Santa Ynez Flora - part two

Santa Ynez has such a wonderful variety of wildflowers I could fill a week of posts about them! Unfortunately, distracted by finishing my post yesterday morning, I forgot to bring my camera to the wildflower lecture/hike. So my promise of a photo of a mariposa lily is being fulfilled by an image from flickr.com.

However, Ridgeline Ranch has an incredible bounty of wildflowers itself. I think this is due, in equal parts, to its proximity to the Sedgwick Reserve, and to the large flat area on the eastern boundary of this rare property this is never subjected to cattle grazing . That area is protected from the road and the view of other Woodstock homes by the ridge on one side and Sedgwick's facing ridge on the other. Ultimate seclusion. A writer friend of mine lusts after the space as a retreat, wanting to build an office there so his creativy will blossom in the tranquility and serenity. Some have suggested that we use it for its vineyard potential but I'm glad we've let it stay wild.

Butterfly Mariposa Lily
Originally uploaded by NatureShutterbug

Back to blossoms, here are a just few of the flowers (in addition to the lupine and poppy I've already shown you) I found on my hike this morning on Ridgeline Ranch. I'm not adept enough at blogging to get more pictures in this post.


Top to bottom:


Filaree, an invasive non-native, imported as a high protein source for grazing cattle. Too much can cause a horse to founder.

Buttercup, a native

Blue Dick, a native. The bulb root of this plant was roasted by Chumash Indians and used as food.

Viola, a native. Also known as johnny jump up or yellow violet.

Santa Ynez Avian Fashionistas

Santa Ynez has an amazing variety of birds. I wanted to post a picture of a yellow-billed magpie in flight, but I'm unable to import one from the internet. I'm afraid I'm not speedy enough with my camera to capture one. These birds are incredibly dramatic and elegant when they spread their wings. Magpies have white, black, blue and irridescent hunter green feathers. The green appears at the edge of the tail and is almost like a pinstripe! The open wing has white in the center and black around the edges. The effect in the air is incredible. I think they resemble well-turned out divas at an awards show, so full of confidence they're almost brash. The pump and glide motion magpies use to fly is a model of energy conservation.

Lesser goldfinches are the opposite, darting about anxiously bringing brief grace notes to the symphony of serenity at Ridgeline Ranch. The range of lesser goldfinches is broad but their migratory pattern is still a bit unclear. I'm delighted to be on the pathway to their summer retreat. I think of Ridgeline Ranch as their second home, but perhaps that concerpt doesn't work for migratory birds. Yellow-billed magpies have a narrow range in central California oak woodlands. Because of their preference for woodlands, I rarely see them in Los Olivos and have never seen one in Solvang which is more developed.



Fortunately, the local band of magpies seems to like the Woodstock Ranch area of Santa Ynez. I enter the ranch at the intersection of Brinkerhoff and Long Valley Roads where my friends Sandy and Barry have a good-sized equestrian facility. Without fail, I see magpies perched on wires, fenceposts or even the ground at the intersection. Perhaps they're drawn by bits of hay or grain left by the horses. When they visit Ridgeline Ranch, they usually home in on the area where Cinch is fed.

Santa Ynez Tranquility

One of my favorite times of the day is morning when I sit on my patio with a mug of coffee. The panoramic view of the Sedgwick is so serene. I feel as if I'm on a retreat.

The deep silence is broken only by the call of birds. Until I left the buzz of the city and moved here, I could barely tell one bird from another. Now I know their names as well as their migratory patterns. The arrival of the red-breasted house sparrows and bright lesser goldfinch tell me Spring has arrived. The yellow-billed magpie stays with us all year because its habitat is quite limited. I must admit that with their raucous squawk and flashing black and white wings they are my favorite.

As I watch the house sparrows build their nests out of twigs and bits of lichen, I think how right it is that this house was built according to exacting green standards. It feels organic, like part of the surroundings on this rare parcel adjacent to the Sedgwick Reserve.

Although we had thought of taking advantage of the vineyard potential of the large flat area abutting the Sedgwick, I'm glad we didn't. I love walking down the old ranch road and picking wildflowers that blanket this parcel. There is a riot of yellow violets, lupine, poppies and more that I can't name.

It's hard to believe that this tranquil retreat is only ten minutes from Santa Ynez, 15 minutes from Solvang and 30 minutes from Santa Barbara.

Santa Ynez Serenity

My dogs (Anke on the left and Fritz on the right) and I went for a walk this afternoon. Here's a view of them on a rise opposite Ridgeline Ranch with the Ranch and its major view behind them. If you click on this picture or any of the others in this blog, the photo will be enlarged to fill your screen - demonstrating in detail what handsome animals these two are!

The temperature was perfect today and we trekked around Woodstock Ranch. Santa Ynez has several residential areas. We live in Woodstock Ranch, a collection of approximately one hundred 20-acre parcels, many of which have superb equestrian facilities. Several of the owners originally purchased their ranches as second homes and now live in them full time during their retirement.

Ridgeline Ranch has a large pasture facing Live Oak Road on the western edge of the property and a large flat area on the eastern edge where it abuts Sedgwick Natural Reserve owned by UCSB. (The Live Oak pasture is shown below in the Wildflowers Galore photo.) The flat area adjacent to the Sedgwick has vineyard potential or could be the site of a barn or an arena.

Sedgwick encompasses almost 6,000 acres or more than nine square miles! Check out the Reserve at http://nrs.ucop.edu/Sedgwick.htm. Ridgeline Ranch is a rare property because few parcels abut the Sedgwick. I always feel that Ridgeline Ranch is like an oceanfront home except, in this case, it fronts pristine California foothills offering a panoramic view and ultimate tranquility and seclusion. And not many oceanfront homes are built with a similar concern for the environment. Our home on Ridgeline Ranch is a green building and received expedited permitted from Santa Barbara county because it was so eco-friendly.