In soil with Pinus jeffreyi, Abies concolor, and Quercus kelloggii.
Gills and outer stipe flesh UV+ yellowish. Central stipe flesh slightly UV+ blue.
I was pretty confused by these. They sort of look like what some people call “Stropharia aeruginosa” under oak around San Diego, but the gills looked too light (reddish-brown), and they were rather clustered.
Under Bear’s Breeches (Acanthus spinosus) in woodchip mulch.
Found near oak trees beneath undergrowth in southern California
In a landscaped island in a parking lot.
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Originally posted to Mushroom Observer on Sep. 21, 2016.
Guessing on the ID. Size 8 rainboot. On the grounds of Descanso Gardens but wild, not cultivated.
Pulvinate stipitatw fruitbodies with white conidiophores covering top surface. In saturated mossy soil under chamise
Black Mountain near Group Camp.
3rd photo was found uploaded to AllTrails but clearly shows the same mushrooms. That photo was taken 5 days before this observation was made.
Found at 9300’ elevation
Does Leccinum manzanitae’s range extend this far south? These were fruiting abundantly under manzanita. ~3 weeks after tropical storm Hilary passed through.
In our backyard tree, I found a hawk! I think it’s a cooper’s but someone recently told me it’s hard to differentiate between a coopers or a sharp shinned so I’m not entirely sure.
Growing between a pine tree, a coast live oak, and a pepper tree out of hard clay soil.
Found floating upside down in the water, I moved it down to the sand at the bottom of the pool.
Low tide time: 2:42pm
Low tide height: -0.73 feet
Herd of bighorn sheep foraging along dry steam bed in Palm Canyon. Mix of males, females, and juveniles.
Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis ssp. nelsoni) is a subspecies of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) that is native to the deserts of the United States' intermountain west and southwestern regions, as well as northwestern Mexico. The Bureau of Land Management consideres the subspecies "sensitive" to extinction.
Desert bighorn sheep are stocky, heavy-bodied sheep, similar in size to mule deer. Weights of mature rams range from 115 to 280 pounds (52 to 127 kg), while ewes are somewhat smaller. Due to their unique concave elastic hooves, bighorn are able to climb the steep, rocky terrain of the desert mountains with speed and agility. They rely on their keen eyesight to detect potential predators, such as mountain lions, coyotes, and bobcats, and they use their climbing ability to escape.
Both sexes develop horns soon after birth, with horn growth continuing more or less throughout life. Older rams have curling horns measuring over three feet long with more than one foot of circumference at the base. The ewes' horns are much smaller and lighter and do not tend to curl. After eight years of growth, the horns of an adult ram may weigh more than 30 pounds. Annual growth rings indicate the animal's age. The rams may rub their own horns to improve their field of view. Both rams and ewes use their horns as tools to break open cactus, which they consume, and for fighting.
Diet of a Desert bighorn sheep is mainly grasses. When grasses are unavailable, they turn to other food sources, such as sedges, desert holly and cacti . As ruminants, grass-eating bighorn sheep have a complex four-part stomach that enables them to eat large portions rapidly before retreating to cliffs or ledges where they can thoroughly rechew and digest their food, safe from predators.
The desert bighorn has become well adapted to living in the desert heat and cold and, unlike most mammals, their body temperature can safely fluctuate several degrees. During the heat of the day, they often rest in the shade of trees and caves. Southern desert bighorn sheep are adapted to a desert mountain environment with little or no permanent water. Some may go without visiting water for weeks or months, sustaining their body moisture from food and from rainwater collected in temporary rock pools. They may have the ability to lose up to 30% of their body weight and still survive. After drinking water, they quickly recover from their dehydrated condition. Wildlife ecologists are just beginning to study the importance of this adaptive strategy, which has allowed small bands of desert bighorns to survive in areas too dry for many of their predators.
Desert bighorn sheep are social, forming herds of 8-10 individuals; sometimes herds of several dozen are observed. Rams battle to determine the dominant animal, which then gains possession of the ewes. Facing each other, rams charge head-on from distances of 20 ft (6m) or more, crashing their massive horns together with tremendous impact, until one or the other ceases.
Desert bighorn sheep live in separate ram and ewe bands most of the year. They gather during the breeding season (usually July–October), but breeding may occur anytime in the desert due to suitable climatic conditions. Gestation lasts 150–180 days, and the lambs are usually born in late winter. Desert bighorn sheep typically live for 10–20 years.
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/145539-Ovis-canadensis-nelsoni
https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Bighorn-Sheep
Band of 14 sheep appeared at the Borrego Palm Canyon trailhead shortly after we arrived from retrieving bat recording equipment at First Grove. Present were two ewes with radio collars and ear tags, six additional ewes, five adult rams, and a male lamb. After browsing on the abundant wildflowers for nearly twenty minutes, the band continued eastward through the upper campground, led by the brown collared ewe (presumed mother of the lamb).
Believed to be a mom and three teenagers. Pretty amazing! Also a daytime photo of two of them.