Natural History

Wildlife

At the lower elevations of Mount Jefferson, pronghorn antelope are frequently found browsing on globemallow adorned with their orange flowers amidst Great Basin big sage (inhabited by the regal Sage Thrasher) and white-stemmed rubber rabbitbrush the blossoms of which in the late summer and early fall are covered by numerous species of pollinating insects, which are preyed upon by Horned Larks as a crucial food source for their young during the summer.  Along the riparian zones within the wilderness, one may encounter multiple species including up to eight species of owl (Great-Horned, Barn, Long-Eared, Short-Eared, Western Screech, Flammulated, Northern Saw-Whet, and Northern Pygmy Owls), which silently hunt for their prey in the meadows along with bobcat and mountain lions to the serenade of coyotes, Common Poorwills and the distinctive buzzing of wing feathers from the courtship displays put on by Common Nighthawks over meadows where mule deer and elk forage during the silver light crepuscular hours of dawn and dusk.  During the day, blooming flowers of multiple forbs that decorate meadows within the riparian zone are frequented by Black-Chinned and Broad-Tailed Hummingbirds where Belted Kingfishers communicate their location to their mates with dry, high-pitched rattle-like calls in between spearing fry trout from the streams that gurgle down deep, aspen-clad creeks.  The distant knocking on trees echos through these glens from Northern (Red-Shafted) Flickers, Williamson's and Red-Naped Sapsuckers, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers.  The snapping of locust wings and silent display of mayflies on lazy, warm afternoons attract eight different flycatcher species (Olive-Sided, Great Basin Willow, Gray, Ash-Throated, and Dusky Flycatchers, Western Wood-Peewee, Say's Phoebe, and Western Kingbirds), who pursue their insect prey which they tirelessly bring to their nests of young hidden deep within the surrounding forest.  The mid-altitude zone encompassing the riparian meadows are alive with the songs of multiple passerine species such as Plumbeous and Warbling Vireos, Juniper Titmouse, Bushtits, White-Breasted and Red-Breasted Nuthatches, Mountain Chickadees, House, Bewick's, Marsh, Rock and Canyon Wrens, Golden-Crowned and Ruby-Crowned Kinglets, Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers, Mountain Bluebirds, Townsend's Solitaires, at least eight species of warblers, Western Tanagers, Towhees, ten species of Sparrows, Juncos, Grosbeaks, Buntings, Meadowlarks, Blackbirds, Orioles, Jays, and the haunting panpipe-like song of the Hermit Thrush.  At higher elevations along Willow, Barker and Pine Creeks, one may be fortunate enough to witness a Northern Goshawk or its smaller cousins, Cooper's or Sharp-Shinned Hawks.  Bighorn sheep can be found at the higher elevations of the Alta Toquima Wilderness including majestic rams, which stand silhouetted against the sun on high rocky outcrops.  Greater-Sage Grouse share the higher elevations with big-horn sheep but also with multiple other species such as mountain lions, marmots, pika, Golden Eagles, Red-Tailed and Ferruginous Hawks.  

Plants

Ecological zones existing within this wilderness exhibit a mosaic of flora types due to the profound variation in elevation and other factors from Mount Jefferson's foothills to its summits.  Being that this wilderness also lies within a transition zone between the Great Basin and Mojave ecoregions, there exists a rare and unique array of floral species (and animals) that includes great biological diversity.  At the lower levels, from piedmont slopes to the foothills, a healthy ecosystem dominated by Great Basin big sagebrush and multiple grasses and forbs exists that transitions into a single-leaf pinion and Utah juniper-dominated ecosystem essential to the survival of multiple animals including Pinion and Western Scrub Jays, Pinion mouse, Clark's Nutcracker, multiple insect and reptile species, and more.  At higher elevations, throughout the multiple riparian zones, large stands of aspen, willow, chokecherry, monk's hood (wolf bane), grasses, wild rose and a myriad of wildflowers such as larkspur, Lomatium, and phlox exist, which bloom in late July within the high meadows.  Within the canyons that steeply crawl towards the mountain's summits lies dense subalpine forests of bristlecone, limber, Jeffery and Ponderosa pine, and fir.  At the higher elevations, visitors will experience a treeless alpine tundra within the summit plateaus, which lie above limber pine forests and are dominated by low-growing shrubs such as dwarf sage.  Mature limber pines grow along the slopes below Alta Toquima, while younger limber pines can be found near and within the cultural sites described as one of two of the state's rare high-altitude indigenous dwellings.  The alpine zone or plateau lies north and east of the Alta Toquima cultural dwellings.