Wildlife Wish Lists

This holiday season, the Open Space Authority is taking the liberty of putting a wish list together for the wildlife that call your open spaces home. Keep reading to see who's on the list and what we think they would wish for. 

Despite being an apex predator, which means they are at the top of the food chain and not prey to other species, mountain lions are actually solitary animals. They enjoy spending time alone, marking their territory by scratching trees and roaming through large ranges of open space. We think they would appreciate safer places to cross between the Santa Cruz mountains to the Diablo Range.

Bobcats are simple creatures with simple desires: a rock that allows them to stretch their tree climbing muscles, a fruitful hunting session and a tasty rabbit as a treat. Similar to the mountain lion (who can't roar), we think they also just want to meow rather than chirp!

The red-tailed hawk is searching for a companion for hunting adventures as well as a mate for life. We think they'll be extra happy if they happen to get the materials to build a snazzy nest, a high perch and a ground squirrel.

If a coyote could have anything, we think they'd ask for some tasty treats including a rabbit or some fruit (Note: Coyotes are opportunistic predators which means they eat a range of foods based on what's available!). We also think they would want to roam open spaces with their best friends and sing together at the end of the day.

The gray fox is a minimalist which means we think they'd have just a few simple requests. These wishes may include a ladder for their tree climbing adventures since they're not great at climbing back down to the ground from high spaces. Also, we think a storage container for leftovers would come in handy since they tend to hide their food when they have too much!

We think the California tiger salamander will only make a few requests: a personal pond, some friends to travel with, a nice home in the ground and some squirmy worms or snails to snack on!

Bay checkerspot butterflies may be the smallest critter on this list, but that doesn't mean their wish lists should be small! We think these butterflies would love a dwarf plantain plant, their primary host plant, so that they can lay their eggs on the plant and their larvae can munch on it for sustenance. They may also appreciate some sunny days, a supply of nectar to keep them satiated once they turn into butterflies and cow friends to mow the grass so wildflowers can grow!