Elfin Forest Activities

By Jean Wheeler

September 1

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. Conservation Chair Ron Rasmussen rewards his troops with his home-made cookies! Wear comfortable shoes, long pants, and sleeves, and park at the north end of 15th Street in Los Osos.

Third Saturday Walk — September 15: 9:30 am. — Marsh Ecology

Twenty-three acres of the El Moro Elfin Forest are actually salt marsh lands.  Join botanist Dr. Dirk Walters for an adventurous hike beginning at the north end of 15th Street in Los Osos and ending in the salt marsh adjacent to the rest of the Elfin Forest. You'll see plants that don't grow on dry land such as pickleweed, salt grass, frankenia or goldenbush. Bring rubber boots – just in case.

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 Santa 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

Although September is at or near the end of the summer dry season, expect to see lots of white flowers near the boardwalk. They're blooming abundantly on shrubs well adapted to our dry summers, such as coyote brush, chamise, and dune buckwheat.  The flowers on the buckwheat age to pink, then rust or brown during this month.  Mock heather is in the second of its two peak blooming months with bright yellow flowers. Other blooms to look for are pink everlastings and California asters with their yellow centers and white to pink/lavender rays.

Also look along the boardwalk between Bush Lupine Point and Siena's View for bright red to black berries on coffeeberry shrubs, with green leaves long, narrow, and smoothly edged. Holly-leaf cherry shrubs growing in the same area also have red berries, but the leaves are wider and spiny toothed, well deserving the common name.

The resident birds most actively demanding attention now are, as usual, Western Scrub Jays flashing blue and loudly shrieking their names. California Quail may be heard calling for chi-CA-go and scurrying through the underbrush.  Other year-round resident birds busily flitting through the brush include Bushtits, Bewick's Wrens, California Gnatcatchers, White-crowned and Song Sparrows, and Anna's Hummingbirds. Young of our year-round resident species have grown up and are leaving their parents to live on their own.

Early birds already arriving to spend their winter enjoying the mild temperatures and abundant food supply of Morro Bay National Estuary include ducks such as Gadwalls, Northern Shovelers, Blue-winged Teal and Cinnamon Teal. On the other hand, some of our summer nesting birds are about to leave us for the even warmer winters of Middle and South America, such as several species of fly-catchers, wood warblers, swallows, and wrens.

Enjoy the seasonal changes this month as you stroll around our always lovely boardwalk!

Photo of Jean by Ron Ascher.
Unless otherwise attributed, all other photos, including the Spotted Towhee banner image, are taken by Jean.