INDEX

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

accessibility, 302. See also individual park descriptions

Accipiter cooperii, 88

accipiters, 88

acorns, 82-83, 86, 185, 186

acorn woodpecker, 67, 82-83, 211, 269, 278

ADA accessibility, 302. See also individual park descriptions

Adventure Pass, 278, 281, 283

aestivation, 163

African clawed frog, 34-35

Agaricus bisporus, 167

Agaricus xanthodermus, 167-168

air pollution, 171

Alamitos Bay, 306

alarm signals, 146. See also warning signals

alders, 268

algae, 170-171, 309

Allen’s hummingbird, 45-46, 66, 97-98, 238

alligator lizard, 76, 157-158

alluvial washes, 264

altitude sickness, 284

altitudinal migration, 58, 59

Ambigolimax valentianus, 164-165

American avocet, 310

American bullfrog, 148-149, 254, 269

American coot, 314, 315

American crow, 89-90, 238

American mastodon, 20

American white pelican, 300, 301

American wigeon, 314, 315

amphibians, 46-47, 148-161. See also Reptiles and Amphibians of Southern California (RASCals project)

Anas platyrhynchus, 99-100

Anax junius, 111-112

Angeles Crest, 177, 181, 191, 194, 268, 272, 277, 278

Angeles National Golf Club, 264

animal tracks, 65, 74, 269-270

Anna’s hummingbird, 66, 97-98, 200, 238

Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, 178

antlers, 139, 142

antlions, 106-107

ants, 83, 106-107, 115, 150, 176, 186

Aphelocoma californica, 86

aphids, 58, 68, 107, 108

aposematic coloration, 144

aqueducts, 34, 35, 40, 216

aquifers, 30, 32-35, 268

Araneidae, 129

Araneus cavaticus, 302

Arctostaphylos species, 190-191

Ardea herodias, 92-93

Argentine ant, 107, 150

Argiope aurantia, 129

Arlington Garden, 260-262

Army Corps of Engineers, 32

arroyo chub, 237, 238

arroyos, 272

Arroyo Seco, 256, 257, 259, 270

arroyo willow, 212, 266, 311

Artemisia californica, 179-180

arundo, 172-173, 252

Arundo donax, 172-173

asphalt, 22, 24

Audubon Center (Debs Park), 256, 257-258, 259

Audubon Society, 92, 226, 272, 291

avian pox, 96

Baccharis pilularis, 187-188

backyard habitats, 66-71

bacteria, 181

badgers, 135

bald eagle, 88, 288

Baldwin Hills, 47, 87, 231-234

Baldy, Mount, 278, 281-285

Baldy Village, 282

baleen, 318

Ballona Wetlands, 225-230

bamboo, 172

bark beetles, 195

barn spider, 302

bass (fish), 254

bat detectors, 12, 131, 239

Batrachoseps major, 153

bats, 12-13, 63-64, 130-131

bearberry, 190

Bear Flag Revolt, 132

bears. See black bear; grizzly bear; short-faced bear

bee hotels, 70, 238-239

Bernstein, Reese, 72, 73-75

Bette Davis Picnic Area, 252

Beverly Hills, 34, 240

bighorn sheep, 17, 138-139, 282-283

big mammals, 26-28, 43

bigpod ceanothus, 180-181

bike rides and bike paths, 287, 292, 296, 311

binoculars, 208, 282, 318

biodiversity, 8-9, 15-18, 25, 67

Biodiversity Science: City and Nature (BioSCAN project), 74, 77

biological control of invasive pests, 53, 108, 117

biological diversity, 8-9, 15-18, 25, 67

BioSCAN project, 74, 77

bird feeders, 70, 95, 96, 101, 238

bird migrations, 44, 45, 54-55, 59, 95, 227-228, 309

bird of paradise, 18

birds, 82-105. See also nest building; and specific bird names

in backyards, 66-67

Ballona area, 227-228

Bonelli Regional Park, 287-290

Debs Park, 257-258

Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park, 313-315

feather colors, 86, 96, 99-100, 102-103

feeding, 70, 95, 96, 101, 103, 238

Franklin Canyon Park, 242-244

Glendale Narrows, 255

Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, 234

Lower LA River at Willow Street, 309-311

at the Nature Gardens, 238

at night, 62-63

Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, 218-219

birds of prey, 39, 44, 288-289. See also specific bird names

birdwatching, 54-55, 218-219, 234, 268, 309-310

bison, 21

black bear, 15, 42-43, 131-132, 283

black-bellied slender salamander, 69

black-crowned night heron, 218, 289

black fingers of death (fungus), 184

black-headed parakeet, 211

black-necked stilt, 84-85

black phoebe, 83-84, 258, 314

black saddlebags (dragonfly), 56

Black Walnut Trail, 296

black widow (spider), 126-127

Blainville’s horned lizard, 149-150

blue belly (lizard), 159

