Coastal Sage Scrub Habitat

California Gnatcatcher	San Diego Thorn Mint	Red-tailed Hawk	Greater Roadrunner

Coastal Sage Scrub is a uniquely southern California habitat. It is found from sea level to 1500 feet in elevation, from the coast to the foothills where coastal fog moderates the climate, and in many inland valleys. This habitat can be described as sparse, low-growing shrubs that are aromatic, soft, and mostly gray-green in color. The foliage is very fragrant. During dry, summer months the shrubs often lose their leaves - a mechanism for drought tolerance. During this time, many of the plants may appear to be dead but they are actually dormant and will become green and vibrant again with the winter rains. One way to tell Coastal Sage Scrub from Chaparral is that Coastal Sage shrubs have somewhat flexible branches with softer leaves, while Chaparral shrubs have stiff, woody branches and 'hard' leaves. As a result, Coastal Sage Scrub is often referred to as "soft chaparral." It originally covered most of what is now the urbanized portion of San Diego. Along the county's north coast (on sandstone cliffs bordering the beach) lies a special strip of Coastal Sage Scrub that is home to one of the rarest pine trees in the country, the Torrey Pine. Coastal Sage Scrub covers 248,000 acres of San Diego County's area (14.5%). Approximately 81,000 of these acres (32.6% of the habitat) burned in the 2003 Fires.

Characteristic plants: California Sagebrush, Black Sage, California Buckwheat, Monkeyflower, Laurel Sumac, Lemonadeberry, and Bush Sunflower.

Plants of special interest: San Diego Thorn Mint.

Characteristic animals: Coyote, Desert (Audubon) Cottontail, Red-tailed hawk, Road Runner, Sage Sparrow, Rosy Boa, and Horned Lizard.

Animals of special interest: California Gnatcatcher, Turkey Vulture