July 7
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 shoes, long pants and sleeves and park at the north end of 15th Street in Los Osos.
July 21, 9:30 a.m. Literary Stroll
Golden Yarrow
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Scrub Jay
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Do you enjoy being read to? Would you enjoy strolling around the Elfin Forest boardwalk and hearing the words of famous natural history writers? Then this walk is meant for you. Cal Trans historian Robert Pavlik will share selections from the works of such authors as Robinson Jeffers, Wallace Stegner, Rachel Carson, Gary Snyder and others from this and past centuries. As you follow Bob along the boardwalk, stopping here and there for a reading, he will provide you with a delightful menu of descriptions and impressions that can be enjoyed in the Elfin Forest environment. He'll also provide us with a handout of his readings for those who want to read further. 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.
Besides docent-led events, visit the Elfin Forest any day to 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. The bulletin board along the boardwalk between 15th and 16th Streets includes photos (changing every month) of some plants and animals you might see.
Coming Up in the Elfin Forest
Coastal Dudleya & Wooly Star
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Bumble Bee
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Well into the long dry season, flowers still decorate the shrubs in the Elfin Forest. Black sage, one of the most abundant shrubs, is in full bloom with pompoms of pale lavender to white blossoms. Chamise is also coming into bloom with spikes of white flowers. Contrasting with these are bright yellow and orange of poppies, deerweed, sticky monkey-flowers, coastal dudleya, and golden yarrow (a different species than the infamous allergy producer). June's blue flowers of silver dune lupine and wooly star continue into July. Pink flowers are spikes of California hedge nettle and cobwebby thistle. Indian pinks (flower edges serrated as if by pinking shears) are red flowers in the understory of the oaks.
"Flying Flowers" are the butterflies common in early summer. Continuing to fly into July are Acmon Blue butterflies attracted to deerweed, Variable Checkerspots seeking sticky monkey-flowers and Gabb's Checkerspots around California poppies. Anise Swallowtails are also often seen in the Elfin Forest even though their host plant, anise, is not a native within the preserve. Gray and Hedgerow Hairstreak butterflies may also still be seen in July.
Chamise
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There are still a lot of water birds around in mid-summer. Among waders, willets, and killdeer remain very common. Also resident all year are Great Blue and Black-crowned Night Herons, along with many Snowy and Great Egrets. Some ducks remain through summer even though most members of their species have gone north to summer nesting areas. Year-around resident American Coots become even more noticeable as the duck population has plummeted.
Five species of swallows may be seen only in the summer, while most of our raptor species are here all year. Many chaparral and oak woodland birds are busy raising young — such as hummingbirds, flycatchers, wrens, warblers, sparrows, thrashers, finches, scrub jays, blackbirds, and quail.
So a stroll around the Elfin Forest boardwalk rewards us with colorful scenes and activity even in the middle of California's long dry summer.
