Created By:

Rohit Sharda

Chris Turitzin

Welcome to the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens!

We are excited to host you here in our community’s park. Look around you. Notice the wide variety of plants and animals surrounding you. There are large birds, small birds, small mammals, and other types of animals living beside you. There are sycamore trees, willows, live oaks, and boxalders towering above you.

These animals and plants have been around for thousands of years. Long before European settlers migrated to California 250 years ago, Native Americans lived all across the Santa Clara Valley. Native Americans have been in the Bay Area for over 10,000 years! Because so much has changed during that time, archaeologists have had a tough time finding artifacts from that period of time.

Around 5000 years ago, the geography of the region began to change. Water from the Pacific Ocean was just starting to creep into San Francisco Bay, which gave the Bay the shape we see today. People’s diets also began to change. People started to eat acorns and large mammals, such as elk. Archaeologists have found flint-tipped spears, darts, abalone beads, and stone milling tools that Native Americans used in their everyday lives. About 2500 years ago, the climate changed again. It became cooler and moister, and marshlands began to form. Because of this, birds, shellfish, seals, and otters started to appear, and the diets of the people changed again. Groups of Native Americans joined together to form small villages, where friends could share experiences, stories, and bond with each other.

Beginning about 1300 years ago, a drought struck the western United States, including California, and affected the people who lived here. But the native people prevailed and formed even larger villages. Trade increased between villages, and money became a more important part of their lives. Instead of dollar bills, people used shell beads and abalone ornaments to show their wealth.

When the Spanish arrived in California in 1769, they saw many Native American villages dotting the Bay Area. They set up missions to convert the natives and pueblos where Spanish settlers could live and tried to claim the land for Spain. In this area, they formed Mission Santa Clara and the Pueblo of San Jose. Spanish ranchos (large ranches) were set up throughout Santa Clara Valley. Along with Spanish settlers came new, exotic species of plants, such as new types of grass. The Spanish also brought diseases that wiped out many Native American populations.

In 1846, California officially joined the United States of America as the 31^st state. The Gold Rush attracted thousands of settlers from across the country who were searching for gold. They mined the land, built boomtowns, drained marshes, and cleared forests to find the gold. In their search for gold, people also realized the land in Santa Clara Valley was fertile and ideal for planting orchards. Until fifty years ago, what we call Silicon Valley today was still mainly a farming area. But the diversity of the Silicon Valley area existed even a century ago. Chinese immigrants joined together in 1887 and formed Woolen Mills Chinatown in the present-day San Jose area. But the town only lasted for fifteen years and burned down in 1902.

Through the 20^th century, the city of San Jose has grown up around the Guadalupe River. But because the population has been increasing so fast, we risk losing the plants and animals that have also grown up in this area. In the 1950s and 1960s, community leaders first began to think about developing a park along the Guadalupe River to preserve some of the natural beauty. What you see today is the work of many people over years. Engineers, park planners, gardeners, and community volunteers have dedicated their time to make the park what it is. The Friends of the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens are working hard to make sure that the park stays clean, beautiful, and offers a place for people to relax and animals to live. It is important that we preserve the park as a habitat for the wide variety of creatures and plants that live here. Enjoy the sights of sounds of the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens. Have fun coloring and looking for the plants and animals in the book!

  

    

    
1 = White
    
3 = Black
    
7 = Brown
    
8 = Red
    
11 = Blue
    
 
    
    
   

Belted Kingfisher

Nesting – normally tunnels dug by male and female; 1 ft. across, 6 in. tall

6-7 eggs; little more than 3 weeks to hatch

Diet - mostly fish, crawfish, shellfish, squid, small birds, small mammals, lizards, insects

Habitat - rivers, lakes, saltwater estuaries

Range - depending on season, all the way from Alaska (Aleutian Islands) to Panama

and northern coast of South America

Appearance – blue-gray across chests, huge bill compared to body size

11-13 in. long; blue-gray head, white chin, throat, neck, female has brownish chest

Voice – loud rattle sound

Fun Fact – When the belted kingfisher flies from one tree to another tree that is a good distance away, it utters its loud rattling sound.

3 = Black

5 = Green

6 = Orange

7 = Brown

Black Phoebe

Nesting - mud, moss, and grass nest covered inside with cow hair or feathers to make it

soft; 3-6 eggs laid at one time; a little more than 2 weeks to hatch; live in trees

Diet - insects

Habitat - shady areas by warm water, streams, ponds, city parks, chaparral, lake banks

Range - northern California to west Texas; many in Arizona; found in tropics

Appearance - 6-7 in. tall; white belly; black body

Voice - sharp “chip chip”

Fun Fact – The black phoebe “wags” its tail.

