What to see: From the BLM Red Hills Webpage: “The Red Hills is a region of 7,100 acres of public land located near the intersection of State Highways 49 and 120, just south of the historic town of Chinese Camp in Tuolumne County. The Red Hills are noticeably different from the surrounding countryside. The serpentine-based soils in the area support a unique assemblage of plant species. Included among the thorny buckbrush and foothill pine is a rich variety of annual wildflowers.
In the Red Hills buckbrush and other shrubs provide browse and seeds for small populations of mammals, including mule deer, jackrabbits, and rodents. Coyotes, bobcats and fox can also be found in the Red Hills. Approximately 88 bird species have been observed in the Red Hills. Some common species include mourning dove, acorn woodpecker, ash-throated flycatcher, scrub jay, wrentit, plain titmouse, bushtit, Bewick’s wren, and house finch. Valley quail and mourning doves are the major game birds in the Red Hills.
An abundant insect population supports insectivorous birds including western kingbirds, ash- throated flycatcher, tree swallows, barn swallows, black phoebes, and others. Raptors include the red-tailed hawk, Cooper’s hawk, prairie falcon, and great horned owl. Fish-eating birds seen in the Red Hills include the belted kingfisher and great blue heron. Roadrunners can also be found.
Wintering bald eagles roost along the shores of Don Pedro Reservoir and have been observed where Six Bit Gulch enters the lake. As many as 20 bald eagles have been sighted during the winter on the shores of Don Pedro Reservoir, roosting in stands of foothill pines.”
“Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC)
The entire Red Hills Management Area has been designated as an ACEC. The purpose of the designation is to protect the rare plant species found there, the unusual serpentine soils that provide habitat for unique flora of the area, habitat for the rare minnow known as the Red Hills roach and to protect bald eagle wintering habitat.
The vegetation of the Red Hills is unique. The assemblage of plant species found there, including 7 rare plants, occurs nowhere else in the world. In the early spring the seemingly barren hills turn yellow, white, lavender and pink, with a spectacular wildflower display.
- Allium tuolumnense — Rawhide Hill onion
- Chlorogalum grandiflorum — Red Hills soaproot
- Cryptantha mariposae — Mariposa cryptantha
- Lomatium congdonii — Congdon’s lomatium
- Packera (Senecio) layneae — Layne’s butterweed
- Senecio clevelandii var. heterophyllus — Red Hills ragwort
- Verbena californica — Red Hills vervain
Two plants occur only in the Red Hills: Red Hills vervain and Red Hills ragwort. They’re found only in wet areas, around creeks and springs. The other rare plants, Layne’s butterweed, Congdon’s lomatium, Mariposa cryptantha, Red Hills soaproot, and Rawhide Hill onion, grow in upland locations, and have been found on similar rock types outside the Red Hills.”
We will be joined by Taylor Edwards, the BLM Botanist for the Mother Lode Field Office who will share with us the uniqueness of the Red Hills flora and guide us to experience the flora there firsthand.