bluebirds, 91

blue dasher dragonfly, 266

blue gum eucalyptus, 52, 173-175, 214, 215

blue jay, 86

blue-ringed octopus, 151

blue whale, 56

Boag, Camille, 60

bobcat, 132-133, 259, 320

Bonebrake, Tim, 249

Bonelli Park, 286-290

Botta’s pocket gopher, 133-134, 234

brackish water, 306, 309

bristlecone pine, 195

brittlebush, 273

broad-footed mole, 134

brome grasses, 183-184

Bromus species, 183-184

Brotogeris chiriri, 105

Brown, Brian, 76-77

brown chippy, 87

brown pelican, 88, 300, 310

brown widow (spider), 126-127

brush mouse, 224

Bubo virginianus, 93-94

Buckhorn Campground, 280

buckwheat, 176-177, 257

bufflehead duck, 227

building proposals, 293, 313

bullfrogs, 46, 148-149, 242, 254, 269

bumblebees, 278

bunchgrasses, 21, 33-34, 41, 184

Burbank, 246

Burghduff, A. E., 132

burls, 38

burrowing owl, 135, 228

bush sunflower, 175-176

bushtit, 85

butterflies, 177, 249, 270. See also specific butterfly species

cabbage white butterflies, 67

cacti, 51, 139, 233-234, 264-265, 289

Calabasas Creek, 33

California buckwheat, 176-177

California bush sunflower, 273

California Christmas berry, 248

California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 42, 138, 253, 282

California fan palm, 191, 192

California Floristic Province, 17-18

California gnatcatcher, 180

California ground squirrel, 134, 135-136, 216, 295

California gull, 104, 314

California holly, 198, 247, 248

California Invasive Plant Council, 193

California king snake, 47

California Lichen Society, 171

California lilacs (ceanothus), 180-181

California newt, 150-151

California poppy, 178

California red-legged frog, 46-47, 148

California sagebrush, 179-180

California scrub-jay, 86, 93, 258, 274

California sea lion, 230

California towhee, 69, 87

California yucca moth, 182-183

Caltech, 270

Calypte anna, 97-98

cameras and photography

birdwatching, 219

community science, 74, 78, 209, 239

and coyotes, 61

tips, 208

traffic cameras, 241

whale spotters, 318

camera traps

and bobcats, 133

for community science, 78

Debs Park, 259

Griffith Park, 143

Hahn Recreation Area, 233

and mountain lion P-22, 250

NHMLA Nature Garden, 146, 238, 239

Canada geese, 300, 315

Canary Island date palm, 192

Canary Island pine, 194-195

Canis latrans, 136-137

canyon bat, 130-131

canyon bunting, 87

Captain’s Roost, 248

carbon-14 dating, 25-26

carpenter ants, 150

carpenter bees, 124-125, 183

carp fishing, 34

Cassin’s kingbird, 313

castor bean plants, 252-253

Catalina Island, 317

catamount, 250

caterpillars, 115, 116, 126, 128

cats, outdoor, 70

cattails, 242

cattle ranching, 33-34

ceanothus (California lilacs), 180-181

Ceanothus crassifolius, 180-181

Ceanothus megacarpus, 180-181

Century Lake, 212

Certified Wildlife Habitat program (National Wildlife Foundation), 69

chameleons, 159

Channel Islands, 20, 98, 104, 171, 177, 317, 319

chaparral

and fire, 39, 40

as habitat, 47, 181, 198

chaparral shrubs, 38

chaparral yucca, 182-183

Charlotte’s Web (White), 302

Charlton Flats, 276-280

Chatsworth Nature Preserve, 214

Chatsworth Oaks Park, 213-216

Chatsworth Reservoir, 216

cheatgrass, 183-184

chickadees, 59

chicken hawks, 88

Chilao, 280

cholla cactus, 264, 265

Christmas berry, 198

Chumash people, 22, 211, 258

chytrid (fungus), 46-47

circadian rhythms, 62-63

citizen science. See community science

citrus farming, 53, 126, 174

Civilian Conservation Corps, 278

climate, Mediterranean, 16, 178, 208, 260-262

climate, mountain, 282

climate change, 20, 25-26, 26-28

coastal coral tree, 18

coastal prickly pear cactus, 233-234

coastal sage, 179, 233-234, 273

coast live oak, 185-186, 268

cochineal scale, 289-290

Cold War, 214

Columba livia, 102-103

Columbian mammoth, 20, 21

common garden snail, 162-163

common names of species, 9, 181

common raven, 89-90

common side-blotched lizard, 151-152

community science, 72-79

BioSCAN project, 74, 77

camera use for, 74, 78, 209, 239

LA Spider Survey, 74, 127, 129

Monarch Alert project, 117

Natural History Museum projects, 74

RASCals project (Reptiles and Amphibians of Southern California), 72, 73, 74, 153, 160, 305

