Flutterby™! : Redwoods

Dan and I just got back from a long, brutal hike - 1800 ft down and then straight back up. It was a great introduction to the ecology of North California. Steep, exagerated terrain, speckled with Redwoods and lots of ground-cover. The most interesting aspect of the hike was the transition into the "micro-climates" under the Redwood canopies. The Redwoods collect moisture from the almost ever-present fog. The moisture condense and falls like rain when the wind blows. The net result is that outside of the Redwood canaopy the ground was bone-dry and the temperature in the mid-80s. Under the canopy it was essentially raining (at one point it was a literal down-pour) and the temperature would drop 10-20 degrees. It got annoying having to take my jacket off and put it back on every quarter mile... Evidently, before the Redwoods were logged into nothing, the entire forest was like the area under the canopies. I don't think I have ever been so aware of how important a single species of plant or animal is to an ecology. Afterwards we stopped to see "Methusula" - the oldest living creature in the Bay area. It's estimated to be over 1800 years old.