I've laid out this gallery in order to show all the aspects of the Walnut Creek Open Space and Diablo, and my last five years of hiking the trails. All three seasons are represented, but not in order. I hope you get the idea as to the diversity of wildlife and just the "atmosphere" of the area which often changes daily. There are more than 150 species of wildflowers, 110 of birds - residents and migrants and just occasional visitors, and 30 species of butterflies. I have no idea how many types of insects and spiders are here, but enough to get my heart pumping when I see or get bitten by one! It's magical if you just stop to enjoy it. So, for some of you, STOP jogging and get off your bikes. You don't know what you're missing.
Mt. Diablo is MY mountain. The Walnut Creek Open Space is MY open space, and here's why we have to keep it OPEN:
Mt. Diablo is a unique 4,000 foot mountain towering over the East Bay of San Francisco. It can be seen from roughly 400 square miles (see Wikipedia). It has three distinct climate changes: green and flowered spring, hot, brown summer, and a sometimes snowy winter. But as you will see in the first photo, winter can bring snow to the peaks, green grasslands to the mid-range, and colorful trees at the base. For a list of the wildlife on Diablo, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt._Diablo. The wildlife that is pictured in this gallery represents maybe 70 percent of them in the Walnut Creek Open Space, the latter comprised of Lime Ridge, Shell Ridge, Acalanes Ridge, and Sugarloaf Open Space(s). Every week is something new, sometimes every day but I have to keep my eyes open. You never know when you might spy a fork-tailed brush katydid nymph on a California Poppy or a four-foot Western Rattlesnake just crossing your path.
Mt. Diablo is MY mountain. The Walnut Creek Open Space is MY open space, and here's why we have to keep it OPEN:
Mt. Diablo is a unique 4,000 foot mountain towering over the East Bay of San Francisco. It can be seen from roughly 400 square miles (see Wikipedia). It has three distinct climate changes: green and flowered spring, hot, brown summer, and a sometimes snowy winter. But as you will see in the first photo, winter can bring snow to the peaks, green grasslands to the mid-range, and colorful trees at the base. For a list of the wildlife on Diablo, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt._Diablo. The wildlife that is pictured in this gallery represents maybe 70 percent of them in the Walnut Creek Open Space, the latter comprised of Lime Ridge, Shell Ridge, Acalanes Ridge, and Sugarloaf Open Space(s). Every week is something new, sometimes every day but I have to keep my eyes open. You never know when you might spy a fork-tailed brush katydid nymph on a California Poppy or a four-foot Western Rattlesnake just crossing your path.
Winter
Mt. Diablo Main and South Peaks: Record Snow Fall Jan. 2010
This was just after a record snowfall at the top third of the mountain and, although the temperature was 32° at the north peak, it was 60° at the base. So, about once a year, you'll find white peaks, gray-brown chaparral. and green pasture lands.
.
Mt. Diablo Main and South Peaks: Record Snow Fall Jan. 2010
This was just after a record snowfall at the top third of the mountain and, although the temperature was 32° at the north peak, it was 60° at the base. So, about once a year, you'll find white peaks, gray-brown chaparral. and green pasture lands.
.
Winter
Mt. Diablo Main and South Peaks: Record Snow Fall Jan. 2010
This was just after a record snowfall at the top third of the mountain and, although the temperature was 32° at the north peak, it was 60° at the base. So, about once a year, you'll find white peaks, gray-brown chaparral. and green pasture lands.
.
Mt. Diablo Main and South Peaks: Record Snow Fall Jan. 2010
This was just after a record snowfall at the top third of the mountain and, although the temperature was 32° at the north peak, it was 60° at the base. So, about once a year, you'll find white peaks, gray-brown chaparral. and green pasture lands.
.