SLIME project, 74, 164

Southern California Squirrel Survey, 74, 145

whale spotters, 318, 319

companion plantings, 108

Comstock, John, 249

convergent ladybug, 58, 108-109, 239

Cooper, Dan, 249

Cooper’s hawk, 44, 45, 88, 289

coquí frog, 49-50

cormorants, 54, 306, 310

Cornu aspersum, 162-163

Corvus brachyrhynchos, 89-90

Corvus corax, 89-90

Cotinis mutabilis, 112-113

cottontail rabbit, 61, 218

cottonwoods, 268

cottony cushion scale, 53

cougar, 140, 250

Coulter pine, 277, 279

coyote, 43-44, 47, 60-62, 70-71, 136-137, 250

coyote brush, 187-188

Cozumel raccoon, 143

crab-eating raccoon, 143

crawly backs, 113

Crespí, Father Juan, 29-30

Crotalus oreganus, 160-161

crows, 89-90

Cucamonga Peak, 284

Cucamonga Wilderness, 283, 285

cyanobacteria, 170

Cyanocitta cristata, 86

daisy family, 175

dams and flood control, 220, 270, 290, 292, 293

damselflies, 106, 253, 266

Danaus plexippus, 115-117

Dante’s View, 248

darkling beetle, 119

Dasymutilla sackenii, 109

DDT, and birds, 88, 288

Debs Park, 87, 256-259

Debs Park Audubon Center, 256, 257-258, 259

deer, and fire, 39

deodar cedar, 242

desert bighorn sheep, 138-139

desert varnish, 214, 215

devastating grasshopper, 34

devil guts, 274

Devil’s Gate Dam, 268, 270

Didelphis virginiana, 146-147

dinosaurs, 19

disc golf, 268, 269, 284

discovery center building proposal, 293

dodder, 274

dog vomit slime mold, 169-170

Doheny, Edward L., 241

dolphins, 318

Donald Tillman Reclamation Plant, 219-220

doodlebugs, 106

double-crested cormorant, 54, 306

dragonflies, 56-57, 111-112, 257, 266

dreys, 146

drone flies, 120

droughts, 34, 223

Drury, Newton B., 67

ducks, 99, 243, 244, 314

dudleya, 319

Durand family estate, 261

Eagle Tree (western sycamore), 199

earthquake faults, 257, 296

Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park, 312-315

eastern fox squirrel, 74, 135, 145-146, 189, 262, 300

Eaton, Benjamin Smith, 272

Eaton Canyon Falls, 275

Eaton Canyon Natural Area, 271-275

Eaton Creek, 273

eBird.org, 71, 218

echolocation, 130

Edwards, Allan E., 244

egrets, 92, 289

elaiosomes, 176

El Dorado Nature Center, 298-302

Elgaria multicarinata, 157-158

El Precipicio (Eaton Canyon), 272

El Segundo blue butterfly, 114, 319

El Segundo Sand Dunes, 230

Elysian Park, 16, 87

Elysian Valley (Frogtown), Los Angeles River at, 251-255

Encelia californica, 175-176

endangered species, 114, 163, 318, 319

Endangered Species Act, 288

endemic plant species, 17

English walnut, 198

entrapment events, in tar pits, 24

Erika J. Glazer Family Edible Garden, 239

Eriogonum fasciculatum, 176-177

Eristalinus taeniops, 120

Ernest E. Debs Regional Park, 87, 256-259

escargot farms, 162, 259

Eschscholzia californica, 178

estuarine habitat, 309

eucalyptus trees, 116, 268. See also blue gum eucalyptus

Eumops perotis, 130-131

Eurasian collared-dove, 101

European mantis, 118

European starling, 91-92

exotic species, 48-53, 73-75, 242

Exposition Park, 192

fairy rings, 168

fairy shrimp, 229

false turkey tail, 166

false widow spiders, 127

fault systems, 257, 296

feeding wildlife, 103, 314

Feliz, José Vicente, 246

fennel, 273

field guides, 209

field journal/notebook, 209

field trips, selection process, 9

fiery skipper butterfly, 249

filming locations, 210-212, 214, 241

fin whale, 56

fire, 36-41

and animals, 39

in Eaton Canyon Natural Area, 274

human activity and, 40-41

and lookout towers, 279

and plants, 38, 41, 174-175, 184, 190-191

fire beetle, 38

fire cycle, 38

fire danger signs, 41

fire poppies, 39

fire prevention and suppression, 40, 249

fish and fishing, 34, 35, 253, 287, 306, 307

fish eagles, 253

flame skimmer dragonflies, 237

floods and flood control, 31-32, 220, 270, 290, 292, 293, 309

Florida panther, 140

floss silk tree, 105, 188-189, 237

flower flies, 120

flycatchers, 313

foghorns, 319

forest bathing, 67

