Nature and Science

Huddart and Wunderlich Parks are situated in the biologically diverse Santa Cruz Mountains. Ecosystems largely consist of Redwood and Oak Woodland forests, riparian corridors, chaparral, and grasslands. Below is a list of some of the kinds of flora (plants) and fauna (animals) that can be found in these parks.

Help Us Find Information and Photos!

We need your help to complete our nature section. Do you have photos and/or information for any of the Flora and Fauna listed below? Or maybe you have a favorite plant or animal found in Huddart and/or Wunderlich that you do not see listed and can send us information about it. We welcome your help! Please send your suggested contributions to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

Local Flora   Local Fauna

TREES

  • Big Leaf Maple
  • Black Oak
  • Bay Laurel California
  • Live Oak
  • Douglas Fir
  • Hazelnut
  • Madrone
  • Redwood
  • Tan(bark) Oak
  • Valley Oak

WILDFLOWERS

  • Blue-eyed grass
  • Crane’s Bill
  • Hound’s Tongue
  • Milk Maids
  • Miner’s Lettuce
  • Shooting Stars
  • Soap Root
  • Trillium

PLANTS, SHRUBS AND VINES

  • California Blackberry
  • Ceanothus
  • Chamise
  • Chaparall Pea
  • Coffee Berry
  • Coyote Bush
  • Man Root
  • Manzanita
  • Poison Oak
  • Sticky Monkey Flower
  • Toyon Berry
  • Wood Rose
  • Yerba Santa

GRASSES, REEDS & SEDGES

  • Bedstraw
  • Bunch Grass
  • Rattlesnake Grass
  • Wild Blue Rye

FERNS

  • Bracken Fern
  • Coastal Wood Fern
  • Five Finger Fern
  • Golden Back Fern
  • Maiden Hair
  • Sword Fern

MOSSES, LICHENS AND FUNGI

  • Chanterelle Mushroom
  • Death Cap Mushrooms
  • Spanish Moss
  

MAMMALS

  • Bats
  • Black-tailed Deer
  • Bobcat
  • Brush Rabbit
  • Coyote
  • Gray Squirrel
  • Mountain Lion
  • Opossum
  • Raccoon
  • Skunk
  • Wild Board
  • Wood Rat

BIRDS

  • Acorn Woodpecker
  • Blue Jay
  • California Quail
  • Chickadee
  • Crow
  • Great Horned Owl
  • Harrier
  • Junco
  • Northern Flicker Raven
  • Red Tailed Hawk
  • Scrub Jay
  • Turkey Vulture

     

REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS

  • Alligator Lizard
  • California Slender
  • Garter Snake
  • Gopher Snake
  • Newts
  • Ring-necked Snake
  • Skink
  • Western Fence Lizard
  • Western Rattlesnake

INSECTS, SPIDERS,
MULLUSKS AND ENCEPHLAPODS

  • Banana Slug
  • Bumble Bee
  • Centipede
  • Grasshopper
  • Hover Fly
  • Orb Spiders
  • Scorpion
  • Tarantula
  • Trap Door Spider
  • Turret Spider
  • Wasps
  • Water Strider
  • Yellow Jacket
   

 

 

 
 

Featured Fauna

The Wood Rat

The bushy-tailed wood rat is a large, handsome rodent. It grows to about eight inches long, with another six inches of “bushy” tail. 

Western Skink

The Western Skink is a beautiful lizard. This species of skink is slender with striking, shiny brown and cream lengthwise stripes, but it is its cobalt blue tail that sets it apart.