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Wildlife Spotlight: Coast Horned Lizard

8/24/2022

Coast Horned Lizard.

The coast horned lizard, also known as the Blainville's horned lizard, is a flat-bodied lizard with a wide oval shape, pointed scales on the upper body and tail, and horns or spines on its head. This lizard can grow up to 4.5 inches in length and is historically found along the pacific coast from Baja California to central California.

Its earth-tone colors consist of reddish brown, yellow and gray, as well as dark spots and a cream-colored belly, making the lizard a master of camouflage. Female horned lizards are often larger than males and can lay about 6-21 eggs, potentially laying two clutches of eggs in a year.

Invasive Plant Profile: Yellow star-thistle

8/17/2022

The yellow star-thistle is a serious emerging invasive species with spiny, yellow flowers and leaves extending down the stem that give a winged appearance. Typically found in degraded grasslands, rangelands and near roadways, the species has been linked to portions of land that were historically used for grazing.

With plants growing up to six feet tall, the yellow star-thistle propagates rapidly and reproduces prolifically. One large plant can produce tens of thousands of seeds annually, causing issues like crowding out native plant species, decreasing biodiversity, and creating a less resilient natural community that can lead to more vulnerable habitats, which can be threatened by wildfire and climate change. Yellow star-thistle plants have deep taproots that can significantly deplete soil moisture reserves, taking vital resources from native plant species.

Plant Profile: Prickly Pear Cactus

8/11/2022

The prickly pear cactus is native to southern California and Baja California, where it is commonly found growing in coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitats. These large plants grow in sprawling patches of thick jointed segments known as pads. A prickly pear cactus plant can reach up to three feet tall sprouting an array of yellow, orange or pink blooms with reddish purple fruit that grow on top of the cactus. The cactus fruit is edible and was often used by Native Americans and Spanish Americans as a food source, as well as to help bind wounds.

In 2009, after the 2007 Santiago Fire, Irvine Ranch Conservancy’s Habitat Restoration and Enhancement team planted 14,000 cactus pads and 90 potted cactus in an effort to restore damaged habitat. After about 10 years, the IRC team found that cacti planted as pads were almost a meter high at sites with lower weeds and the plants were also more successful on steeper, south facing slopes.

Irvine Ranch Conservancy Helps Enhance Coal Canyon Wildlife Crossing to Improve Connectivity of Urban Wildlands

8/4/2022

Bobcat traveling through the Coal Canyon Wildlife Crossing.

Irvine Ranch Conservancy’s mission to restore, protect, and enhance the ecological health of urban wildlands in Orange County often requires collaboration in order to achieve the long-term protection of native habitats. Over the last five years, Irvine Ranch Conservancy in collaboration with Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), CalTrans, California State Parks, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been helping to improve wildlife connectivity in Orange County’s urban wildlands.

Through the enhancement of a decommissioned off-ramp in Coal Canyon under the 91 freeway (SR-91), IRC and its partners put a five-year project in place to help improve connectivity between the Santa Ana Mountains, Irvine Ranch Open Space, and Chino Hills State Park, providing a safe passage point for wildlife to cross the freeway. The Coal Canyon wildlife crossing is a former freeway exit on SR-91 that was decommissioned for public use in 2002 and was deemed as a potential pathway for wildlife to safely travel across the freeway.

Wildlife Spotlight: Coast Horned Lizard

Invasive Plant Profile: Yellow star-thistle

Plant Profile: Prickly Pear Cactus

Irvine Ranch Conservancy Helps Enhance Coal Canyon Wildlife Crossing to Improve Connectivity of Urban Wildlands

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