BIRDS OF JACKSON CO., OREGON, & SURROUNDING AREAS 7 



by small Quercus groves and on Baldy by large open areas (balds), 

 which include about 75% of the southern and western slopes above 

 762 m (Fig. 3). 



The western valley foothills are cooler and less arid than those in 

 the eastern part of the valley. Dominant vegetation includes Quercus 

 garryana, Q. kelloggii, Arbutus menziesii, Ceonothus spp., Rhus diver- 

 siloba, and occasionally small Pseudotsuga menziesii. Arctostaphylos 

 viscida, sometimes in very dense growth, may be associated with 

 Arbutus menziesii in the western foothills as an understory. Arcto- 

 staphylos is a common dominant plant on the arid southern slope of 

 the Siskiyou Mountains up to 1,219 m and along the base of Roxy 

 Ann Peak. 



Characteristic plants in southeastern Jackson County are similar 

 to those in the Lower Rogue River and Bear Creek valleys. Primary 

 differences are the greater abundance of Pinus ponderosa and Pseudo- 

 tsuga menziesii. The avifauna of this region is more characteristic of 

 the Lower Rogue River and Bear Creek valleys. 



Riparian growth, included here with the geographic area encom- 

 passed by the Chaparral-Oak Community, occurs along the Rogue 

 and Applegate rivers, Bear Creek, and some of their tributaries. 

 Characteristic vegetation includes Salix spp., Populus trichocarpa, 

 Fraxinus latij^olia, and Rubus spp. understory. 



The remaining portion of Jackson County is mountainous and 

 dominated by coniferous forest. This upland part of the county is 

 in the Oregonian Province (Dice 1943:31), which includes the Cascade 

 Mountains of northern Jackson County west and north of Union Creek 



Fig. 3. Quercus groves and diversified farmland east of Medford. Ceonothus spp., 

 Rhus diver siloba, and oak groves on the west slope of Mount Baldy are interrupted 

 with open areas of short grasses and annuals. 



