~The Natural State~.....CALIFORNIA

[olena]

State Insect

California Dogface
Colias Eurydice

Description 1 5/8-2 1/2" (41-64 mm). Male saffron-orange above with curved and pointed FW tips and thick black FW margin indented in poodle-head pattern. (Some populations also have black HW margin.) Male may have brilliant plum-red or violet-purple sheen to dog-face. Female pale yellow with pointed wing tips; barely suggesting or lacking dark FW margin. Below, deep yellow or greenish with black FW cell ring, silvery spots in HW cell.
Similar Species Dogface lacks orange coloring and purple on male FW above; female more heavily marked with black. Mexican Yellow is smaller, paler, with less pointed FW and more pointed HW.
Life Cycle Egg yellow-green. Caterpillar, to 1" (25 mm), dull green bearing either white, orange-edged side lines or thin, light crossbands. Chrysalis light green. Host plants include false indigo (Amorpha californica), clovers (Trifolium), and some members of the pea family (Dalea).
Flight 2 broods; spring-autumn, midsummer at higher elevations.
Habitat Mountains and foothills, open oak slopes, and Douglas-fir clearings; usually absent from deserts.
Range California coast ranges and lower W. Sierra Nevada from Lake and Napa counties in north to Baja California; occasionally in W. Arizona.
Discussion California's spectacular state insect appeared on a U.S. postage stamp in 1976. It flies together with the Dogface Butterfly in the San Bernardino Mountains where the 2 species may hybridize. Also called Colias Eurydice.

 

[olena]

State Marine Fish

Garibaldi
Hypsypops rubicundus

Description To 14" (36 cm). Deep, compressed; adults bright orange, juveniles have iridescent blue markings on head, body, and fins. 1 nostril on each side of snout. 11-13 dorsal fin spines, 12-15 rays; extends from above pectoral fin insertion to posterior of anal fin base, caudal fin forked, tips rounded. Lateral line ends under soft dorsal fin.
Habitat Reefs and kelp beds to 16 fathoms.
Range From Monterey Bay, California, to Bahia Magdalena, Baja California; rare north of Point Conception, California.
Discussion Garibaldis spawn from March through July. The male prepares the nest and guards the eggs until they hatch in 2 or 3 weeks. They feed on a variety of invertebrates. Garibaldis are protected by law in California, and may not be taken for either sport or commercial purposes.

 

[olena]

State Marine Mammal

Gray Whale
Eschrichtius robustus

Description To 46' (14 m). Viewed from above, body tapered at both ends; mottled gray, may appear uniformly slate-blue or white from surface. Baleen plates short, yellowish to white with yellowish-white bristles. Head narrowly triangular, sloping steeply downward from paired blowholes; long mouth line curving upward slightly; 2-5 deep lengthwise throat grooves. Back has low hump two-thirds of way from snout tip to flukes, followed by serrated ridge. No ventral grooves.
Similar Species Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus), Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis), and Sperm Whale (Physeter catodon) lack obvious mottling, color relatively uniform.
Habitat Generally coastal waters. Migrate close to shore, calve in shallow southern lagoons. Some move further offshore in summer.
Range From Bering and Chukchi seas to Baja California.
Discussion Most Gray Whales calve in Mexico waters. As with all cetaceans, the young are born underwater and are immediately able to swim on their own. However, the calves depend on a diet of rich milk for at least 6 months. Early whalers called the Gray Whale the Devilfish because females strongly defend their calves against enemies, including Killer Whales (Orcinus orca), sharks, and people. Gray Whales grub along the bottom for gammarid amphipods, the staple of their diet, and leave a cloud behind them as they move. Their spout is not distinctive.

 

[olena]

State Animal

Grizzly Bear, endangered subspecies
Ursus arctos horribilis

Description Brown, of various shades from tan to dark brown, often with white-tipped hairs, giving grizzled appearance. Hump above shoulders. Facial profile concave. Outer pair of incisors larger than inner 2. Claws of front feet can reach nearly 4" (10 cm) long. Ht about 4' 3" (130 cm); L 5' 11"–7' (180–213 cm); T 3" (7.6 cm); HF 10 1/4" (26 cm); Wt in contiguous U.S. usually 300–700 lb (135–317 kg).
Endangered Status The subspecies of the Grizzly Bear that lives in the contiguous U.S. is on the U.S. Endangered Species List. It is classified as threatened in the lower 48 states, although its current range extends only into Idaho, Montana, Washington (rarely), and Wyoming. (It has not been recorded in Colorado in many years.) Perhaps 50,000 Grizzlies roamed the western U.S. in 1800 from the Canadian border to Mexico, as far east as the middle of the Great Plains. The settlement and development of the West meant changes to and destruction of the Grizzly's habitat, competition with humans for game such as White-tailed Deer, and clashes between bears and humans. Grizzlies were seen as a threat to humans and livestock, and were hunted, trapped, and poisoned extensively, both for food and fur and to eliminate them from areas where humans lived. In 1975, when the Grizzly Bear came under the protection of the U.S. Endangered Species Act, only about 1,000 remained in the lower 48 states. Habitat degradation, from recreational and residential development, road building, and mineral and energy exploration, remains a threat today. Even the development of areas that Grizzlies don't normally live in can be destructive, because the bears may use these areas as corridors to reach suitable feeding habitat. Some private landowners and companies have volunteered to protect these corridors on their land in order to protect the bears. Plans to reintroduce Grizzlies into suitable habitat in the U.S. Northwest have faced serious opposition and may never come to pass.
Similar Species Black Bear is smaller, lacks shoulder hump, and has straight or slightly convex facial profile; all 3 pairs of its upper incisors are equal in size.
Habitat Forests interspersed with nonforested meadows and valley bottoms, usually in mountainous areas; also along coasts and rivers.
Range Alaska, Yukon, and Northwest Territories south through most of British Columbia and w Alberta to northwestern United States. In the contiguous U.S., south into northwestern tier of states: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming; occasionally wanders to Washington; not seen in Colorado in more than 20 years.


