Bobcat

Brush Rabbit

Bushtit

California Buckwheat

California Harvester Ant

California Sagebrush

Coyote

Chamise

A small rabbit. Reddish-brown, mottled with black in summer; paler, but still mottled, in winter. Short legs, small tail, short, dark ears.

Brush Rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani)

Diet: California buckwheat, seeds, young plant growth, and grasses. Predators: Red diamond rattlesnake, hawks, and coyotes. Interesting fact: Look for a maze of runways in the brush and small pellet-like scat.
CONSUMER

Yellowish-brown coat with dark spotting. Short, stubby tail. Ears have tufts of hair. Males are larger than females.

Bobcat (Lynx rufus)

Diet: Big-eared Woodrat and other small rodents, birds, fish, insects, carrion (dead animals), and sometimes larger animals. Predators: Foxes, owls, and adult male bobcats prey on young. Interesting fact: Bobcat tracks will not have claw marks because their claws are retractable (pull inside).
CONSUMER

California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)

Edibles: Nectar, seeds, pollen. Consumers: Brush rabbits, butterflies, lizards, and small birds. Interesting fact: Native Americans used it for food. Have you heard of buckwheat pancakes?

Low-spreading shrub with large clumps of white flowers that develop into brown-colored seed heads during the summer. The small, narrow, leathery leaves are in bundles along the stems.

Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)

Diet: Spittlebugs and other insects. Predators: Hawks and other birds. Interesting fact: Often harvests insects from plants while it is hanging upside down.

Small bird that is gray above with a light underside. Small bill and relatively long tail.

PRODUCER

CONSUMER

California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica)

Edibles: Leaves and seeds. Consumers: Spittlebugs and other insects, deer, small mammals, and birds. Interesting fact: Native Americans used the plant to treat colds and stomach disorders.

Shrub with a woody base and soft, gray-green, needlelike leaves that grow in clusters along the stem. The leaves have a very distinctive fragrance.

California Harvester Ant (Pogonomyrmex californicus)

Less than 1 inch long, colors are mostly black, brown, or reddish. They live in colonies in underground tunnels or in galleries in dead wood.

PRODUCER

Diet: Mission manzanita berries, other berries, and leaves. Predators: Western fence lizards and other reptiles, birds, spiders, and Argentine ants. Interesting fact: Ants have a complex social structure with special jobs for each ant. Some ants are gardeners growing small, underground fungi farms.
CONSUMER

An evergreen shrub with dry-looking stick-like branches. The leaves are small with a pointed tip and sprout in clusters from the branches. The leaves are shiny with flammable oils, especially in warmer weather. The branches end in bunches of white tubular flowers with five petals.

Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum)

Coyote (Canis latrans)

Edibles: Young leaves, bark. Consumers: Mule deer, woodrats. Interesting fact: A member of the Rose family.

Dog-like animals with brownish-gray fur, triangular ears, and a black-tipped tail. Usually carry their tails straight down.

PRODUCER

Diet: Western fence lizard and other reptiles, small mammals, insects, birds, grasses, berries, carrion (dead animals). Predators: Mountain lions, wolves, humans. Interesting fact: Scat is often found on trails with twisted ends. Look for fur or berries.
CONSUMER

Earthworm

Fungi

Gopher Snake

Big-eared Woodrat

Great Horned Owl

Greater Roadrunner

Mission Manzanita

Mountain Lion

A fleshy cap with gills on the underside. The spores are chocolate-brown. They have a stem that holds the cap above the ground.

Fungi (Agaricus species)

Diet: Dead plant and animal material. Predators: Humans, insects, and other plant eating animals. Interesting fact: Fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants.

Long, segmented body that tapers on both ends.

Earthworm

Diet: Roots, decaying plant material, bacteria. Predators: Birds. Interesting fact: Earthworm droppings are important nutrients for soil and healthy habitats.

DECOMPOSER

DECOMPOSER

Brown above, grayer on face. Grayish to whitish underside. Feet and ankles dark with white toes and claws. The tail has sparse hairs and is nearly half the total length of the rats body.

Big-eared Woodrat (Neotoma macrotis)

Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer)

Diet: Scrub Oak and other trees and seeds. Predators: Bobcat, snake, fox, and coyote. Interesting fact: Builds large nests out of sticks, twigs, leaves, and other objects. The nest has multiple entries and even rooms for eating and sleeping.
CONSUMER

Diet: Toads, lizards, small birds and mammals, and other snakes. Predators: Greater roadrunner, other large birds, and mammals. Interesting fact: When threatened, it hisses loudly and vibrates its tail. This reaction causes them to be mistaken for rattlesnakes.
CONSUMER

Large, heavy snake with a yellow or cream background color and black or reddish-brown blotches on its back and sides. A dark stripe runs across its small head.

Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)

Bigger than a crow. A long-legged, long-tailed, streaked, gray-brown ground bird with a bushy crest. Bright yellow eyes. Diet: Gopher snake, scorpions, insects, rodents, and other birds. Predators: Hawks, raccoons, and some snakes. Interesting fact: They prefer to walk or run and can reach speeds of 17 mph.

A large, dark brown and gray owl. White throat with patchy underside. Large widely-spaced ear tufts and yellow eyes.

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

CONSUMER

Diet: Western scrub jay and other birds, mammals, reptiles, fish and insects. Predators: Eggs and young are eaten by foxes and coyotes. Interesting fact: Their neck can turn 270 degrees in order to see in other directions.

