The Sierra Nevada mountain range is an adventurer’s heaven. The range stretches 400 miles and is home to three national parks: Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia. The majority of the range stretches north to south along California with portions of it falling into Nevada and reaches a staggering elevation of 14,505 feet. With its range in latitude and elevation the Sierra Nevada range offers many different environments and microclimates that have allowed diversity in flora and fauna to flourish.
While you are exploring the Sierra Nevada range, you may find yourself hiking around alpine lakes, wandering through ancient forests, or camping along snowmelt streams. These outdoor adventures will bring you into contact with the small, or large, wildlife of the region. Some of these encounters may be more common depending on your location, but all are magical and become a part of who you are. Some common encounters may include the Steller's Jay, Lodgepole Chipmunk, or Sugar Pine. Others, like the Black Bear, may be uncommon for visitors, but an everyday occurrence for residents. If you are lucky you may encounter the Sierra Nevada Red Fox, one of the most endangered mammals of North America.
For those of us who enjoy animal sightings but our passions lie in botanical wonders, there are thousands of native blooms that can only be found in the Sierra Nevada range. As spring turns to summer you can find the bright magenta blooms of Fireweed covering open mountainsides. While you explore mountain clearings, or along the edges of dense forests you may spot Nuttall’s Larkspur. The more adventurous explorer may find Smokey Mariposa sprouting between shale while climbing around rocky terrain. These are only a few of the many native botanicals you can find while exploring the Sierra Nevada range.
Our Sierra Nevada woven blanket celebrates this region through the depiction of its native flora and fauna. Below is a list of the species included in the design. Next time you explore the Sierra Nevada range, take your blanket with you and see how many species you can find in the wilderness.
Flora
- Smokey Mariposa - Calochortus Leichtlinii
- Nuttall's Larkspur - Delphinium Nuttallianum
- Sierra Gooseberry - Ribes roezlii
- White Heather - Cassiope Mertensiana
- Baker's Violet - Viola bakeri
- Alpine Lily - Lilium Parvum
- Sugar Pine – Pinus labertiana
- Fireweed – Chamerion angustifolium
- Giant Red Indian Paintbrush - Castilleja Miniata
- Green-Leaf Manzanita - Arctostaphylos Patula
- Sierra Redwood – Sequoia gigantea
Fauna
- White Crossed Seed Bug – Neacoryphus bicrucis
- Edith’s Checkerspot Butterfly - Euphydryas editha
- Blue Belly Lizard - Sceloporus occidentalis
- Mountain Lion – Puma concolor
- Lined June Beetle - Polyphylla sobrina
- Steller’s Jay - Cyanocitta stelleri
- Douglas’s Squirrel - Tamiasciurus douglasii
- Lodgepole Chipmunk - Tamias speciosus
- Boisduval’s Blue – Aricia icarioides
- Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep - Ovis canadensis sierrae
- Crotch’s Bumblebee – Bombus crotchii
- Greater Angle-Wing – Microcentrum rhombifolium
- Anise Swallowtail Caterpillar - Papilio zelicaon
- Sierra Nevada Red Fox - Vulpes vulpes necator
- Convergent Lady Beetle – Hippodamia convergens
- Black Bear - Ursus americanus
- Mule Deer - Odocoileus hemionus