Plants & Animals at SFREC
Plants at SFREC
Unmodified foothill woodland-grassland -- The major trees are blue oak and interior live oak, ranging from 40 to 200+ trees per acre. There are some foothill pine and, at higher elevations, black oak and ponderosa pine. Common shrubs include buckbrush, toyon and poison oak. Major forbs include filaree, annual clovers and geranium. Common annual grass species are soft chess, ripgut brome, red brome, annual fescue, wild oats, and medusahead. Perennial grasses include purple stipa. Cleared areas -- Most trees and shrubs have been removed; most resident grasses and forbs remain. Trees have been reduced to 4 to 50 per acre. In one area they have been removed completely. Some areas have been seeded to improved species, including subterranean clover, rose clover, Hardinggrass and ryegrass.
Animals at SFREC
Oak woodlands in California provide one of the richest habitats in the state for wildlife. It is estimated that approximately half of California's 660 terrestrial vertebrate species utilize oak woodlands at some time during the year. Some of the common mammals at the Center are squirrels, deer, racoons, skunks, foxes, bobcats, coyotes and occasionally, mountain lions. Reptiles include fence lizards, skinks, whiptails, alligator lizards, garter snakes, rattlesnakes, gopher snakes and kingsnakes. Several years ago, a research project conducted a thorough inventory of bird species found at the Center, which is listed below.