A close-up view of a collection of lichens and moss, seen along a short length of a small branch of a Valley Oak tree.

A smaller forest high up on a branch of a bigger forest
#lichen #lichens #moss #mosses
#fungi #fungifriends
#oak #oaks #oaktrees #ValleyOak
#forest #forests
#California #nature #environment

A reddish conical-shaped gall of a Red Cone Gall Wasp, on the light-green-colored underside of a leaf of a Valley Oak. Bright sunlight streaming from the left.

Gall of a #RedConeGallWasp, underside of a leaf of #ValleyOak

#insects #galls #insectgalls
#oak #oaks #oaktree #oaktrees
#Nikon #NikonPhotography
#macrophotography
#insectphotography

When the oak leaves fall is a great time to study insect galls. Red Cone Gall Wasp, not red here but within described color variation. (Valley Oak.)

#insects #galls #insectgalls
#oak #oaks #oaktree #oaktrees
#ValleyOak #RedConeGallWasp
#Nikon #NikonPhotography
#macrophotography
#insectphotography

A photo of a Valley Oak tree, perspective is looking up the trunk of the tree with its branches reaching out, the top of the tree is lit by the rising sun.

A cold morning with an Ent. #ThickTrunkTuesday #ValleyOak #LOTR 🌿 🌱

#winteringoak #valleyoak #bluesky #dormant #visitlakecountyca #visitlakecounty #walking #epiciphonepix #epicpix #pierrecutler #mossyoak #landscapephotography #californiaphotography #oaktrees

Oak titmouse

The #OakTitmouse is the #California analog of the tufted titmouse of the East. This one is feeding on buds from the #ValleyOak. I love these acrobatic and cute #birds. Taken in December 2024 in #SantaRosa, CA.

#birdphotography #sonomacountyparks #sonomacounty #photography #wildlife #micro43

Nuttall's woodpecker

The #NuttallsWoodpecker almost exclusively lives in #California oak woodlands. Luckily, they are found year-round in #RohnertPark and #SonomaCounty. Taken in #SantaRosa, CA, USA.

#birds #birdphotography #woodpecker #sonomacountyparks #micro43 #valleyoak #photography

Days are getting shorter at Jasper Ridge, providing less #sunlight. This signals #deciduous #Valleyoak (#Quercuslobata) leaf to stop making #chlorophyll. Chlorophyll (green) fades & other chemicals (pigments) show up: #Xanthophylls-yellow, #Carotenoids-orange, #Anthocyanins-red

Now to summarize some results! Overall, #Valleyoak (Quercus lobata) showed the highest gall incidence, with 64.5% of the sampled leaves affected by galls! Examples of galls on Q. #lobata pics by @alicegcummings

Day 5 of #JRBPVirtualTour! The iconic and endemic to #California: #ValleyOak (Quercus lobata). Mature Valley oak specimens may attain an age of up to 600 years and its stature may approach 30 meters in height! #Quercuslobata #Quercus!