Vernal Pools, Morrison & Co., and The Mad Goose of 2025
Scenes from the ecotour (clockwise from top left: The local bounty, larkspur, a savory snack cup, and Morrison & Co. returning from their field foray.
At The Harvest Dinner 2024, Toni Scott from Morrison & Co. won the auction for a Spring Wildflowers ecotour at Hamilton Ranch, and we had the pleasure of spending time in the field this week, on Good Friday.
The pasture gates were closed leading to the vernal pool complex to ensure the cattle currently grazing there would stay in this lush area until the next field is ready for them. Hamilton Ranch uses sustainable grazing practices that include moving the cattle frequently enough so that the impact to any one area of the winter range or the pasture lands is not too much for an ecologically-functioning grassland system. We carefully opened, then closed the gate as we’d found it. This is the first rule of visiting a working ranch.
As we left the vehicles behind to travel on foot across the undulating landscape, it quickly became clear that the second rule is to watch your step. Fresh signs of cattle greeted us, including the herd watching as we entered their domain. Clearly, this part of the ranch benefited from a wet winter, with rains continuing well into spring. Where you found a “swale” of lower ground, there were flowers everywhere. The swales lay among the hummocks, or mounds. And, in the distance, we could spy a two large pools still inundated with water. We headed past the windmill that draws water into the stock ponds.
Moving between our walking group and the pools, we could see a black and white creature charging in a slinking-yet-hurried gait. Without binoculars, we could not make out what was going on. Once we pulled the optics out and gained focus on the creature still making its way through the grass, a Canada goose was unmistakable, but the fact that it seemed to be charging something unseen made for an interesting observation. Was it a snake? Could it be another bird? We took our chances, and carefully continued toward the pools with the goose still wary yet continuing away from us toward this still unseen foe. A lucky distraction from a mad goose who kept its distance.
Along the way, flowers observed included white brodiaea, whitehead navarretia, blow wives, fairy lantern, purple larkspur, and so many more. Once we reached the pool, the toothed calicoflower was the special species of the month. Such an adorable purple and white flower with the trademark yellow in the middle, it reminds one of a bunny with two petals of the same size forming upright ears for the other three petals to be a bunny face. There were plenty of good blooms left to enjoy.
We discussed the ecology of vernal pools, why they are here and not other places, loss of habitat caused by urban expansion, and the value of a grazing regime to maintain optimal soil disturbance and compaction. Vernal pools across the historic landscape would have been more plentiful, and many partners came together since the 1980’s to conserve large swaths of land still covered with vernal pools, including this complex and the nearby Vina Plains Preserve.
And, there were snacks. One of the perks of this ecotour business is visiting our weekly farmers’ market to find what seasonal produce and treats we can include. For this week, local kumquats and mint inspired a sweet cup of buckwheat crackers along with skewered stack of fresh fruit and mint, while the last of the lemons inspired a savory cup of fennel sausage, carrot spears, local olives, rosemary, and Sierra Nevada Creamery cheddar. We love our local producers and all the creativity we get to unleash to make our field snacks!
Thank you to our hosts, The Hamilton Family, our guests from Morrison & Co. who asked great questions and even bravely forged a stream on our ranch tour, and to our Stewardship team, Hannah and Sam, who monitored the rest of the foothill rangelands with Mike in the side-by-side while we frolicked in the wildflowers.
