Elfin Forest Activities by Jean Wheeler

Saturday, April 5: 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, avoiding driveways and mailboxes.

Second Wednesday Walk — April 9, 10:00 a.m. — Butterfly Basics April flowers and warmer temperatures should bring out butterflies in the Elfin Forest. Come share the search for the “flowers that fly” with docent Vicky Johnsen, and learn some fun facts.

Third Saturday Walk-- April 19, 8:30 a.m. — Birds at Nesting Time - Springtime is meet-up and nesting time for most Central Coast birds. Join expert birder Mike Stiles in a quest to see and hear male Elfin Forest birds romancing the ladies with song and flying rituals. Mike will identify many birds for us, and will talk about breeding season plumage, mating behavior, nest building practices, and the ways different birds raise their young. This will be a good walk for all levels of birding ability. Note the 8:30 starting time.

Walks begin on the boardwalk at the end of the 15th Street sand path. Park at the north end of 15th Street (16th Street for wheelchairs) off Santa Ysabel in Los Osos. Please park carefully, avoiding driveways and mailboxes. 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 Santa Ysabel in Los Osos, avoiding driveways and mailboxes.

Coming Up in the Elfin Forest

Suffrutescent Wallflower

Variable Checkerspot Butterfly Caterpillar of Variable Checkerspot Butterfly on Sticky Monkeyflower

Despite the very limited rains this year, there will be some spring flowers from our marvelously drought-tolerant vegetation. California poppies are blooming in orange patches here and there. Ceanothus shrubs (buck brush or California lilac) have been showing some of their white to lavender blossoms all around the boardwalk throughout this dry winter, just not nearly as abundantly as we usually see from December into spring. They are showing large numbers of flower buds swelling after the early March rain, so they should continue decorating the boardwalk area through April. There are some fuchsia-flowered gooseberries sporting red flower tubes, but much fewer and noticeably smaller tubes than usual.

Sticky monkey-flower plants are leafing out, so hopefully the rain came in time to support their orange flowers. Other spring plants that should respond to the late rain with a light to moderate show of blossoms include coastal dudleya and suffrutescent wallflowers (both yellow), California hedge nettle and cobwebby thistle (both pink) and the tall blue flower spikes of silver bush lupine.

April and May are the two best months to look for “flying flowers” in the Elfin Forest. One of the most numerous is the Variable Checkerspot Butterfly whose bristly black caterpillars with orange dots can usually be spotted grazing on the leaves of their host plant, the sticky monkey-flower. Other butterflies to look for are Gabb’s Checkerspot, the green Coastal Bramble Hairstreak, Silvery Blues, black and yellow Anise Swallowtails, black and cream Pale Swallowtails, and Moro Blues (near the host for their larvae, the silver bush lupine).

While admiring butterflies from the boardwalk and sand trails, your eyes will no doubt also be attracted by the flight of avian residents. Most of our year-round birds are actively nesting or raising young. Especially likely to be seen and heard are the bright blue Western Scrub Jays, orange and black Spotted Towhees, chattering flocks of tiny fuzzy gray Bushtits and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and the large brown California Thrasher with its down-curved beak. Among likely avian arrivals in April from winter homes farther south are Warbling Vireos, Hooded Orioles, Black-headed Grosbeaks, and both Townsend's and Wilson's Warblers.

The Elfin Forest remains a rewarding walk on the wild side even in this challenging drought year.

Silver Bush Lupine with Morro Rock