Also known as California Holly, this plant produces bright red berries in fall and winter, which can be cooked and eaten. Hollywood derived its name from the plants growing on the hills above the town.
Scientific: Callipepla californica Spanish: Codorniz de California Mutsun: Heksen
Diet: Seeds, leaves and small insects Habitat: Coastal sagebrush, chaparral, foothills, woodland CaliforniaStatus: Least Concern
California’s State Bird California quail are hardy and adaptable birds found throughout the state. They scratch at the ground foraging for seeds, keeping close to cover in case predators approach. Quail are hunted by Native people for food and for their feathers which can be used to decorate baskets.
Scientific: Lampropletis californiae Spanish: Serpiente rey de California
Diet: Small mammals, other snakes Habitat: Forests, woodlands, chaparral, coastal sage scrub Status: Least Concern
A Royal Snake Kingsnakes of many colors and patterns can be found throughout the country. The Museum’s resident live snake has a brown and white pattern, typical of kingsnakes from coastal California, and is called “Chocolate Phase”.
Can you guess how the kingsnake got its name? Snakes in the genus Lampropletis are called the “kings of snakes” because they eat other snakes. Kingsnakes will eat any kind of snake, including rattlesnakes, whose venom they are resistant to.
Derived from chaparro, given by Spanish colonists describing its shrubby nature, chaparral ecosystems are composed of a variety of evergreen shrubs. Chaparral plants are often adapted to drought and fire, and respond well to periodic disturbance.
Do you know of ways that plants are adapted to wildfire?
Locally, chaparral can be found on sunny slopes all across the Santa Cruz mountains. There are maritime chaparral and mixed chaparral, distinguished by dominant plants, elevation, and exposure to fog.
Sandhills A unique chaparral habitat found only in Santa Cruz County, the sandhills are home to several rare and endangered plants and animals. Found only on soil formed by ancient sea beds, close to half of their range has been lost to mining and development.
