Since 1951 (and prior to), when the University purchased the HREC property from Roy Pratt, there have been sheep grazing much of the property.   To ease movement of researchers and staff on the Center devices commonly called "cattleguards" have been used to replace gates where roads cross pasture fencelines.  This allows free movement of vehicles without the need to get out of the vehicle to open/close a gate.  At HREC, since we only have sheep as livestock on the premises, we might call these "sheepguards".   Prior designs with flat, rail tops, have in recent years been "figured out" by sure-footed sheep and simply were not working to restrict the sheep movement between pastures.   This new design, with rounded pipes at the crossing-surface of the "sheepguard", seems to be working well to prevent sheep from crossing.

California brushlands, or otherwise called chaparral habitat, are zones of mystery to many folks.  However, many interesting and colorful plant species can be found there.  Purple Nightshade (Solanum xanti), found in cismontane brush or woods up to 4000' elevation, is one of those plants that brightens the chaparral landscape and is commonly known as "chaparral nightshade".  It is a perennial herb or subshrub that bears an umbel-shaped inflorescence with many purple-blue flowers complemented by bright yellow anthers that gather at the center.

As with most other plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae) all parts of the plants are poisonous including the pea-sized purple berries.   Edible members of this family group include eggplant and potato.

One of the most unique tree species found on the west coast of North America is the Pacific Madrone (Arbutus menziesii).  Found from Vancouver Island down and into California, its species name was given to honor the Scots naturalist Archibald Menzies who noted the tree during George Vancouver's voyage of exploration.  It is a common tree species within the mixed hardwood vegetation zones of UC-HREC.  Being an evergreen the tree, it is never without leaves, but it does shed its annual crop of leaves in late summer blanketing the ground underneath with a golden carpet.  This is one of the larger specimens found on the Center.

These beautiful springtime flowers of the northern California Coast Ranges mountains are endemic to Northern California.   Many times these colonies are found in chaparral brushlands where they can easily missed because of the over-story of woody species.  Erythronium californicum Purdy, which is in the family Liliaceae, has sometimes been called the "soul of spring".  It was first described by the famous botanist and plant collector Carl Purdy (the USGS Quad on the north end of HREC is called "Purdy's Garden").