BIOLOGICAL & CULTURAL RESOURCES

In addition to opportunities for recreation and maintaining our health and wellness, our parks also provide valuable habitat for wildlife and help preserve our natural resources. We are all part of a larger ecosystem that we depend on for fresh water, food, medicine, pollination, soil fertility and a host of other services. Loss of biodiversity can lessen the ability of our ecosystems to provide these services. Let’s take a look at the biological resources that can be found in our parks.

Biological Resources Plants

Tracy’s parks support a rich variety of native and ornamental trees, shrubs, landscaping, and turf grass. A few of the plant species that you will find include coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), California black walnut (Juglans californica), western sycamore (Platanus racemosa), deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara), sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera), pine (Pinus sp.), Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana), African iris (Dietes bicolor), strawberry clover (Trifolium fragiferum), white clover (Trifolium repens), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), broadleaf plantain (Plantago major).

Wildlife Habitat

Most of the wildlife occupying Tracy’s parks have adapted to human-modified habitats, and will vary depending on the vegetation, season, and habitat in an area. At any given time, you may find birds such as the Canada goose (Branta canadensis), green heron (Butorides virescens), American coot (Fulica americana), killdeer (Charadrius vociferus), northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), and lesser goldfinch (Spinus psaltria).

Other common urban-adapted bird species include the mourning dove (Zenaida macroura), rock pigeon (Columba livia), European starling (Sturnus vulgaris), house sparrow (Passer domesticus), red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus), Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperi), and Anna’s hummingbird (Calypte anna).

The burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) is a California Species of Special Concern that is closely associated with California ground squirrel burrows (Otospermophilus beecheyi). California ground squirrels are known to occur within the City along the railroad corridors, edges of fields, and banks of the aqueducts.

Several amphibian and reptile species may also share our parks if suitable cover is present. Ornamental shrubs, leaf litter, and well-watered lawns provide cover and foraging habitat for the western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis), southern alligator lizard (Elgaria multicarinatus), Pacific tree frog (Hyliola regilla), arboreal salamander (Aneides lugubris), and California slender salamander (Batrachoseps attenuatus).

You might also come across mammals like the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), Botta’s pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae), and striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis).

Larger trees and snags with hollows may occasionally support roosting bat species, such as pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus), which is a California Species of Special Concern.