The California grizzly bear was designated official State Animal in 1953. Before dying out in California, this largest and most powerful of carnivores thrived in the great valleys and low mountains of the state, probably in greater numbers than anywhere else in the United States. As humans began to populate California, the grizzly stood its ground, refusing to retreat in the face of advancing civilization. It killed livestock and interfered with settlers. Less than 75 years after the discovery of gold, every grizzly bear in California had been tracked down and killed. The last one was killed in Tulare County in August 1922, more than 20 years before the authority to regulate the take of fish and wildlife was delegated to the California Fish and Game Commission by the State Legislature.

 

[olena]

State Flower

Tree Poppy
Dendromecon rigida
Bush Poppy

Description A stiff roundish shrub with brilliant yellow, cup-shaped flowers at ends of short branches or on long stalks in leaf axils.
Flowers: 1-2 1/2" (2.5-6.5 cm) wide; sepals 2, dropping off as flower opens; petals 4, broad; stamens many, short.
Leaves: 1-4" (2.5-10 cm) long, leathery, lanceolate, bluish green, stalk twisted so that flat sides of blade face sideways.
Height: 4-20' (1.2-6 m).
Flowering: April-June.
Habitat Dry slopes in chaparral.
Range Northern California south to Mexico.
Discussion Tree Poppy may be very common several years after a fire in chaparral. There is only one other species in the genus, Island Tree Poppy (D. harfordii), found on islands off the coast of southern California.

 

[olena]

State Bird

California Quail
Callipepla californica

Description 9-11" (23-28 cm). A stocky, mainly gray quail with a curved black head plume. Similar to Gambel's Quail, but crown brown, not chestnut; forehead buff, not black; and belly scaled, lacking black patch in center. Female less boldly marked than male.
Voice A loud distinctive ka-kah-ko or Chi-ca-go, the second note highest.
Habitat Brushy chaparral foothills and live-oak canyons; also adjacent desert and suburbs.
Nesting 12-16 cream- or buff-colored eggs, blotched and dotted with brown, in a shallow depression lined with grass.
Range Originally resident from southern Oregon south to Baja California. Introduced to Pacific Northwest, Idaho, and other inland states.
Discussion Perched on a tree or a fence post, the male California Quail claims his territory by cackling and posturing. The entire family takes to trees for roosting as well as for safety. After the breeding season, these birds become gregarious, gathering in large coveys and often visiting city parks, gardens, and yards. This is the quail with the "topknot" featured in the animated films of Walt Disney.

 

[olena]

State Tree

Redwood
Sequoia sempervirens

Description The world's tallest tree, with reddish-brown trunk much enlarged and buttressed at base and often with rounded swellings or burls and slightly tapering; crown short, narrow, irregular and open with horizontal or drooping branches.
Height: 200-325' (61-99 m).
Diameter: 10-15' (3-4.6 m), sometimes larger.
Leaves: evergreen; of 2 kinds. Mostly needlelike and unequal, 3/8-3/4" (10-19 mm) long; flat and slightly curved, stiff and sharp-pointed, extending down twig at base; dark green above, whitish-green beneath; spreading in 2 rows. Leaves on leaders scalelike, as short as 1/4" (6 mm); keeled, concave, spreading around twig.
Bark: reddish-brown, very tough and fibrous, very thick, deeply furrowed into broad, scaly ridges; inner bark cinnamon-brown.
Twigs: slender, dark green, forking in 1 plane, ending in scaly bud.
Cones: 1/2-1 1/8" (1.2-3 cm) long; elliptical, reddish-brown, with many flat, short-pointed cone-scales; hanging down at end of leafy twig; maturing in 1 season; 2-5 seeds under cone-scale, light brown, 2-winged.
Habitat Mostly alluvial soils on flats and benches or terraces; forms pure stands in luxuriant dense forests; also with Douglas Fir, Port Orford Cedar, and mixed conifers.
Range Extreme SW. Oregon south to central California in fog belt, a coastal strip 5-35 miles (8-56 km) wide; from sea level to 3000' (914 m).
Discussion The world's tallest tree is a Redwood 368' (112 m) high. The age of these trees at maturity is 400-500 years; the maximum age counted in annual rings is 2200. Circles of trees grow from sprouts around stumps and dead trunks. The genus name commemorates the Indian name Sequoyah (also spelled Sequoia) (1770?-1843), the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet. Existing stands of Redwood occupy only a fraction of the large area in California and Oregon where they originally grew before the arrival of European settlers. Virgin forests remain in several state parks, as well as in the Redwoods National Park and along the Redwoods Highway. But there is still some question concerning the status of the species outside of these parks. The Redwood industry maintains that selective logging, leaving seed trees, and planting in tree farms assure the future of this species. Conservationists feel that every effort should be made to maintain this magnificent tree at its present levels.

