Plant Life You'll See In Silver City And Surrounding Areas
Posted on August 17, 2020 in
Enjoy the California wilderness!
Many people book a trip to Silver City Mountain Resort because of its proximity to Mother Nature herself. Nestled in some of the best wild scenery in the state of California, you get clear skies and blooming botanicals — the views are breathtaking!
Experience the best plant life when you visit Silver City Mountain Resort. Not only is it right here in our own backyard, but we’re close to Sequoia National Park and other great hikes that help you commune with nature. Learn more about the plants and trees you can expect to see!
Sierra Nevada Flora
The area that Silver City Mountain Resort is located in has a vast variety of vegetation zones, so you’ll experience a myriad of plants in the different vegetation zones of the topographic areas.
Plants of the Foothills
The foothills boast a lot of natural grasslands with a few other distinct shrubs and trees that you’re bound to encounter.
Blue Oak - This is a deciduous tree that is found only in California along coastal areas and in the foothills. It’s extremely drought-tolerant and features blue-green leaves that have a leathery look and feel.
Chaparral - Chaparral is a shrub that, like the blue oak tree, is extremely drought-resistant, and, over time, has made adaptations to become more fire-resistant, which is vital for protecting the foothills should a fire occur. Chaparral also provides refuge to the animals that live at lower elevations, keeping them hidden and out of view from predators.
Fiddleneck - Fiddleneck is a type of wildflower you can catch blooming in the foothills in the spring. This flower features a series of small yellow delicate blooms that curl over, resembling a fiddleneck on the musical instrument.
Montane Forest
The montane forest is a lower to mid-part of the topographic area, just above the foothills. This vegetation zone is where you’ll begin to see a much more wide variety of trees, instead of just grassland and small shrubs like in the foothills.
Ponderosa Pine - The ponderosa pine is a towering species of pine tree, that is easily identified by its yellowy-orange bark plates with dark black crevices in between.
Incense Cedar - The incense cedar is marked by its conical shape and evergreen foliage with fragrant leaves.
White Fir - The white fir is an evergreen tree, keeping its foliage year-round and is a popular type of Christmas tree. It’s a full pine tree (pyramidal shape) with a bluish or silvery-green color.
Giant Sequoia - Sequoias dominate in size compared to the rest of the mixed-conifers in the region, but are often outnumbered by the other varieties. Fire also plays a large role in sequoia reproduction, which seems counterintuitive, but with fire, it stimulates the seed release and allows them to drop and germinate in the soil.
Subalpine Forest
Climbing higher and just above the montane forest is the subalpine region. This is one of the last vegetation zones where trees grow, but this area has a few distinct subalpine trees.
Whitebark Pine - This type of pine is scattered throughout the subalpine forest and serves as a food source for many of the birds and mammals living at this elevation. Whitebark pine can be seen growing upwards as a typical pine tree or more shrub-like in barren growing conditions that experience a great deal of ice, wind, snow.
Limber Pine - Limber pine is a sprawling pine tree that grows every which way except for straight up! It can often be seen growing out of steep cliffs or a windy ridge.
Western Juniper - This is a high altitude pine tree that is pyramidal in shape and supports wildlife with its fleshy cones.
Alpine Forest
The alpine is above treeline, so you won’t see any tree growth. There is plant life, and it’s actually quite a rich area despite the extreme weather and growing conditions.
Oval-leafed Buckwheat - This is a perennial plant that grows amongst rocks. It has muted green/gray leaves with a whitish-yellow bloom.
Sky Pilot - The sky pilot is a rare wildflower and a true find if you’re able to spot it because it’s only in full bloom for one day a year! Its flowering head has many blue to lavender flowers that are quite fragrant, often being described as having a urine smell.
Rosy Pussytoes - Known also as cat’s foot or mountain everlasting, rosy pussytoes have a cluster of flower heads that range from a light to dark pink color.
Get To Know California Plant Life With Silver City Mountain Resort!
Silver City Mountain Resort is the perfect place to immerse yourself in the great outdoors and experience the best flora and fauna of California. Use it as a home base to venture out to Sequoia National Park or Kings Canyon to spot all the different plant life that grows in the varying vegetation zones.
Book today!