The photo essay project document provides descriptions of various plants and animals found in different natural habitats in California, including: - Ground squirrels that live in grazed rangelands, areas disturbed by humans, and avoid thick chaparral and dense woods. - Fiddle necks, which are annual yellow flowers found at low altitudes below 500 meters. - Bush lupin, a hardy perennial bush that can grow up to 1.5m and tolerate temperatures down to -12°C. - Acorn woodpeckers that live in groups of 1-7 males competing to mate 1-3 females, excavating nests in tree cavities and snags reused for many

1. Photo Essay ProjectMartha Rivera

2. Valley Grassland

3. Ground squirrels live in a wide variety of natural habitats but usually avoid thick chaparral, dense woods, and wet areas. Populations may be particularly high in grazed rangelands and in areas disturbed by humans such as road or ditchbanks, fence rows, around buildings, and in or bordering many crops

4. Fiddle neck- The fiddlenecks are native to western North America and south-western South America, but they have spread widely to other regions. They are annuals, many of them bristly. Most have an erect stem, whose height varies from 20 to 120 cm. In most species the flowers are yellow, often with an orange tinge. Most are found at relatively low altitudes, below 500 meters.

5. Mixed ConiferCone-is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta (conifers) that contains the reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity. The name "cone" derives from the fact that the shape in some species resembles a geometriccone.

6. Bush lupin- The bush lupin grows as a hardy perennial bush, capable of tolerating temperatures down to -12°C and living for up to seven years. It can grow to heights of up to 1.5m

7. Foothill Woodlands

8. Acorn woodpeckerAn Acorn Woodpecker group may consist of 1-7 male breeders that compete to mate with 1-3 females. The nest is excavated in a large tree, which may also be a granary tree. Tree cavities are created in both dead and living trees and snags and nest holes are reused for many years

9. Dark Moss- Since mosses have no vascular system to carry water through the plant, they must have a damp environment in which to live, and a surrounding of liquid water to reproduce. And since mosses are photosynthetic, they require enough sun to conduct photosynthesis

10. Spanish bayonet- has a stem more than 10 m (33 feet) high. are commonly cultivated as ornamentals for their unusual appearance and attractive flower clusters.

11. California Mule Dear- California Mule Deer usually browse close to lakes or streams providing their water source. From that reference point of water consumption they may roam one to two miles, and typically make their beds in grassy areas beneath trees within such a one mile distance radius from both water and forage. Repeated beds will often be scratched to a nearly level surface, about two meters in diameter. Less regularly used bedding areas are manifested as flattened grass.

12. Chaparral

13. Poison oak

15. Riparian

16. Chamise- like most chaparral shrubs, sprouts quickly from roots that survive fire. Storehouses of moisture and nutrients, its roots can sprouts even before it rains

18. Mountain Meadow

19. Giant Sequoia