6 = Orange

7 = Brown

8 = Red

12 = Yellow

Chinook Salmon

Diet - crustaceans, anchovies, herrings, young rockfishes, sand lances

Habitat - near ocean surface; large rivers, freshwater streams, estuaries

Range - Bering Strait to southern California

Appearance - up to 5 ft long, over 100 lbs

Greenish-blue to black top; silvery-white bottom; spots on back

Fun Fact s– Chinook salmon can migrate for hundreds of miles and then return to their homes. Chinook salmon are on the US Endangered Species List.

2 = Grey

4 = Dark Grey

5 = Green

7 = Brown

8 = Red

11=Blue

12 = Yellow

Great Blue Heron

Nesting - high in trees; made from interwoven twigs

3-5 eggs; take about 4 weeks to hatch

Diet - fish, small mammals, reptiles, small birds, salamanders, snakes, insects

Habitat - marshes, swamps, lakes, river shores

Range – most of North America

Lifespan – up to 23 yrs.

Appearance - Height: 4 ft.

Weight: 5-8 lbs.

Wingspan: 6 ft.

Gray feathers, yellowish legs, yellow bill, streak of black plume extending from between eyes down back of head, reddish legs

Voice – harsh squawk

Fun Fact – Most great blue heron nests go unnoticed until they fall down from the treetops.

1 = White

5 = Green

6 = Orange

7 = Brown

11=Blue

Great egret

Nesting – large, somewhat flimsy nests made out of twigs and sticks

3-5 eggs laid at one time; hatch after about 4 weeks

Diet - fish, small birds, aquatic invertebrates, frogs; (when drier) small mammals, snails, nesting birds, worms, crayfish

Habitat - swamps, marshes, ponds, coastal lagoons, savannas

Range - Oregon to Massachusetts, South America

Lifespan – up to 22 yrs.

Appearance-over 3 ft. tall; 4.5 ft. wingspan

Yellow bill, black legs, white feathers

Weight: 2 lbs.

Voice - deep croak: frawnk frawnk

1 = White

2 = Grey

6 = Orange

7 = Brown

8 = Red

12 = Yellow

Ground Squirrel

Nesting - 5-8 young; burrows 3-6 in wide; 5-200 ft long network of tunnels

Diet - leaves, stems, flowers, bulbs, roots, seeds, fruit, berries, nuts

Habitat - fields, pastures, wooded hillsides, plains, small meadows

Range - from central Washington to western Oregon down to Baja California

Appearance -9-11 in. long; brownish color; white specks all across back, whitish streak from arms qacross neck; bushy, brownish-gray tail

Fun Fact – Scientists in California found a squirrel burrow with 11 squirrels, 33 openings, and 741 ft. of tunnels. (That’s almost two and a half football fields!)

1 = White

3 = Black

5 = Green

6 = Orange

7 = Brown

8 = Red

11 = Blue

12 = Yellow

Mallard

Nesting - made of grass and down and usually well-hidden

8-15 eggs; takes about 4 weeks to hatch

Diet - snails, aquatic insects, grasshoppers, small fish, prefer to eat plant seeds

Habitat - marshes, ponds, lakes, flooded fields, ditches, bays

Range - northern hemisphere; during winter can be found in Central America; also found in Europe and Asia

Appearance -18-27 in. long

Male: green head, white neck ring; brownish chest; gray-brown back; 3 ft. wingspan; yellow bill, brown wings

Female: spotted brown, white tail

Voice - male: soft reedy notes

Females: quack

Fun Fact – To find food, mallards will dip their heads underwater and search for plants.

1 = White 2 = Grey 3 = Black 4 = Dark Grey 7 = Brown 10 = Pink

Opossum Nesting - 1-14 young born after about 2 weeks make leaf nest in hollow log, abandoned tree, or other sheltered place Diet - carrion (roadkill), insects, frogs, birds, snakes, small mammals, earthworms, berries persimmons, apples, corn Habitat - deciduous forests, open woods, wastelands, farmlands, trees Range - most of US, except areas of west (Utah, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota) Appearance - size of cat; grayish-black fur, black eyes, black ears, pink nose, pink feet, pink tail, pointy nose Fun Facts - The opossum is the only North American marsupial, meaning it carries its young in a pouch like the kangaroo. When the opossum is attacked, it plays dead. It falls over on its side, shuts its eyes, opens its mouth, and lets its tongue hang loosely until the danger passes.

