Prairie Flora

The coastal prairie is sporadic pockets of grasslands that are usually absent of trees and shrubs. It is found just beyond the coastal strand and exists from northern San Francisco Bay to Oregon.

Historically, most of the native plants of the coastal prairie were classified into one of two types of perennial grasses: bunch and sod-forming. Bunch grasses "are extremely long lived and increase in size each year" (Evens pg. 55, 1993). They have an extensive root system that burrows deep into the soil and naturally prevents erosion. The parent plant produces and spreads an abundance of seeds. In contrast, the sod-forming grasses tend to propagate vegetatively and reproduce by sprouting from a "root-like structure" (Evens 1993). The seedlings of both types of perennials are unable to compete with annual grasses that presently dominate the Peninsula. The conversion of coastal prairie to agricultural land has created a suitable habitat for annual grasses, and has become the single greatest threat to native perennial grasses. While soil and climatic conditions actually favor perennial grasses, the cattle grazing that has occured for more than a century on the Peninsula is thought to have contributed to the loss of native grasses that were once abundant on the rolling western prairie of the Point Reyes Peninsula. This dramatic shift has changed the species diversity and today's prairie and rangeland is dominated by annual grasses. (Bakker 1984; Barbour & Major 1977; Evens 1993; Shuford & Timossi 1989).

The characteristic plants that are associated with coastal prairie include hairgrass (Deschampsia holiciformis), coyotebrush (Baccharis pilularis), oatgrass (Danthonia californica), fescue (Festuca), western bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens), sedges (Cyperaceae), bluedicks (Dichelostemma capitatum), Douglas iris (Iris douglasiana), California blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium californicum), California buttercup (Ranunculus californicus), lupine (Lupinus), checkerbloom (Sidalcea), goldfields (Lasthenia chrysotoma), and footsteps-of-spring (Sanicula arctopoides). There are also two endemic species of bentgrass on the Peninsula: Awned bentgrass (Argrostis agristiglumis) (found near Home Ranch and the Kehoe Beach trailhead) and Point Reyes bentgrass (Argrostis clivicola var. punta-reyesnis) (found in sandstone or granitic outcroppings along Pierce Point Road) (Barbour & Major 1977; Evens 1993; Kozloff and Beidleman 1994; Shuford & Timossi 1989).

The best representations of Coastal Prairie and its native perennial grasses that still remain on the Peninsula are near Chimney Rock, along the shoulder of the Marshall Beach Trail on the bay side of Tomales Point, near Home Ranch, and near the Kehoe Beach trailhead (Evens 1993).

Rangeland Flora

Coastal rangelands on the Peninsula are defined by expansive, rolling grassland that is scattered with pockets of coastal strand, scrub, prairie and "seasonally wet swales" (Evens pg. 58, 1993). Similar to the coastal prairie, years of cattle grazing on the Peninsula has contributed to a shift in plant associations from perennial to non-native annual grasses.

In an undisturbed environment, the native perennial grasses of the coastal rangeland are well suited for the Peninsula's soil type and heavy summer fog that extend its growing season. In contrast, the introduced European annual grasses are accustomed to a drier Mediterranean climate and are unable to compete with the native perennials. However, the introduction of cattle grazing in the early 1800's began to alter that fragile balance (Bakker 1984; National Park Service 1994; Shuford & Timossi 1989). According to Evens (pg. 58, 1993), "intensive grazing causes a reduction in plant vigor and removes a critical amount of mulch, thereby tilting the balance in favor of exotic annual species".

Although most of the rangeland has been dominated by annual grasses, in winter and early spring, you can see scattered examples of how the rangeland may have once looked. To observe some of the remaining native plants of the rangeland, look along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard between Abandoned Ranch and North Beach, and the "sharp curve in Sir Francis Drake, 0.4 miles south of Mendoza Ranch on the way to the lighthouse" (Evens pg. 59, 1993), and around Abbott's Lagoon. Some of the more common perennial grasses and native wildflowers that you are likely to see include baby-blue-eyes (Nemophila Manziensii var. menziesii), blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium californicum), buttercups (Ranunculus californicus), California poppy (Eschscholzia californicus), checkerbloom (Sidalcea sp.), Douglas iris (Iris douglasiana), meadow foam (Limnanthes sp.), owl's clover (Orthocarpus sp.), sun-cups (Oenothera ovata), and yellow-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium californicum). Other equally important but rare species to look for include swamp harebell (Campanula californica), Point Reyes blennosperma (Blennosperma nanum var. robustum), Point Reyes horkelia (Horkelia marinensis), Point Reyes lupine (Lupinus tidestromii var. layneae), San Francisco owl's clover (Orthocarpus floribundus), Sonoma chorizanthe (Chorizanthe valida), Gairdiner's yampah (Perideridia gairdneri ssp. gairdneri), and California phacelia (Phacelia californica) (Bakker 1984; Barbour & Major 1977; Evens 1993; Kozloff & Beidleman 1994).

Prairie & Rangeland Fauna

The fertile open prairie and rangeland are ideal habitats for a variety of rodents including the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), broad-handed mole (Scapanus latimanus), California meadow vole (Microtus californicus), Point Reyes jumping mouse (Zapus trinotatus), and western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis). As well as numerous rodents, you will also find their predators: gray fox (Mephitis mephitis), bobcat (Lynx rufus), long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata), American kestrel (Falco sparverius) and red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) (Bakker 1984; Evens 1993). How have the rodents adapted to survive with so many predators?

Of the larger mammals living on the prairie and rangeland, perhaps the most visible are the axis (Axis axis) and black-tailed deer (Odocoileus columbianus), and the recently re-introduced tule elk (Cervus nannodes). The remaining prairie and rangeland is a favorite place to forage, and the wide open landscape makes predators such as the occasional mountain lion (Felis concolor) more visible than in the dense coastal scrub or nearby forests (Evens 1993; Ingles 1992; Jameson & Peeters 1988).