the oak openings of Ohio, Michigan, and Ontario.  While not as iconically picturesque, the eastern savannas are very different in scale and far more rare.