Sterling Keeley & Ronald D. Quinn 
Introduction to California Chaparral 

The characteristic look of California Chaparral—a soft bluish-green blanket of vegetation gently covering the hills—is known to millions who have seen it as the backdrop in movies and television productions. This complex ecological community of plants and animals is not just a feature of the hills around Hollywood, but is a quintessential part of the entire California landscape. It is a highly resilient community adapted to life with recurring fires and droughts. Written for a wide audience, this concise, engaging, and beautifully illustrated book describes an ancient and exquisitely balanced environment home to wondrous organisms: Fire Beetles that mate only on burning branches, lizards that shoot blood from their eyes when threatened, Kangaroo Rats that never drink water, and seeds that germinate only after a fire, even if that means waiting in the soil for a 100 years or more. Useful both as a field guide and an introductory overview of the ecology of chaparral, it also provides a better understanding of how we might live in harmony, safety, and appreciation of this unique ecological community.




* Identifies chaparral’s common plants, animals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects


* Features 79 color illustrations, 56 black-and-white photographs, and 3 maps


* Examines the role of humans and fire in chaparral, covering the placement and design of homes, landscaping, and public policy

Table of Content

Preface

Acknowledgments


1.THE CALIFORNIA CHAPARRAL

Fire and Chaparral

Where Is Chaparral Found?

Chaparral Is Found with Other Vegetation Types

Coastal Sage Scrub Is Not Chaparral

How Organisms Are Named

2.MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE

The Pacific High

Rainfall—Always Unpredictable

Winds That Carry Water or Take It Away

Temperature

Microclimates

Convergence

Rain Beetles Mate Only When There Is Rain

3.FIRE

The Fire Cycle

The Fire Regime

Sources of Ignition

Aboriginal Burning

Nineteenth-Century Fire

Fire Patterns in the Twentieth Century

Modern Fires

Natural Responses of Plants and Animals to Fire

4.PLANTS

An Evergreen, Shrubby Vegetation

Common Shrubs and Shrub Families

The Rose Family (Roseaceae)

The Buckthorn Family (Rhamnaceae)

The Heath Family (Ericaceae)

The Oak Family (Fagaceae)

The Sumac Family (Anacardiaceae)

Other Chaparral Shrubs

Conifers: Cypresses, Pines, and Bigcone Douglas Fir

Common Herb and Subshrub Families

The Waterleaf Family (Hydrophyllaceae)

The Poppy Family (Papaveraceae)

The Lily Family (Liliaceae)

The Legume Family (Fabaceae)

The Snapdragon or Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae)

Other Chaparral Herbs and Subshrubs

Introduced Weeds

5.ANIMALS

Mammals

Rodents (Order Rodentia)

Rabbits and Hares (Order Lagomorpha)

Deer and Bighorn Sheep (Order Artiodactyla)

Carnivorous Mammals (Order Carnivora)

Birds

Perching Birds (Order Passeriformes)

Hawks (Order Falconiformes)

Owls (Order Strigiformes)

Reptiles

Snakes (Order Squamata, Suborder Serpentes)

Lizards (Order Squamata, Suborder Lacertilia)

Amphibians

Insects and Arachnids

Insects (Class Insecta)

Trap Door Spiders, Ticks, and Scorpions (Class Arachnida)

Other Chaparral Insects

6.LIVING WITH THE CHAPARRAL

Prescribed Fire

Fuel Reduction and Fuel Breaks

Artificial Seeding of Burns

Fire Creates Its Own Weather

Geographic Risk

Floods

Threats to Chaparral

Options for Wise Growth

The Value of Chaparral


Glossary

Supplemental Readings and References

Art Credits

Index

About the author

Ronald D. Quinn is Professor of Biological Sciences at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He has written widely on effects of chaparral wildfires Sterling C. Keeley is Professor of Botany at the University of Hawaii and editor of The California Chaparral: Paradigms Re-examined (1989).