Torrey Pines State Reserve, La Jolla, CA

Intro

Below, you can read about what makes Torrey Pines notable and unique.

Inside the Reserve

These are pictures from inside the reserve:

Vegetation

First, you can see the canopy shape of the trees. "The salty sea breeze literally prunes the tops of the Torrey pines into picturesque shapes" (from the informational display at the park).

Second, you can see how many of the trees are dead. The scaly armor that protects the tree also provides a home for the five-spined engraver beetle. If there is sufficient rainfall, the tree can defend itself against these "bark beetles." However, when stressed by drought, which seems common in California lately, the beetles will kill the tree.

Third, these look like a type of cactus that has three different names: Coast Prickly-Pear, Shore Cactus, or Mesa Prickly Pear. The species name is Opuntia littoralis.

Las Vistas