Climate, Ecology and Agriculture
The Vaca Mountains have a typical California climate with a cool wet season lasting from November to April, followed by a warm dry season. Because the Vacas are the easternmost of the Coast Ranges, they are subject to the "rain shadow" effect and rainfall is considerably less than in ranges to the west, such as the Mayacamas Mountains, which are closer to the Pacific Ocean. Mean rainfall averages 25 to 30 inches (635 to 762 mm) a year, with nearly all rain falling during the wet season. Snow does fall on Mt. Vaca and Blue Ridge during unusually cold winters, but very seldom on the lower slopes. Temperatures range from lows of 40 to 50 °F (4 to 10 °C) during the wet season, to highs of over 100 °F (38 °C) during the dry season. Because almost all rain falls during the wet season, fire danger is particularly high during the hot summers and early fall.
The reasonably abundant winter rainfall results in a diverse assemblage of plants, with chaparral stands of chamise (Adenostoma), buckbrush (Ceanothus) and manzanita (Arctostaphylos) on the ridgetops, grasslands with oak trees (Quercus) and poison oak (Toxicodendron) on the slopes, and riparian habitats in canyons with year-round streams. Because of steep topography, the land is largely undeveloped and the native plants undisturbed. However, there is some agriculture in the lower foothills, with wine grapes on the west (Solano County) slopes, and fruit and nut orchards on the east (Yolo County) slopes.
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