2 = Grey

3 = Black

4 = Dark Grey

5 = Green

7 = Brown

8 = Red

Raccoon

Nesting - When female is pregnant, makes leaf nest in hollow tree

1-8 young born after about 2 months (weigh 2 oz.)

Diet - grapes, nuts, berries, papaws (similar to papayas), grasshoppers, crickets, voles, deer mice, squirrels, other small mammals, bird eggs, crayfish, frogs, worms, fish, dragonfly larvae, clams, turtles, turtle eggs, acorns

Habitat - wooded wetlands, wooded streams, cities, suburbs

Range - southern Canada, throughout most of America, except parts of Nevada, Arizona, Utah

Appearance -striped face with black band around eyes and white above and below; grayish body, bushy tail with brownish-gray rings, small ears

Fun Fact – The name raccoon comes from the Algonquin Indian word “aroughcoune,” which means “he scratches with his hands.” Raccoons can use their tiny hands to turn doorknobs and open refrigerators.

1 = White 2 = Grey 5 = Green 6 = Orange 7 = Brown 11 = Blue

Snowy Egret Nesting - make nests by shrubs, small trees around water, made out of loose sticks 3-5 eggs laid at one time; 3-3.5 weeks to hatch Diet – aquatic invertebrates (crayfish), fish, insects, crabs Habitat - marshes, swamps, lakes, ponds, river banks Range – coastal areas from Oregon and California to New England Lifespan – up to 22 yrs. Appearance -about 2 ft. tall; wingspan less than 4 ft. Black bill and black legs; yellow feet, white feathers Voice – low croak or squawk Fun Fact – Snowy egrets do not recognize members of their own species very well. When a bird is flying into the nest, it must bow down and raise the feathers on its head so that the bird already sitting there does not attack it.

1 = White 2 = Grey 7 = Brown 10 = Pink

Steelhead Trout Diet - aquatic insects, worms, fish eggs, minnows, shiners, plankton, small fish Habitat - freshwater streams, rivers, ocean Range - Bering Sea to southern California Appearance -up to 4 ft long, 50 lbs. Bluish on top, silvery-white bottom, small black spots on back, sides and fins Fun Fact – Steelhead trout and rainbow trout are almost the exact same fish. The only difference between them is that rainbow trout spend their entire life in freshwater areas, white steelhead trout spend part of their life in the ocean before coming back to freshwater areas.

5 = Green

9 = Yellow-Green

Boxalder
 
Height -  40-60 ft.
 
Lifespan -  less than 30 years
 
Appearance - have three leaflets on each leaf; flowers are lime-green or yellow-green
 
Fun Fact-  Plains Indians made sugar from the sap of the boxalder.

5 = Green

9 = Yellow-Green

Cottonwood
 
Height -  80 ft.
 
Lifespan -  80-120 years
 
Appearance –  Young branches are yellowish-grey; leaves turn golden-yellow in fall.
 
Diameter -  1-3 ft.
 
Fun Fact - The name for the tree comes from the fluffy seeds that appear in
 early summer.
 

5 = Green

9 = Yellow-Green

Live Oak
 
Height - 20-40 ft.
 
Lifespan - 125-250 years
 
Diameter - 1-4 ft.
 
Appearance – treetops of live oaks can span more than 150 ft.
 
Fun Fact - Live oak wood is so hard that it was once used to make wooden warships.
 

5 = Green

9 = Yellow-Green

Sycamore
 
Height -  70-100 ft.
 
Lifespan - 250 years
 
Appearance – in fall, sycamore tree leaves turn light-green; tree has white bark.
 
Fun fact - Sycamore wood is used for butcher blocks. It is strong enough to handle jabs from knives.

	5 = Green (All leaves) 9 = Yellow-Green (All stems)
Willow Height - 30-60 ft. Lifespan - 20 years Diameter - 1-3 ft. Appearance – leaves are long and slender; many different kinds of willows in the park Fun Fact - A chemical in the bark is the pain-reducing ingredient in aspirin.

For More Information...

· Animal Planet (animal.discovery.com) – cool site about all types of animals and information about shows on Animal Planet channel

· Audubon Society (www.audubon.org) – great information about birds and other wildlife

· Guadalupe River Park and Gardens (www.grpg.org) – discover more about the park and future events for kids

· Happy Hollow Park and Zoo (www.happyhollowparkandzoo.org) – fun place to learn about animals, take rides, and watch puppet shows

· San Francisco Zoo (www.sfzoo.org) – find out about events at the zoo and learn more about the animals