 

[olena]

State Reptile

Desert Tortoise
Gopherus agassizii

Description 9 1/4-14 1/2" (23.5-36.8 cm). Terrestrial, with domed shell and round, stumpy elephantine hind legs. Front limbs flattened for digging and heavily scaled; all toes webless. Carapace oblong, horn-brown; scute centers often yellowish. Bridge well developed, single axillary scute. Plastron yellowish, with brown along scute margins; adult throat scutes project beyond carapace. Head small, rounded in front, reddish-tan; iris greenish-yellow. Front and hind feet about equal in size. Male plastron concave.
Endangered Status The Desert Tortoise is on the U.S. Endangered Species List. It is classified as threatened in Arizona (except in areas south and east of the Colorado River), California, Nevada, and Utah. Desert Tortoises have suffered declines due to the degradation of habitat, predation of eggs and young, disease, and collection for the pet trade. Mining, agriculture, industrial and residential development, and the proliferation of off-road vehicles have contributed to the alteration of their desert habitat. Tortoise populations are slow to recover from population losses because the females do not breed until they are 15 to 20 years old. Then they may lay eggs only when feeding conditions are favorable. The young tortoises are so vulnerable to predators and other hazards, it is estimated that only 2 to 3 percent survive into adulthood.
Breeding Mates chiefly in spring; nests May to July. Lays 2-3 clutches of 2-14 hard, chalky, elliptical or spherical eggs, in funnel-shaped nest, 6" (15.2 cm) deep - sometimes located at mouth of burrow. Hatching occurs mid-August to October. Maturity reached in 15-20 years.
Habitat Arid sandy or gravelly locales with creosote, thorn scrub, and cacti; also washes, canyon bottoms, and oases.
Range Se. California and s. Nevada southeast into Mexico.
Discussion Desert Tortoises feed on grasses in early morning and late afternoon. During the heat of the day they retreat to a shallow burrow dug in the base of an arroyo wall. They have been known to dig horizontal tunnels up to 30' (9.1 m) in length. In September they may congregate in a communal den to spend the winter, becoming active again in March. When two males meet, they bob their heads rapidly, rushing toward each other and striking their gular scutes together. One of the two may be overturned.

 

[olena]

State Fish

Golden Trout
Oncorhynchus aguabonita (Salmo aguabonita)

Description 16–20". Elongated, somewhat compressed. Back brown or olive with black spots; 8–10 gray patches and red stripe along lateral line; sides golden yellow; belly bright red. Single triangular dorsal fin and adipose fin small; tail fin notched, reddish with black spots; pelvic and anal fins reddish with white tips. Mouth large. Gill covers reddish.
Endangered Status The Little Kern Golden Trout, a subspecies of the Golden Trout, is on the U.S. Endangered Species List. It is classified as threatened in California. The Department of Fish and Game contributed to the decline of this fish by introducing other sportfish (Rainbow, Brown, and Brook Trout) into its Kern River habitat. The introduced fish hybridized with the Golden Trout, and the existence of the pure Little Kern Golden Trout became threatened. Grazing cattle also had an impact, trampling the streambanks and reducing necessary vegetation. The Fish and Game department quickly took measures to reverse the decline, removing the non-native trout and reestablishing habitat. The Little Kern Golden Trout has now been restored to all of its historical range.
Habitat Clear cool streams and lakes above 6,600’.
Range Native only to Little Kern River, in the Sierra Nevada, Kern County, California. Introduced in Rocky Mountains.

Previous Natural States
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Rhode Island
Utah
Vermont
Washington
West Virginia

 

[Snowwark]

Someday, I hope to walk through a redwood forest. Absolutely stunning trees!

Dogface? LOL....hmmmm..sounds kind of insulting, doesn't it?

A real shame about the grizzly bears.

Thank you, Olena, very interesting (and timely!)

 

[amid chaos]

Another great read, Olena...thank you for taking the time to post it.

Like Kim...the red forest has always drawn me towards it...havent gotten there yet....I have never been to california.

 

[nativetxn]

Thanks, Heather. I love these posts!

 

[DISshopkeeper]

REALLY interesting. Thanks!!

 

[Sheree Bobbins]

I love California! I saw the quail when we camped out in the Carmel Valley. The Redwoods are a wonder to behold. Thanks Olena!