Elfin Forest Activities

By Jean Wheeler

Saturday, September 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 sturdy shoes, long pants and sleeves, and park at the north end of 15th Street in Los Osos.

Third Saturday Walk—September 21, 9:30 a.m.  Literary Stroll.

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, he will stop here and there for a reading, providing you with a delightful menu of descriptions and impressions. He'll also provide a handout of his readings for those who would like to read further.

SWAP Annual Celebration

September 28, noon to 2:30 pm at Morro Shores Mobile Home Park Community Room [633 Ramona Ave., Los Osos]

Botanist Edward Bobich will speak on  "Pygmy Oaks Versus Normal Oaks;  How Different are the Oaks in the Elfin Forest?"  Volunteers will be honored, there will be a brief business meeting, and a light  lunch will be served.  There is no charge for this event.

Coming Up in the Elfin Forest

Flowers and fruit both adorn the shrubs of the Elfin Forest in September even though this is usually the last full month of our half year of drought. The fruits and seeds set by earlier bloomers are providing food for birds and other animals, including nearly mature offspring of this year. These include red berries of the hollyleaf cherry and those of the coffeeberry, which turn from yellow to red to glowing black.

Yellow to gold flowers decorating shrubs September include mock heather, California poppies, and California goldenrod. Coyote brush has yellow male flowers and white female ones. Flowers on dune buckwheat that opened white earlier are aging first to pink, and then to rust in color. California asters have ray flowers in white to pink or lavender around central yellow disks.

Among our resident birds now are White-crowned, Chipping, Lark, Savannah, and Song Sparrows, House and Purple Finches, Lesser and American Goldfinches, Bushtits, Bewicks Wrens, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and Anna's Hummingbirds. Fairly common but usually skulking low in the bushes are California and Spotted Towhees, California Thrashers, and Wrentits. The blue flash and noisy screams of California Scrub Jays are everywhere and California Quail can be seen scurrying through the underbrush. Some early migrants have already arrived for the winter, including the advance guard of wading and swimming birds that will bring amazing changes to the waters of the estuary in the next couple of months.

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 time of year.

Photo of Jean by Ron Ascher
Unless Otherwise Attributed, all other photos, including the Spotted Towhee Banner Image, are taken by Jean.