fossils, 19-20, 23-26

foxes, 47, 135

fragrant plants, 182, 190, 202, 262

Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park, 286-290

Franklin Canyon Park, 240-244

Fremont cottonwood, 266

fried egg plants, 224

Friends of Ballona Wetlands, 225, 226

Friends of the LA River, 253

“frog log”, 69

frogs. See specific frog species

frogs, nocturnal, 63

Frogtown, Los Angeles River at, 251-255

Fuligo septica, 169-170

fungi, 46-47, 74, 166-168, 170-171, 174, 184, 274

Gabrieleño/Tongva people, 22, 227, 258, 283

garden slender salamander, 153

Garrett, Kimball, 48, 49, 54-55, 101, 255

geckos, 48-49, 72, 73, 75-76

Gehrt, Stan, 61

genus names, 181

ghost cat, 250

glasswort, 229

Glendale Narrows (LA River), 252

Goat Buttes, 211

golden velvet ant, 109

Gonzalez, Lisa, 254

gophers, 154

gophersnake, 47, 154-155, 160, 234

grackles, 313

graffiti, 223-224

grasshoppers, 34, 110

gray bird grasshopper, 110

Gray Squirrel Trail, 296

gray whale, 56, 317-318

great blue heron, 30, 92-93, 289

great egret, 289

greater roadrunner, 287

greater yellowlegs, 59

Great Flood of 1862, 31

great horned owl, 93-94, 288

Greek Theatre, 247

green darner (dragonfly), 56, 111-112

green fruit beetle, 70, 112-113

green heron, 253, 289

green sea turtle, 16, 18, 304-305

Griffith, Griffith J., 246, 247

Griffith Observatory, 247

Griffith Park, 15, 245-250

butterflies in, 249

fire in, 36-37

folk gardens in, 248

megafauna in, 250

grizzly bear, 18, 42, 132, 190, 264

Gronwold, Michael, 66

ground sloths, 21

gulls, 104, 314

habitat connectivity, 43, 59, 71, 79, 140, 233, 259, 269

habitat creation and restoration, 66-71, 78, 254-255

habitat diversity, 16

habitat loss, 17, 27, 148

Haemorhous mexicanus, 95-96

Hahamongna Watershed Park, 267-270

Haines Creek (Oro Vista Park), 266

Hallett, Mark, 21

hand lens/magnifier, 208

Hansen Dam, 220

harvester ants, 107, 150

Haskell Creek (Sepulveda Basin), 219-220

Hawaii, coquí frogs in, 49-50

hawks, bushtits and, 85

Haynes Generating Station, 303

Heavenly Pond (Franklin Canyon Park), 244

heliotropism, 175

Helminthoglypta traskii, 163-164

herbivore populations, 47

herons, 92, 174, 289, 293

Hesperoyucca whipplei, 182-183

Heteromeles arbutifolia, 198-199

hikes and hiking trails, 216, 222-224, 226, 268, 272, 284-285, 295-296. See also trails

Himantopus mexicanus, 84-85

Hippodamia convergens, 108-109

historical artifacts, 236

hoary-leaved ceanothus, 180-181

Hollywood, Mount (Griffith Park), 245-250

Hollywood sign, 247

Holocene epoch, 20

homing pigeons, 103

honey bee, 120, 125, 236, 238

hooded merganser, 243, 244

hooded oriole, 94-95, 260

horned lizards, 107, 149-150

horns vs. antlers, 139

horny toad, 149

horses and horseback riding, 196, 296, 297

house finch, 95-96, 238

house sparrow, 96-97

hoverflies, 120

human-caused fires, 40-41

human impact on wildlife populations, 27-28

hummingbird feeders, 46, 66, 95, 98, 238, 299

hummingbirds, 97-98, 189, 238, 244. See also Allen’s hummingbird; Anna’s hummingbird

humpbacked flies, 77

humpback whale, 55, 56

Husher, Edwin, 31

Hyles lineata, 128

ice ages, 19-21, 25-27

Icehouse Canyon trail, 284-285

Icehouse Saddle, 285

ice plant, 230

Icterus cucullatus, 94-95

iNaturalist.org, 74, 75, 239, 305

Indo-Pacific gecko, 75-76

Inglewood Oil Field, 232

insect pollinators, 66, 175, 178, 198, 202, 279, 319

insects, 53, 106-129, 187. See also migrations

insect sting ratings, 122

insect traps, 74, 77, 78, 239

International Union for Conservation of Nature, 52, 148, 163, 173

introduced species, 48-53, 73-75, 242

invasive species, 34-35

American bullfrog, 148

arundo, 172-173

blue gum eucalyptus, 52, 173-175

control methods and removal projects, 52-53, 78

vs. naturalized species, 49

Peruvian pepper, 192-193

red-eared slider, 51-52

Janice’s Green Valley (Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area), 233

