Our scents and sights are heightened by the onslaught of spring. T e olfactory and optic sensations come to life like at no other time of year. Our horses buck, prance and canter with a vigor unseen the past few winter months. T e horses and I are ready to ride. We leſt last month’s ride story recounting the history of humankind’s uses of the land and his impact over time. Today, we continue our ride through the Spenceville Wildlife Area (SWA), an 11,000+ acre preserve at the abandoned town of Waldo, and focus on the variety of fl ora—from edible to simply incredible—that spring brings forth.
A DAY’S RIDE THROUGH A RIPARIAN HABITAT BECOMES A
FEAST OF THE SENSES FOR ONE TRAIL RIDER AND HIS HORSES
A
t the old town site there remains one isolated olive tree, non-native vegetation planted by the town’s inhabitants long ago. Standing in sharp contrast to the more abundant
native oaks, the tree adds a Mediterranean touch to the land- scape. The olive tree, symbol of peace, power and perseverance, presents a perfect location to transition from the history to the fl ora of the area landscape. We ride through the remnants of the town of Waldo down to
the more dense vegetation along Dry Creek. This riparian habi- tat is associated with slow-moving streams and valley bottoms where a high water table persists. The riparian fl ora is tied to the dominance of water, which determines the type and abundance of fl ora that thrive. The type of fl ora, in turn, determines the variety of fauna that congregate and nest or simply to use the vegetation as a safe transportation corridor to its next destination.
WATER: SOURCE OF LIFE I love to ride where the life source of water resonates. The waters
of Dry Creek plummet down the foothills onto a relatively level ta- ble in Spenceville. Our ride will take us along the riparian habitat of Dry Creek up toward the high point of our trip to Fairy Falls. The falls, a series of waterfalls that cascade some 90 feet over rocks, will provide a spectacular luncheon spot later in the afternoon. Along the way we will visit the fl ora abundant in the riparian
community, traverse the open grasslands of the foothills to a more dominant habitat type in the in the SWA, the Blue-Oak woodlands. Since both of my horses are overweight I’ll ride one and pony
the other—they both can use the work. I’ll switch off riding Fire- bird one way, ride Sidney back and with numerous stops along the way the horses will munch/bask in the buffet of grasses and brush. Crossing Dry Creek (a year-round stream so ignore the name),
we hug the creek trail and pan the various canopies consisting of willows and alder trees along with soft, tranquil groves of cotton- woods. A cottonwood grove is one of my favorite places to rest the horses as it is usually accompanied by the powers of moving waters, and I equate the sound of moving water with tranquility. My horses, on the other hand, feast on the abundance of berry bushes, willows and wild grapes. These succulent vegetations provide water and nutrients but these plants serve more as appetizers to the main courses of grasslands that await our climb to the falls. While the palate-pleasing plants occupy my horses, I tune in
to the scents and sights that spring delivers. The effervescence of rose hips primes olfactory nerves as I view the hillsides, decorated with the California poppy (state flower), that we are about to climb. The California poppy, a truly beautiful fl ower, it is a na- tive plant with hues varying from orange to yellow. When it carpets a hillside and the plant opens its petals to reveal its full color to the sun, it announces a welcome to the Golden State—the per- fect prelude sounding the splendor of California’s “other” gold, its bountiful fl ora. These horses have a lot of go in them as we trot through the
Fremonts Tidytips
open grasslands of SWA. I love to just open up the fl oodgates, ride with the wind through these long (two- to three-mile) meadows. We alternate a consistent trot with a random gallop through the moving shades of the windswept green grasses. We come to a halt where a hillside stand of wild oats brings all to attention and we saunter over to the entrees of the day for the horses.
A BOUNTY OF FLORA Wild oats are a feast waiting to be consumed. Fifteen minutes
grazing on this calorie-enriched menu will carry your horse a long way down the trail. If you ever camp in the backcountry for any length of time and a stand of wild oats appears, just stop and graze
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PHOTOS ON FACING PAGE (from top leſt ): 1: Riparian habitat at Dry Creek. 2: Rob and Firebird explore an olive tree on the trail. 3: Wildfl owers including Vetch, Wild Pea and Fiddleneck (which is poisonous to horses). 4: A Young Blue Oak stand. 5: Rob and Firebird explore an olive tree on the trail. 6: Last year’s Cat ails with Wild Iris in the background. 7: A Grand Valley Oak. CENTER: T e fl ora around creekbeds are wonderful to explore.
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