CONSUMER

A large, pale brown to golden cat. Underbelly is lighter than top coat. Long, dark-tipped tail. Ears are short and rounded with dark backs. Long legs with large feet. Diet: Mule deer, birds, fish, coyotes, bobcats, and other mammals. Predators: Killed by hunters, diseases, and starvation. Interesting fact: Keep deer herds healthy by preying on the weak individuals.

Mountain Lion (Felis concolor)

A shrub with a single trunk and a roughly-rounded crown. Leaves are oblong, glossy dark green on the top and very light-colored with a velvety texture on the underside. Leaf edges curl under as they age. Bark is smooth and a red-gray color. Fruit is glossy dark red with little flesh.

Mission Manzanita (Xylococcus bicolor)

CONSUMER

Edibles: Berries, nectar, and leaves. Consumers: Harvester ants, birds, bears, coyotes. Interesting fact: The name Xylococcus comes from the Greek word for wood berry.
PRODUCER

Mule Deer

Orb Weaver Spider

Red Diamond Rattlesnake

Red-tailed Hawk

Western Scrub-Jay

Coast Scrub Oak

Western Spadefoot Toad

Spittlebug

Orb Weaver Spider (Argiope species)

Spiders that spin a web in a circle (orb). Female spiders are much larger than males, growing almost an inch and a half long.

Diet: Small insects. Predators: Hawks, birds, wasps, Western fence lizards, and small rodents. Interesting fact: Look for the unique zigzag pattern in their web.
CONSUMER

Large ears and stocky body with long sturdy legs. Coat is reddish-brown or yellowish-brown on top. Underbelly fur is cream to tan.

Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus)

Diet: Chamise, young leaves, grasses and fruit. Predators: Mountain lions, bobcats and coyotes. Interesting fact: The mule deer has large ears that move independently and almost constantly, like a mule.
CONSUMER

A large, stocky hawk with whitish chest and rustcolored tail. Young are dull, streaked, and lack rustcolored tail of adult.

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Red Diamond Rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber)

Diet: Red diamond rattlesnake, other reptiles, small birds, and small mammals. Predators: Eggs and young hawks are eaten by large birds and raccoons. Interesting fact: It soars over open areas in search of prey and perches in trees or light posts watching for the slightest movement in the grass below.

Stoutly built. Tan to brick-red, with diamond-shaped blotches down the back. Blotches are usually lightedged but may be indistinct. Black and white rings encircle tail.

CONSUMER

Diet: Brush rabbits and other small mammals, birds and reptiles. Predators: Red-tailed Hawks, large birds, and snakes. Interesting fact: The longest ever recorded measured over 5 feet, but most are 2 to 3 feet long.
CONSUMER

Coast Scrub Oak (Quercus dumosa)

Edibles: Acorns, branches and leaves. Consumers: Big-eared woodrats, most mammals and birds. Interesting fact: Called white oaks for their scaly, whitish bark brightened by sunlight.

Spirally arranged, serrated (toothed) leaves. Leaves are thick, waxy, and dark green all year long. The fruit is a nut called an acorn, borne in a cup-like structure. Each acorn contains one seed.

Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)

Head, wings, and tail blue. Back is dull brown, underside is light gray. Grayish face mask.

PRODUCER

Diet: Toyon berries and other seeds, acorns, eggs, nestlings, reptiles, and insects. Predators: Great-horned owl, other large birds, and snakes. Interesting fact: The jays bury many more acorns than they eat and help restore oak forests that have been destroyed by fire or drought.
CONSUMER

Small to medium-sized jumping insects, 1/8-1/2 inch (4-13 mm) long, that hop about like tiny frogs on plants and shrubs, where they feed.

Spittlebug (Aphrophora species)

Diet: CA Sagebrush, wild grasses, berries. Predators: Bushtit and other birds. Interesting fact: Spittlebug nymphs (young) cover themselves with masses of bubbly, wet spittle. Each frothy mass contains 1 or more tiny nymphs, hiding them from predators as they suck plant juices.

A stout-bodied toad with a glossy black, spade-shaped wedge on each hind foot. Color varies from green, brown, cream or gray, often with 4 light stripes and dark blotches on the back. Tubercles (warts) have red spots on the tips.

Western Spadefoot Toad (Spea hammondii)

CONSUMER

Diet: Earthworms, and other invertebrates and small insects. Predators: Gopher snake, birds, coyotes and other mammals. Interesting fact: The spade shaped feet are used to dig in the soil.
CONSUMER

Toyon

Western Fence Lizard

Bacteria

Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)

Edibles: Leaves and berries. Consumers: Western scrub jays, other birds, and coyotes. Interesting fact: Sometimes called Christmas berry because the fruit is produced in the fall through winter.
PRODUCER

Has a rounded to irregular top. Its leaves are evergreen, alternate and sharply-toothed. In the early summer it produces small white flowers in dense clusters. Small bright red, berry-like fruit is produced in large quantities.

Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis)

Spiny scales. Brownish or black with blotches or wavy crossbars down the back. Underside of legs is yellowish-orange. Blue patches on belly. Diet: Harvester ants, and other insects and spiders. Predators: Coyote, snakes, birds. Interesting fact: Also called blue-belly. Males have a blue patch on their throat.

CONSUMER

Microscopic single-celled organisms that contribute to decomposition in shrubland environments.

Bacteria

Diet: Dead plant and animal material. Predators: Everything. Interesting fact: A teaspoon of soil contains billions of bacteria.

DECOMPOSER