Editing Santa Lucia Range (section)

== Natural history ==

=== Climate ===

Like other [[Pacific Coast Ranges]], the mountains' close proximity to the [[Pacific Ocean]] cause moisture to be deposited on the west-facing slopes, creating a suitable environment for conifers. This creates a [[rain shadow]] over [[Salinas Valley]] to the east, which is considerably drier. The higher peaks receive some snowfall during the winter.

The climate is classified as ''dry summer subtropical'', or [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]]. Rainfall varies from {{convert|16|to|60|in|cm}}  throughout the range. Most of the precipitation falls during the winter on the higher mountains in the north.  During the summer, fog and low clouds are frequent along the coast up to an elevation of 2–3,000 feet.  [[Surface runoff]] from rainfall is rapid, and many streams dry up entirely in the summer, except for some perennial streams in the wetter areas in the north.<ref>{{cite web |title=Santa Lucia Range ecological subregion information |publisher=U.S. Forest Service |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/projects/ecoregions/261aj.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050315224046/http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/projects/ecoregions/261aj.htm |archive-date=2005-03-15 |access-date=2014-02-22}}</ref>

=== Flora ===

The western slopes of the range facing the [[Pacific Ocean]] are moist with growths of [[coast redwood]], [[Douglas fir]], [[ponderosa pine]], [[Pacific madrone]] and the [[Endemism|local endemic]] species such as [[Abies bracteata|Santa Lucia fir]] ''(Abies bracteata)'' and [[Gowen cypress]] ''(Cupressus goveniana var. goveniana)''. The east side is drier, with [[chaparral]] and open woods of [[pine]] (including [[Coulter pine]] and [[gray pine]]) and [[California oak woodland|oak woodlands]] of several ''[[Quercus]]'' species.

The range is the southernmost native location of about 225 plant species including the coast redwood trees and the northernmost home for about 90 species. The southernmost naturally occurring grove of redwoods is found within the [[Big Sur]] region in the [[Southern Redwood Botanical Area]], a {{convert|17|acre}} reserve located in the Little Redwood Gulch watershed adjacent to the Silver Peak Wilderness. It is just north of the Salmon Creek trailhead.<ref name="Redwoodhikes">{{cite web|url=http://www.redwoodhikes.com/Big%20Sur/Los%20Padres.html|title=Los Padres National Forest|publisher=Redwoodhikes.com|access-date=2012-08-07|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928002104/http://www.redwoodhikes.com/Big%20Sur/Los%20Padres.html|archive-date=2012-09-28}}</ref> The southernmost tree is about {{convert|15|ft}} from Highway 1 at the approximate coordinates {{coord|35|49|42|N|121|23|14|W|region:US-CA|display=inline}} About 57 plants are only found in the Santa Lucia Mountains.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ventanawilderness - Pelican Network - Living With NaturePelican Network – Living with Nature |url=http://www.pelicannetwork.net/ventanawilderness/ |website=www.pelicannetwork.net |access-date=2 April 2022}}</ref> This range is the only known habitat of the [[Systenotheca|Vortriede's spineflower]].