Vollmar Natural Lands Consulting

These beefy guys are called Contra Costa goldfields (Lasthenia conjugens). They're are a CNPS 1B.1 (!!) federally listed endangered plant. L. conjugens used to be much more widespread, though still endemic to California meaning they only occur here. They like vernal pools, an already specialized habitat, and even more specific micro- habitats within those pools. -- Generally, L. conjugens are bigger than other Lasthenia, and have a slightly different hue. Of course, we can't... use these as distinguishing features, so what we actually look for are partially fused phyllaries (basically the bracts of the sunflower family) along with dissected leaf structures. L. conjugens are the ONLY Lasthenia species with the partially fused phillaries. . . . . . . . . #botany #endangeredspecies #endangered #cnps #rareplant #biology #ecology #science #communication #scicomm #education #scientist #biologist #ecologist #botanist #plantsofinstagram #beautifulcalifornia #habitat #wildflowers #environment #conservation #research #fieldwork #earthfocus #planetearth #natgeo #bayarea See more

It's been a long week, but we're still goin' strong! These plants and wildlife aren't going to survey themselves -- Pictured: our senior staff walking off site as the sun sets chatting about the day's botanical finds. #tgif . .... . . . . . . #botany #botanist #research #fieldwork #scientist #biologist #ecologist #science #communication #scicomm #grassland #rangeland #wildland #beautifulcalifornia #biology #ecology #sunset #weekendvibes #tgifridays #conservation #vegetation #study #environment See more

Have you seen all the Butter 'n' Eggs (Triphysaria eriantha) this year -- This native Californian flower has been blanketing many of the grassland habitats we've visited. Though common, they're always fun to see. . .... . . . . . . #botany #wildflowers #beautifulcalifornia #research #science #communication #fieldwork #natgeo #ecology #environment #ecologist #scientist #biology #biologist #scicomm #habitat #grassland #rangeland #wildland #conservation #planetearth #earthfocus @ California See more

IT'S CTS SEASON Y'ALL -- CTS stands for California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense), a threatened species that will likely become endangered in the foreseeable future. These guys breed in seasonal bodies of water like vernal pools, and spend much of their adult lives underground in burrows built by squirrels in grasslands and low foothills habitat. That's some pretty sensitive habitat that continues to be fragmented and destroyed contributing to their threatened ...status. -- Photos 1-3: CTS larvae at various stages of development. The fabulous "hair" shown in photo 3 are actually the salamander's gills, which will eventually reduce and disappear as the larvae ages and morphs into their adult form. Also hitching along for the ride are some vernal pool tadpole shrimp (Lepidurus packardi), a prehistoric looking endangered crustacean. -- Photo 4: an adult CTS!! . . . . . . . . #endangeredspecies #herpetology #herpetologia #herpetofauna #scientist #science #communication #scienceeducation #biology #biologist #ecology #ecologist #environment #wildlife #wildlifebiologist #conservation #rangeland #natgeowild #planetearth #earthfocus #california #amphibians #salamander @ California See more

It's #wildflowerwednesday! Botanizing season is in full swing, and our biologists spent the day checking out these beautiful pops of vernal pool blooms. -- Photo 1: a pool full of Lasthenia (goldfields) and Downingia (calicoflowers) -- Photo 2: a close up look under hand lens magnification. This flower is in the sunflower family meaning what is commonly seen as the "flower" is actually made up of a bunch of tiny flowers! To identify this species, we're looking at the little w...hite hairs, also known as the pappus, shown here. Since these tiny ray flowers have a mix of long and short pappus structures, we can confidently identify this as Lasthenia fremontii! -- Photo 2: another close up of two Downingia plants. These two seem like different species at first glance, but the identifying feature here is the horn just below the crevice the two smaller petals make (called a sinus) indicating that both these species are Downingia ornatissima! Happy botanizing! . . . . . . . . #botany #vernalpool #habitat #ecology #biology #science #communication #conservation #wildlifebiologist #scientist #biologist #ecologist #botanist #california #plantsmakepeoplehappy #wildflowers #wetlands #research #fieldwork #sacramento #roseville #planetearth #earthfocus @ California See more