Wild Sonoma

Charles Hood has studied birds and natural history from the Amazon to Tibet, and he has seen more than five thousand species of birds in the wild. A widely published poet, he has received numerous fellowships and writing awards and is the author of the Heyday collection A Salad Only the Devil Would Eat. His other Heyday titles include field guides to mammals and birds, and for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County he was the lead author and photographer for the book Wild LA. Jeanne Wirka is an ecologist and nature writer with over twenty-five years of experience in conservation science, ecological restoration, and environmental education. John Muir Laws is a naturalist, educator, and artist, with degrees in conservation and resource studies from the University of California, Berkeley; in wildlife biology from the University of Montana, Missoula; and in scientific illustration from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is a 2010 Audubon TogetherGreen Conservation Leadership Fellow and has received the Terwilliger Environmental Award for outstanding service in environmental education. Visit his website at johnmuirlaws.com. Lynn Horowitz is an avid hiker, certified California Naturalist, and longtime Sonoma County resident. Dr. Jane Goodall DBE is an ethologist and environmentalist. Author of many books for adults and children and featured in countless documentaries and articles, Jane has reached millions around the world with her lectures, podcasts and writings. She was appointed as a UN Messenger of Peace, is a Dame of the British Empire and has received countless honors from around the world.

Foreword by Jane Goodall

 

Introduction: Welcome to Wild Sonoma!

 

Part 1: Where Nature Comes From





water and watersheds
dirt versus soil
fire and fire ecology



Part 2: a Field Guide to Cool, Interesting, and Essential Species

 

birds 





acorn woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus
American coot Fulica americana
American robin Turdus migratorius
Anna’s hummingbird Calypte anna
California quail Callipepla californica
California scrub-jay Aphelocoma californica
common raven Corvus corax
dark-eyed junco Junco hyemalis
double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus
golden-crowned sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla
great blue heron Ardea herodias
great egret Ardea alba
house finch Haemorhous mexicanus
mallard Anas platyrhynchos
mourning dove Zenaida macroura
red-tailed hawk Buteo jamaicensis
red-winged blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
tree swallow Tachycineta bicolor
turkey vulture Cathartes aura
western bluebird Sialia mexicana



flowers, shrubs, and trees





arroyo willow Salix lasiolepis
bay laurel Umbellularia californica
blue dicks Dipterostemon capitatum
California buckeye Aesculus californica
California poppy Eschscholzia californica
coast live oak Quercus agrifolia
coast redwood Sequoia sempervirens
common manzanita Arctostaphylos manzanita
Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii
Douglas iris Iris douglasiana
field mustard Brassica spp.
Pacific madrone Arbutus menziesii
Pacific poison oak Toxicodendron diversilobum
sky lupine Lupinus nanus
spring vetch Vicia sativa
sticky monkey-flower Diplacus aurantiacus
toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia
valley oak Quercus lobata



insects





common buckeye Junonia coenia
bumble bee Bombus spp.
cabbage white Pieris rapae
California sister Adelpha californica
common yellowjacket Vespula pensylvanica
darkling beetle Eleodes grandicollis
flame skimmer Libellula saturata
harvester ant Veromessor andrei
mourning cloak Nymphalis antiopa
pipevine swallowtail Battus philenor



mammals

 





black bear Urus americanus
bobcat Lynx rufus
coyote Canis latrans
gray fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus
mule deer Odocoileus hemionus
northern raccoon Procyon lotor
striped skunk Mephitis mephitis
western gray squirrel Sciurus griseus



reptiles and amphibians





California newt Taricha torosa
garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis
gopher snake Pituophis catenifer
northern Pacific rattlesnake Crotalus oreganus
Sierran treefrog Pseudacris sierra
western fence lizard Sceloporus occidentalis 



Part 3: Explorations and Excursions





Jenner and the Russian River Estuary
Lake Sonoma
The Middle Russian River
Spring Lake Regional Park
Jack London State Historic Park
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park



  

Where to Go Next

 

About the Authors