Japanese beetle, 113

Jeffrey pine, 195, 277

Jerusalem cricket, 113-114

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), 270

jimsonweed, 65

Juglans californica, 197-198

jumping cholla, 265

June bugs, 123

kayaking, 220, 252

Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, 231-234

Kinney, Abbot, 174, 175

Kuruvungna Springs Cultural Center and Museum, 227

LA Audubon, 226, 291

LA Department of Water and Power, 232, 241

LA River. See Los Angeles River

LA Spider Survey, 74, 127, 129

LA Zoo and Botanical Gardens, 246

La Brea Tar Pits, 19-28

labyrinths, 261

lace lichen, 170-171

ladybird beetles, 108

ladybugs, 53, 58, 68, 108-109, 239, 292, 293

Lantz, Walter, 82

Larus occidentalis, 104

Latrodectus geometricus, 126-127

Latrodectus hesperus, 126-127

la viejita, 87

Legg Lake (Whittier Narrows), 292-293

Leo Carrillo State Beach, 57

Leo Politi Elementary School, 71

Leptotes marina, 114-115

lerp insects, 268

lesser goldfinch, 238

lesser nighthawk, 264-265

levees for flood control, 309

lichen, 170-171

lighthouses, 319

lightning strikes, wildfires and, 40

light pollution, 62-64, 283

Linepithema humile, 107

litter removal, 209

little brown jobs (LBJs; birds), 87

Living Wall (NHM Nature Gardens), 236, 237

lizards, 62, 69, 72, 75. See also specific species of lizards

lodgepole pine, 38

Long Beach, 298, 309

Los Angeles

biodiversity, 8-9, 15-18

geographic center of, 244

habitat diversity, 16

megafauna in, 42-46

views of downtown, 232, 256, 257

Los Angeles Mycological Society, 168

Los Angeles River, 28, 31-32, 219-220

changing course of, 227

channelization, 32, 252

early explorers and, 29-30

at Elysian Valley, 251-255

at Frogtown, 251-255

Glendale Narrows, 252

headwaters, 33

Lower LA River at Willow Street, 308-311

and shorebirds, 85

Los Angeles Times, 31

Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, 246

Los Cerritos Wetlands, 307

Lower LA River, 252, 308-311

Lower San Gabriel River, 303-307

lungless salamanders, 153

Lyme disease, 159

Lynx rufus, 132-133

M*A*S*H film site, 210-212

mako shark, 317

malacology, 164

Malaise traps, 77

Malibu Creek State Park, 210-212

mallard, 99-100, 243, 244, 258, 314

mammals, 130-147. See also big mammals; and specific types of mammals

mammoths, 20

Manihot esculenta, 183

Mantidae, 117-118

mantid species, 117-118

manzanita species, 38, 190-191

maps, 209, 244, 295. See also descriptions of specific day trips

map turtles, 301, 302

Marah macrocarpus, 202-203

marine blue butterfly, 114-115

marshes, 225-230, 307

Marsh Park, 251

marsupials, 147

mastodon tusk, 25

matilija poppy, 224

mayflies, 254

Meatball (black bear), 42-43

Mediterranean climate, 16, 178, 208, 260-262

Mediterranean house gecko, 72, 73

megafauna, 25-28, 43

Melanerpes formicivorus, 82-83

Melozone crissalis, 87

Mephitis mephitis, 144

Merriam’s chipmunk, 280, 284

Merwin, Ramona, 279

mesopredators, 47

Mexican fan palm, 191-192

Mexican free-tailed bat, 12-13

microfossils, 24–26

migrations, 13, 54-59, 115-117, 150-151. See also bird migrations; whale migrations

