Saturday, August 4
The volunteer work party known as the "Weed Warriors" will meet from 9 am to about noon. Anyone is welcome to join in and help pull obnoxious invading weeds and work on projects to reduce erosion. Wear comfortable sturdy shoes, long pants and sleeves, and park at the north end of 15th Street in Los Osos.
Third Saturday Walk—August 18, 9:30 a.m. Small Mammals and Rodents
Dr. Francis Villablanca, Curator of Birds and Mammals at Cal Poly, will lead a walk in the Elfin Forest focusing on small mammals that inhabit the Forest, including the Dusky-footed Woodrat. There are about twenty species of small mammals known to live in the Forest, but few are seen because most hunt and feed at night. Dr. Villablanca will point out evidence that they are there, and share stories and information about the part they play in research being done at Cal Poly, and how they survive in a small wilderness like the Elfin Forest.
Park at the north end of 15th Street (16th Street for wheelchairs) off Santa Ysabel in Los Osos. Walks begin on the boardwalk at the end of the 15th Street sand path. Wear comfortable shoes, long sleeves, and pants to avoid poison oak and mosquitoes.
Besides docent-led events, visit the Elfin Forest any day: Experience the quiet natural beauty of this small wilderness area. Park at the north end of any street from 11th through 17th streets off Sta. Ysabel in Los Osos and take a sand path to the boardwalk or the wheel-chair accessible boardwalk entrance at 16th Street.
Coming Up in the Elfin Forest
Western Fence Lizard
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Our average annual rainfall is about 17-l8 inches with less than 5% falling between May through October. August is near the end of the dry season and also among the warmest months of the year. Yet many of our flowering shrubs and herbs have adapted so well to this aridity that they are still in bloom or even peak in this driest season. And seeds set by earlier bloomers are providing food for birds and other animals, including rapidly maturing offspring of this year.
Dune Buckwheat
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White and yellow flowers tend to dominate shrubs now. Coyote brush has both, yellow male flowers and white female flowers. Dune buckwheat also has white flowers, aging to pink. Tiny flowers of ground-hugging California croton are also white.
California Coffeeberry
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Mock heather is yellow, and blooms almost exclusively in August and September. California goldenrod is also in bloom. Pink flowers may still be seen on pink everlastings, California asters, and California hedge nettles. California coffeeberry has colorful berries that are yellow at first, darken to red and later turn glowing black. Another bright red berry is ripening on hollyleaf cherry shrubs.
Western Brush Rabbit
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Reptiles are most active in the warmest months, so look for garter, gopher, and California king snakes and enjoy amusing pushups by western fence lizards. Western brush rabbits and squirrels may also be seen.
Bushtit
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Noisy resident birds are as usual California Scrub Jays and California Quail. Other resident birds actively flitting through the brush are Bushtits, Bewick's Wrens and California Gnatcatchers. White-crowned, Chipping, Lark, Savannah, and Song Sparrows are here at this season, as are House and Purple Finches, Lesser and American Goldfinches, and Anna's Hummingbirds.
Also, begin to keep an eye out for the earliest arrivals of birds migrating south for the winter. Several species of ducks and some wading birds begin to arrive as early as August.
The abundant and active life displayed by so many plants and animals adapted to our dry summer climate and sandy dune soils is marvelous to observe at this most stressful season of their year.
