Читать книгу Afoot & Afield: Orange County. A Comprehensive Hiking Guide онлайн

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The southern oak woodland community is found in scattered locations throughout the county, from the bigger coastal canyons in the San Joaquin Hills to moist flats and canyons throughout the Santa Ana Mountains. Within the Orange County area, the indicator tree is the live oak, but sycamores may also be abundant. In the Chino Hills, native walnut trees form a major component of the southern oak woodland community. Beneath the trees, various chaparral and sage scrub plants often form a sparse understory.

Aside from these three widespread natural communities, much of the nonurbanized land in and around Orange County is given over to agriculture and grazing. Areas characterized by heavy grazing have grassy flats and bald slopes called potreros (pastures) supporting mostly nonnative grasses and herbs, such as wild oats, filaree, mustard, and fennel.

To a small extent, several other natural communities are found in Orange County: rocky shore, coastal strand, coastal salt marsh, freshwater marsh, riparian woodland, and coniferous forest.