Early Spanish called the Valley Oak the "Weeping Oak" due to its drooping branches. In the distance, a bone-dry stock pond.
Rancho San Vicente 7 May 2014 |
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| An old ranch road meanders through a series of tawny meadows. |
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| Serpentine seep ponds provide habitat for a variety of wildlife. |
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| A pair of mallards have made the seep pond their temporary home. |
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| Another seep pond, this one fed by a spring, is lined with bright yellow wildflowers. |
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| Seep-spring monkey flowers are often found growing near springs and ponds. |
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| Resting in the cool shade of an oak grove. |
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| Ithuriel spear, an early summer wildflower. |
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| A solitary male California quail acts as lookout for its flock. |
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| Power line towers march across the landscape. |
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| Golden Eagles often make their nests atop the towers. |
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| Golden yarrow, another sign of summer. |
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| Santa Clara Valley Dudleya and California poppies greet the morning sun. |
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| A serpentine endemic, Santa Clara Valley Dudleya in bloom. |
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| Santa Clara Valley Dudleya is listed as rare and endangered. |
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| White Mariposa Lily. |
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| Poppies, Creamcups, and Birds-Eye Gilia spill down a slope. |
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| California poppies. |
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| A single birds-eye gilia tossed by the wind comes to rest in a poppy. |
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| A spring wildflower, Birds-eye Gilia disappears with the advent of summer. |
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| An elderberry tree with blackberry bushes blooming at its feet. |
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| Formerly domestic, now wild, a honey bee gathers pollen from a blackberry blossom. |
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| A rusted out water trough. |
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Early Spanish called the Valley Oak the "Weeping Oak" due to its drooping branches. In the distance, a bone-dry stock pond. |
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