CHAPARRAL AND SCRUB VEGETATION

Chaparral and scrub are present at Stanford in several locations. There is a several hundred acre patch of chaparral located in the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. This chaparral includes dense stands of chamise, buckbrush, yerba-santa, toyon, scrub oak, poison oak, and black sage. Scrub also is found on Coyote Hill and at Jasper Ridge. These areas are dominated by California sagebrush, coyotebrush, scrub oak, sticky monkeyflower, and California bee plant.

Chaparral and scrub at Stanford provide habitat for a diversity of terrestrial wildlife. Amphibians include western toad and Pacific treefrog. Reptiles include western fence lizard, gopher snake, western racer, northern Pacific rattlesnake, and western whiptails. Coast horned lizards have not been recorded at Stanford for several decades, but are present in the chaparral located about 10 kilometers south of the University.

A wide range of mammals and birds can be found in the chaparral and scrub at Stanford. These are, however, primarily the same species found in the annual grasslands and oak woodlands in the area.

Click here to view images of chaparral and scrub vegetation.