Palos Verdes Peninsula Habitat

Palos Verdes Peninsula Habitat. . The Palos Verdes Peninsula supports a plant community called coastal bluff scrub that contains elements of coastal sage scrub. Coastal sage scrub communities are composed of soft, witty sub-shrubs. Coastal sage scrub seen at this site is dominated by lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia), California sagebrush (Artemisia californica), California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) and small amounts of cactus. , , The California sagebrush and California buckwheat are the natural habitat of a bird called the coastal California Gnatcatcher. Indigenous to the coastal zones of California, the California Gnatcatcher is a threatened species that feeds on insects gleaned from California sagebrush and buckwheat. The California Gnatcatcher maintains a year-round territory but stays within the home range during the breeding season. Since these areas of the Peninsula maintain California sagebrush, keep an eye out for a California Gnatcatcher, like the one pictured to the left.