Equisetum sp.pl.
When I first saw these last summer I thought they were small pine saplings. It's took me a couple of minutes to relize that these are the new sprouts of the same plants. You can see the remains of last years growth.
Since I'm not yet study about Californian horsetail, genus is my choice. There are some horsetail native to that area ... those pics show sprouting stage.
Lat: 38.74, Long: -120.74
Spotted on Mar 23, 2012
Submitted on Mar 23, 2012