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Monte Bello Open Space Preserve
Monte Bello Open Space Preserve is a open space preserve, located near Palo Alto in the Santa Cruz Mountains, in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, California, United States. The preserve encompasses the upper Stevens Creek watershed in the valley between Monte Bello Ridge and Skyline Ridge. "Monte Bello" means "beautiful mountain" in Italian, and refers to Black Mountain which is the highest part of Montebello Ridge. The straight valley of upper Stevens Creek is also the rift valley of the San Andreas Fault. History After extensive logging operations in the nineteenth century, Italian farmers and winemakers settled on the flanks of Montebello Ridge. Dairies in the Santa Cruz Mountains supplied much of the milk for San Francisco and the San Francisco Peninsula. There was a large dairy near what is now the preserve's main parking area on Page Mill Road, and cattle freely grazed the slopes of Monte Bello Ridge. Ranch buildings dotted the landscape. George Morell, founding pu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monte Bello Open Space Preserve
Monte Bello Open Space Preserve is a open space preserve, located near Palo Alto in the Santa Cruz Mountains, in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, California, United States. The preserve encompasses the upper Stevens Creek watershed in the valley between Monte Bello Ridge and Skyline Ridge. "Monte Bello" means "beautiful mountain" in Italian, and refers to Black Mountain which is the highest part of Montebello Ridge. The straight valley of upper Stevens Creek is also the rift valley of the San Andreas Fault. History After extensive logging operations in the nineteenth century, Italian farmers and winemakers settled on the flanks of Montebello Ridge. Dairies in the Santa Cruz Mountains supplied much of the milk for San Francisco and the San Francisco Peninsula. There was a large dairy near what is now the preserve's main parking area on Page Mill Road, and cattle freely grazed the slopes of Monte Bello Ridge. Ranch buildings dotted the landscape. George Morell, founding pu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coast Douglas-fir
''Pseudotsuga menziesii'' var. ''menziesii'', commonly known as Coast Douglas-fir, Pacific Douglas-fir, Oregon pine, or Douglas spruce, is an evergreen conifer native to western North America from west-central British Columbia, Canada southward to central California, United States. In Oregon and Washington its range is continuous from the Cascades crest west to the Pacific Coast Ranges and Pacific Ocean. In California, it is found in the Klamath and California Coast Ranges as far south as the Santa Lucia Mountains with a small stand as far south as the Purisima Hills, Santa Barbara County. In the Sierra Nevada it ranges as far south as the Yosemite region. It occurs from near sea level along the coast to in the California Mountains. Further inland, coast Douglas-fir is replaced by Rocky Mountain or interior Douglas-fir (''P. menziesii'' var. ''glauca''). Interior Douglas-fir intergrades with coast Douglas-fir in the Cascades of northern Washington and southern British Columbia. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve
Rancho or Ranchos may refer to: Settlements and communities *Rancho, Aruba, former fishing village and neighbourhood of Oranjestad *Ranchos of California, 19th century land grants in Alta California **List of California Ranchos *Ranchos, Buenos Aires in Argentina Schools *Rancho Christian School in Temecula, California *Rancho High School in North Las Vegas, Nevada *Rancho San Joaquin Middle School in Irvine, California *Rancho Solano Preparatory School in Scottsdale, Arizona *Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley, California Film *Rancho, a character in the Bollywood film ''3 Idiots'' *Rancho (monkey), an Indian monkey animal actor Other *Rancho, a shock absorber brand by Tenneco Automotive * Rancho carnavalesto or Rancho, a type of dance club from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil *Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center or Rancho *Rancho Point, a rock headland in the South Shetland Islands *Matra Rancho or Rancho, an early French leisure activity vehicle See also * * *El ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Los Trancos Open Space Preserve
Los Trancos Open Space Preserve is a 274-acre (1.11 km2) open space preserve, located in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, California, near Los Altos Hills, California. The preserve contains about 5 miles (8 km) of hiking trails, of which 2.1 miles (3.4 km) are open to equestrians, and none are open to bicycles. The area was once a part of a 13,300 acre (53.8 km2) rancho. The preserve's acreage was purchased by state senator Louis Oneal in the early 1900s, who raised horses there. It was sold to a developer in the 1950s. Power and water lines were run to the property in the 1960s, but development was abandoned when the city of Palo Alto discovered the high cost of providing city services to the area. The preserve was acquired by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District in 1976. While the preserve is relatively small compared to other preserves and parks in the area, it has one notable feature: about one mile (1.5 km) of the San Andreas Fault runs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve
A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land. City skylines serve as a pseudo-fingerprint as no two skylines are alike. For this reason, news and sports programs, television shows, and movies often display the skyline of a city to set a location. The term ''The Sky Line of New York City'' was first introduced in 1896, when it was the title of a color lithograph by Charles Graham for the color supplement of the ''New York Journal''. Paul D. Spreiregen, FAIA, has called a ityskyline "a physical representation f a city'sfacts of life ... a potential work of art ... its collective vista." Features High-rise buildings High-rise buildings, including skyscrapers, are the fundamental feature of urban skylines. Both contours and cladding (brick or glass) make an impact on the overall appearance of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stevens Creek County Park