milk snails, 259

milkweeds, 116, 117

Millard Canyon trail, 268

mimicry, 102

Mimus polyglottos, 101-102

Mission San Fernando, 30

mistletoe, 274, 293

molting, of birds, 99-100, 104

molting, of insects, 112

Monarch Alert project, 117

monarch butterfly, 57, 115-117

Monarch Butterfly Grove (Pismo Beach), 57

moon flower, 65

mosquitofish, 218, 253, 254

moths, 63-64

mountain biking. See bike rides and bike paths

mountain lion, 47, 79, 139-140, 141, 142, 250

mountain peak hikes, 284

mountain ranges, 296

Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, 220, 241, 254

Mount Washington neighborhood, 257

mourning dove, 45, 100-101, 238, 258

Muir, John, 279

mule deer, 140, 141-142, 270

mulefat, 268

Mulholland, William, 241

mullets, 306, 307

Murphy Ranch, 222, 223-224

Muscovy duck, 314

mushrooms, 166-168, 274

music, distraction of, 209

mustard, 292, 293

mutualism, 182-183

mycologists, 168

mycoremediation, 167

Myrmeleon species, 106-107

Nanday conure, 211

Nanday parakeet, 211

National Forest Service, 278, 279

National Park Service, 70, 241, 250

National Wildlife Foundation, 69

Native Americans

and sea turtles, 305

use of fire, 40

use of sage, 179, 201, 202

uses of manzanita, 190

and wild cucumber tuber, 203

native species, 42-47, 69

Natural History Museum community science projects, 74

naturalized species vs. invasive species, 49

nature eyes, 209

Nature Gardens at the Natural History Museum, 235-239

nectar robbing, 278, 279

neon skimmer dragonflies, 266

Neoscona crucifera, 302

nest building

black phoebe, 83, 84

bushtit, 85

hooded oriole, 94, 95

hummingbirds, 98

mourning dove, 101

nighthawks, 264-265

nitrogen fixation, 181

nocturnal species, 60-65

non-native grasses, and fire, 41

non-native species, 48-53, 73-75, 242

northern elephant seal, 57

northern mockingbird, 62-63, 101-102

northern raccoon, 143

northern red bishop, 310

nutmeg mannikin, 309

oak apples, 186, 248

oak galls, 186, 248

Oak Grove Park (Hahamongna Watershed Park), 267-270

oak titmouse, 272

oak trees, 170, 171, 185-186, 215, 247-248, 269, 295, 296

Observatory Dash bus, 245

Odocoileus hemionus, 141-142

olive-sided flycatcher, 278

opossums, 65, 146-147

orange dog, 126

orange jelly fungus, 274

orange puppy, 126

orb weavers (spiders), 129, 302

orcas, 318

Orcutt, William W., 23

Ordeñana, Miguel, 12, 28

Oro Vista Park, 263-266

osmeterium, 126

osprey, 253, 288

ostrich farms, 246

Otospermophilus beecheyi, 135-136

our Lord’s candle, 182

Ovis canadensis nelsoni, 138-139

owl boxes, 70

owls, 93-94

P-22 (Puma-22), 15, 140, 250

Pacific Flyway, 59, 227

Pacific treefrog, 46, 155, 212

packing for nature adventures, 208-209

palm trees, 95, 191-192, 313

Palos Verdes blue butterfly, 114, 319

Palos Verdes Peninsula, 98, 317

Papilio rumiko, 125-126

papyrus, 301

parasitic plants, 274, 279-280

Parastrellus hesperus, 130-131

parrots, 51, 105, 188-189, 237

parthenogenesis, 75

Pasadena Audubon Society, 272

Passer domesticus, 96-97

Pauly, Greg

and community science projects, 73-75

and frogs, 49, 50

and geckos, 48, 72, 75-76

and lizard mating behavior, 76

Peanut Lake (Debs Park), 258

pedipalps, 121

peeps, 309

pelicans, 300

peninsular shoulderband snail, 164

Pepsis species, 122-123

peregrine falcons, 44, 45, 88, 319

Perseid meteor shower, 283

Peruvian pepper, 192-193, 257-258, 261

pest control and pesticides, 53, 70-71, 108, 117

pets

and coyotes, 70, 137

eastern fox squirrels as, 145

as invaders, 50-52, 105

skunks as, 144

turtles as, 156-157, 302

Virginia opossums as, 147

phainopepla, 293

phalarope, 228

phorid flies, 77

photos for species documentation, 74, 78

photosynthesis, 181, 189

Phrynosoma blainvillii, 149-150

pickleweed, 229

Piedras Blancas rookery, 57

pigeons, 102-103

pines, 38, 194-195, 277, 279

Pinus canariensis, 194-195

Pinus ponderosa, 194-195

Pismo Beach State Park, 115

Pituophis catenifer, 154-155

Planet of the Apes (1968), 212

plant blindness, 278

plant quarantine inspections, 52-53

plants, 172-203

on coastal bluffs, 319

at night, 64-65

pollination, 279

plasmodia, 169-170

Platanus racemosa, 199-200

Pleistocene epoch, 19-21, 25-28

Plethodontidae, 153

pneumostomes, 165

pocket gophers, 133-134

pocket parks, 254-255, 311

Pogonomyrmex species, 150

Point Vicente Interpretive Center, 317

Point Vicente Park, 316-319

poison oak, 195-196, 222, 296

Polyphylla decemlineata, 123-124

pomes, 198

ponderosa pine, 194-195, 277, 279

poodle-dog bush, 38, 279

Popillia japonica, 113

poppies, 178

Portolaà, Gaspar de, 258

possums, 147

potato bug, 113

poultry farming, and Cooper’s hawks, 44

Powder Canyon, 294-297

Powder Canyon Trail, 295-296

power plants, 303, 304, 305-306

praying mantis, 117-118

predator behavior, 68

prickly pear cactus, 233-234, 264, 289

Procyon lotor, 143

Psaltriparus minimus, 85

Pseudacris regilla, 155

psyllid insects, 268

Puddingstone Reservoir, 286-290

puddling (butterfly behavior), 270

Puente Hills, 295, 296

Puerto Rico, coquí frogs in, 49-50

pufferfish, 151

puma, 140, 250

Puma concolor, 139-140, 250

purple martins, 91

Purple Sage Trail, 296

pyriscent plants, 38

Quercus agrifolia, 185-186

rabbits, as prey for coyotes, 61

raccoons, 70, 143, 269, 270

Ramalina menziesii, 170-171

Rana catesbeiana, 148-149

Rancho Los Alamitos, 299

Rancho Los Cerritos, 299

Rancho Los Coyotes, 299

Rancho Los Feliz, 246

RASCals project (Reptiles and Amphibians of Southern California), 72, 73, 74, 153, 160, 305

