Sycamores provide shelter for wildlife. As the tree ages, cavities provide housing for owls, bee colonies, and woodrats. The Spanish word for sycamore is Aliso. Sycamore bark is covered with creamy-white & reddish-brown patches on the surface. The lighter bark is the newer bark.
The California sycamore tree can quickly grow to be a large, tall tree (up to 40-100′ when full grown). The leaves are large, thick and often green with three to five lobes. Their leaves have small hairs, which is an adaptation for our Mediterranean climate. The hairs help provide relief from the sun, keeping the leaves cool and allowing them to retain moisture. Sometimes you’ll see hairy, brown seed balls about one inch thick–this is the tree’s fruit. The bark … Read More
Acorn woodpeckers are found throughout the Puente-Chino Hills Wildlife Corridor. These woodpeckers are known for hoarding acorns and nuts; and eating insects. Food is stored in granaries and hold thousands upon thousands of nuts/acorns. Woodpeckers excavate cavities for nests in dead or living tree limbs, utility poles, buildings, etc. There are usually 3-6 eggs per clutch with an incubation period of 11 days. Have you seen any woodpeckers in the Corridor?
Sycamores — these large shade giving trees grow in canyon bottoms, making use of water in streams. This tree changes its color in the fall and loses its leaves in winter. By growing branches close to the ground and laying down a blanket of leaves they protect their own root system. Sycamores are found throughout the Puente-Chino Hills Wildlife Corridor.