Verdugo Mountains 8/31/08

Here's what the mountain range looks like from the top. Also is the Crescenta valley to the north/northeast. The north facing slopes often with much thicker vegetation than the south facing ones. Here, mostly chamise, buckwheat, sumac, elderberry, scrubby oak, bay tree, live oak, sycamore, occasional willows, yucca, and smaller shrubs. At this time the buckwheat a red brown and chamise a rich dark red brown...distinctive on the slopes if one looks for it. In these small mountains, one can walk a good 50 miles of (mostly) fire road. These, too, were on fire in parts in 2002 and 2005. The chaparral does come back quickly however...a lot of these plants have evolved to live in dry climates with naturally occurring lightning fires. For 9 months in the year, one may encounter rattlesnakes, bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes, hawks, coons, skunks, and mule deer.