rat poison, 133, 137, 140

rattlesnakes, 46, 47, 136, 160-161, 295

ravens, 89-90, 259

red bishop, 309, 310

red-breasted sapsucker, 243

red brome, 183, 184

red-crowned parrot, 51

red-eared slider, 51-52, 156-157, 244, 293, 301-302

red-tailed hawk, 88, 211, 288

red-whiskered bulbul, 261-262

red-winged blackbird, 218-219

redwood trees, 21, 212, 223

reptiles and amphibians, 148-161

Reptiles and Amphibians of Southern California (RASCals project), 72, 73, 74, 153, 160, 305

research method, community science as, 73

ricin, 253

ring-billed gull, 314

riparian zones, 222

ripgut brome, 183

riprap, 310

roadrunners, 287

robins, 62

rock dove, 102

Rocketdyne Test Center, 214

rock pigeon, 102-103

Rock Pool swimming hole (Malibu Creek), 211

rock wren, 265

rodents, 39, 70-71, 142

Rodeo de Las Aguas, 34

rosemary, 237

royal penstemon, 273

rufous hummingbirds, 238

Rumble, Brad, 71

Rustic Canyon, 221-224

saber-toothed cats, 21, 22

sacred datura, 65

sage, 201-202, 257

salamanders, 69, 153

Salicornia, 229

Salt Lake Oil Field, 22, 23

Salvia apiana, 201-202

Salvia officinalis, 202

San Antonio, Mount (Mount Baldy), 281

San Antonio Falls (Mount Baldy), 284

San Bernardino Peak, 284

sand dunes, 230

sandpipers, 309

sandstone, 213-214, 215

San Fernando Valley, 30, 213

San Gabriel Mountains, 42, 232, 259, 281

San Gabriel River, 31, 32, 303-307, 309

San Gabriel Valley, 292

San Gorgonio, 284

San Jacinto, Mount, 284

Santa Ana River, 31

Santa Ana winds, 36, 58, 194

Santa Monica fault system, 257

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, 241

saprobe fungi, 167

sapsuckers, 243, 244

Sarcodes sanguinea, 280

#SaveLACougars campaign, 79

Sayornis nigricans, 83-84

scaly-breasted munia, 309

scarab beetles, 123

Sceloporus occidentalis, 159-160

Schabarum Park, 294, 296

Schinus molle, 192-193

Schistocerca nitens, 110

Schmidt Sting Pain Index, 122

school gardens, 71

scientific names of species, 9, 181

Sciurus griseus, 145-146

Sciurus niger, 145-146

scorpions, 265

scrub-jay. See California scrub-jay

scrub oak, 37, 247, 284

sea asparagus, 229

sea beans, 229

seagulls, 104, 314

Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge, 306

sea lions, 230, 307, 318

seals, 318

sea turtles, 303, 304-306

sedges, 301

Selasphorus sasin, 97-98

Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, 217-220, 252

Sepulveda Dam, 219–220

seven-spotted ladybug, 68

Shakespeare, and birds, 91

Shakespeare in the Park, 246-247

sharp-shinned hawk, 88

shinrin-yoku, 67

shorebirds. See water birds

short-faced bear, 27

shoulderband snails, 163

showy penstemon, 273

shrews, 26

ski lift, 283-284

skull insect, 113

skunks, 65, 144

slender salamanders, 69, 153

slime molds, 169-170

SLIME project (Snails and slugs Living in Metropolitan Environments), 74, 164

slugs, 164-165

Smilodon, 21, 22

snails, 162-164, 259

Snails and slugs Living in Metropolitan Environments (SLIME project), 74, 164

snakebites, 160, 161

snakes, 46, 47, 135, 160-161, 295

snow plant, 279-280

snow storms, 284

soft -shelled turtles, 244

solitary bees, 238-239

Sonn, Xan, 76

Sooky Goldman Nature Center (Franklin Canyon Park), 241

southern alligator lizard, 157-158, 160

Southern California black walnut, 197-198, 258

Southern California shoulderband snail, 163

Southern California Squirrel Survey, 74, 145

Spanish bayonet, 182

spermaceti, 318

sphinx moths, 65

spiders, 74, 106-129, 302

spores, 168, 170

spotted orb weaver, 302

spotted towhee, 224

squirrels, 70, 71, 74, 145-146, 314

stabilimenta, 129

stables, 296

Station Fire (2009), 40, 42, 277, 279

steelhead trout, 33, 255

Steller’s jay, 278

Stenopelmatidae, 113-114

Stevens, Norman and Winona, 223

stink beetle, 119

stinkweed, 65

Stoney Point, 215

stotting, 141

streetlights, 62-64

striped greenhouse slug, 164-165

striped mullet, 307

striped skunk, 144

stripe-eyed flower fly, 120

Sturnus vulgaris, 91-92

succulents, 230, 261, 319. See also cacti

sugar bush, 216

sugarcane, 172

sugar pine, 279

Sullivan Fire Road, 222

sunfish, 254

sunflowers, 175-176

swallows, 91

sycamores, 268

Syrphidae, 120

tail autotomy, 153, 158