Stevens Creek Reservoir is an artificial lake located in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains near Cupertino, California. A county park surrounds the reservoir and provides limited fishing ("catch and release"), picnicking, hiking, and horseback riding activities. Although swimming is not allowed, non-power boating (such as a kayak) is allowed for certain parts of the year. No powered boats or jet skis are allowed. All vessels must be inspected for invasive Quagga mussels prior to launch. The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has issued a safe eatinadvisoryfor any fish caught in Stevens Creek Reservoir due to elevated levels of mercury. History The reservoir was formed by the Stevens Creek Dam, built in 1935 across Stevens Creek. It is one of the smaller reservoirs owned by the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Originally named Arroyo de San José Cupertino, Stevens Creek flows into the reservoir and out of the dam to San Francisco Bay. Stev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sag Pond
A sag pond is a body of fresh water collected in the lowest parts of a depression (geology), depression formed between two sides of an active geologic fault, strike-slip, transtensional or normal fault zone. Formation A sag pond is formed along a strike-slip fault, which may create a topography, depression in the earth. When water enters the depression from rivers, streams, rainfall or snowfall, it fills the low-lying area, and a pond is the result. Scientific significance Sag pond formation is common in California, and many of them can be found on the San Andreas Fault, which runs through the western part of the state. Aerial photography or high-resolution topography can easily determine their locations. Uses Sag ponds have been converted into stock reservoirs. Larger sag ponds are converted into reservoirs for public water sources, such as San Andreas Lake Examples Sag ponds of various sizes can be found along the San Andreas Fault, most notably within the Carrizo Plain and S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Virginia Rail
The Virginia rail (''Rallus limicola'') is a small waterbird, of the family Rallidae. These birds remain fairly common despite continuing loss of habitat, but are secretive by nature and more often heard than seen. They are also considered a game species in some provinces and states, though rarely hunted. The Ecuadorian rail is often considered a subspecies, but some taxonomic authorities consider it distinct. Description Adults are mainly brown, darker on the back and crown, with orange-brown legs. To walk through dense vegetation, they have evolved a laterally compressed body and strong forehead feathers adapted to withstand wear from pushing through vegetation. Virginia rails have the highest ratio of leg-muscle to flight-muscle of all birds (25% - 15% of body weight respectively). They have long toes used to walk on floating vegetation. Their tail is short and they have a long slim reddish bill. Their cheeks are grey, with a light stripe over the eye and a whitish throat. C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sisyrinchium
''Sisyrinchium'' is a large genus of annual to perennial flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. Native to the New World, the species are known as blue-eyed grasses and, though not true grasses and in varieties with flower colors other than blue, are monocots. Several species in the eastern United States are threatened or endangered. Description These are not true grasses, but many species have the general appearance of grasses, as they are low-growing plants with long, thin leaves. They often grow on grasslands. Many species resemble irises, to which they are more closely related. Most species grow as perennial plants, from a rhizome, though some are short-lived (e.g. ''Sisyrinchium striatum)'', and some are annuals (e.g. '' Sisyrinchium iridifolium''). The flowers are relatively simple and often grow in clusters. Many species, particularly the South American ones, are not blue, despite the common name. The genus includes species with blue, white, yellow, and purple pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dipterostemon
''Dipterostemon'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae. Its only species is ''Dipterostemon capitatus'', synonym ''Dichelostemma capitatum'', known by the common names blue dicks, purplehead and brodiaea (alternately spelled brodiea and brodeia), native to the Western United States (particularly Arizona, California, Oregon, Utah, and New Mexico) and northwest Mexico. Description ''Dipterostemon capitatus'' is an herbaceous perennial growing from an underground corm to a height of as much as 60 cm. It has 2–3 leaves which are 10–40 cm long. The inflorescence is head- or umbel-like, and dense. It usually contains 2 to 15 flowers, which have a blue, blue-purple, pink-purple, or white perianth. The flower tube is 3–12 mm and is narrowly cylindrical to campanulate. Flowers have six fertile stamens, deeply notched, lanceolate, white, angled inward, slightly reflexed at tip, with outer filaments wider at the base. It has a twi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Castilleja Exserta
''Castilleja exserta'' (formerly ''Orthocarpus purpurascens'') is a species of plant in the genus ''Castilleja'' which includes the Indian paintbrushes. Its common names include purple owl's clover, escobita, and exserted Indian paintbrush. This species is native to the Southwestern United States in various habitats of California, Arizona, and New Mexico; and to Northwestern Mexico. It is an introduced species in Hawaii. Description ''Castilleja exserta'' is an annual herb about tall with a hairy stem covered in thready leaves. Like other related ''Castilleja'' plants, this species is a hemiparasite, deriving some of its nutrients directly from the roots of other plants by infiltrating them with haustoria. As a result, its own leaves are small and reduced. Although this species is variable in appearance and easily hybridizes with other ''Castilleja'' species, it generally bears a brightly colored inflorescence of shaggy pink-purple or lavender flowers. The thin, erect bracts ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sidalcea Malviflora
''Sidalcea malviflora'' is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, known by the common names dwarf checkerbloom, Greek mallow, prairie mallow and dwarf checkermallow. Distribution ''Sidalcea malviflora'' is native to the West Coast of the United States, from Washington to California, and into northwestern Baja California. It is a common plant of chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and other habitat types. Description ''Sidalcea malviflora'' is somewhat variable in appearance and there are many subspecies. In general it is a perennial herb growing from a woody caudex and rhizome, its stem reaching about 60 centimeters in maximum height. It is sparsely to densely hairy in texture. The leaf blades are variable in shape, but are often divided deeply into several lobes. The inflorescence is a dense or loose array of several flowers. The flower has five petals in shades of bright to dark pink, often with white veining, and measuring one to over three centimeters in length. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