tail flagging, 136

tannins, 186, 198

tarantula, 74, 121-122, 122-123

tarantula hawk wasp, 122-123, 215

Taricha torosa, 150-151

Tenebrionidae, 119

ten-lined June beetle, 123-124

tentacles, 165

Teratornis, 21

terns, 306

tetrodotoxin, 151

Theraphosidae, 121-122

thick-leaved ceanothus, 180-181

Thomas Fire (2017-2018), 37

Thomomys bottae, 133-134

Thoreau, Henry David, 315

ticks, 159

tilapia, 253

Tillman Reclamation Plant, 219-220

time of year/day, for nature trips, 208

tokay gecko, 48-49

Top of the Notch Restaurant and Bar (Mount Baldy), 284

Torrey pine, 195

Toxicodendron diversilobum, 195-196

toyon, 198-199, 247, 248

Trachemys scripta elegans, 156-157

traffic cameras, 241

trails, 233, 292, 297, 302. See also hikes and hiking trails

Trametes versicolor, 166-167

Transverse Range shoulderband snail, 163

trash pandas, 143

Trask’s shoulderband snail, 163-164

trees, 20-21, 52, 69, 296. See also specific types of trees

tree squirrels, 145-146

trichomes, 177

truffles, 146

Tujunga Wash, 263-266

turkey tail fungus, 166-167, 274

turkey vulture, 215, 216, 288

turricula, 279

turtles, 244, 301-302, 303-306. See also red-eared slider

twice-struck ladybug, 108, 239

ultraviolet flashlights, 265

umbrella sedge, 301

urban adapters, 43-45

urban exploiters, 45-46

urbanization, and wildlife populations, 94, 249

Ursus americanus, 131-132

urticating hairs, 122

urushiol, 194

US Army Corps of Engineers, 32

US Fish and Wildlife Service, 114

US Forest Service, 278, 279

Uta stansburiana, 151-152

valley carpenter bee, 124-125

variegated meadowhawk (dragonfly), 56

Vaux’s swift, 44-45

vedalia ladybug, 53

Vendetti, Jann, 164

Venice Beach, 233

Verdugo Mountains, 246

vernal pools, 229-230

vesper bats, 131

Vetter Peak and Lookout, 277-278, 279

vineyards, 34, 177

Virginia opossum, 146-147

Vista Hermosa Park (Echo Park), 14

volunteer opportunities, 78, 79

walnut trees, 197-198, 256, 295, 296

wandering glider (dragonfly), 56

warblers, 174, 268

warning signals, 84, 109, 137, 141, 146

Washingtonia robusta, 191-192

wasps, 109, 186

water, role of, 29-35

water animals, 300-302

water birds, 84-85, 228, 234, 307, 308, 309-310

water features, 69, 238

watershed map, 204-207

watersheds, defined, 8

water striders, 283

weather, 31, 36, 208, 282, 283

western banded gecko, 72, 73

western black widow, 126-127

western fence lizard, 39, 151, 159-160, 254-255, 293

western giant swallowtail, 125-126

western gray squirrel, 74, 135, 145-146, 280

western gull, 104, 314

western mastiff bat, 130-131

western pond turtle, 156, 301, 302

western rattlesnake, 160-161

western spotted skunk, 144

western sycamore, 199-200

western tiger swallowtail, 200, 269

western toad, 135, 254, 269

West Nile Virus, 94

wetlands, 32, 225-230

whale hunting, 318

whale migrations, 56, 317, 318, 319

whales. See specific whale species

whale spotters, 318, 319

whimbrel, 229

white-headed woodpecker, 278

white-lined sphinx moth, 64, 128

white sage, 201-202

white snowy egret, 289

white willow, 311

white-winged parakeet, 105

Whittier fault system, 257

Whittier Narrows Earthquake (1987), 296

Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, 291-293

widow spiders, 126-127

Wilcox, Harvey, 247

wild cucumber, 202-203

wilderness permit, 283, 285

wildfires. See fire

wildlife, attracting, 69, 71, 175-176, 190, 200

wildlife advocacy, 79

wildlife cameras. See camera traps

wildlife communities, 47

wildlife crossings, 79, 140

wild mustard, 258-259

willow flycatcher, 270

willow trees, 252, 268, 269

Wilson, E. O., 67

Wilson, Mount, 272, 278, 284

witches’ hair, 274

wood duck, 243, 244

woodpeckers, 278. See also acorn woodpecker; red-breasted sapsucker

Woody Woodpecker, 82

writing spider, 302

Xerces Society, 117

xeriscaping, 261

Xylocopa varipuncta, 124-125

yellow-bellied slider, 301

yellow-billed cuckoo, 292

yellow-chevroned parakeet, 105, 188-189, 237

yellow garden spider, 129

yellow-staining mushroom, 167-168

yerba mansa, 301

Yoshida, Glen, 75-76

yucca longhorn beetles, 183

yucca weevils, 183

Yuma myotis bat, 63

Zenaida macroura, 100-101

zip lines, 284