Jean Wheeler
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Elfin Forest Activities
By Jean Wheeler
Saturday, February 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. 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-- February 12, 10:00 a.m. – Valentines in the Elfin Forest
Just two days before Valentine’s Day, SWAP docent Vicky Johnsen will describe the special relationship between a native plant, the fuchsia-flowering gooseberry, and hummingbirds. She’ll also reveal the sex-life of our flowering plants. This walk will be off-color only if the drought has prevented February flowers from blooming.
Third Saturday Walk -- February 15, 9:30 a.m. – Fungus Foray
For our annual Fungus Foray in the Elfin Forest, intrepid leader and fungophile Dennis Sheridan will take us on an exploration of the Elfin Forest floor for fascinating mushrooms such as wood bluetts, black elfin saddles, earthstars, golden caps, boletes, and poisonous amanitas. Bring a magnifying lens and, if you have a mystery mushroom in your yard, bring a sample for Dennis to identify. This is not a mushroom collecting walk. All plants in the Elfin Forest are protected by law. Only a very heavy rain will cancel the walk. If it hasn’t rained, Dennis will give us an equally enjoyable walk about the lichens that grow abundantly in the Forest. 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 Sta. Ysabel in Los Osos, avoiding driveways and mailboxes.
Coming Up in the Elfin Forest
California Towhee |
February normally provides wonderful displays of colorful wildflowers opening against a vibrant green background. In my column for the last issue, written in early December, I said that in January “our larger shrubs are in their spectacular winter bloom season.” Although we’d only had a couple of very light rains when I wrote that, some flowers were already opening and I was assuming we’d get at least a few more rains later in December or during January. As of mid-January, none of those expected rains has been forthcoming. Our total rain since July remains less than half an inch and the weather forecasts for the rest of January are not very promising. The result is that our diverse shrubs adapted to drought years like this are protecting themselves by withholding the profuse blooming we expect to enjoy in winter. As I write in mid-January for the February issue, there is much less vibrant green than usual and far more beige and brown leaves dropping off the branches. We’re concerned that some of the shrubs may die for lack of water, but most will probably survive. Many generations of their ancestors have adapted to droughts lasting more than one year. Ceanothus shrubs (aka Buck Brush or California Lilac) do have a few blossoms open, shown in the photo I took from the boardwalk toward the estuary this January 8. But they would normally be lining the boardwalk with almost a wall of bright white to light lavender blossoms at this time of year. I couldn’t even find flower buds on the Morro Manzanita shrubs, which seemed nearly smothered with pink and white bells a year ago. The California Peonies are not even sending leaves up from their tubers, saving their precious stored water to survive until next winter.
Song Sparrow |
There are a few Fuchsia-flowered Gooseberries with some red tubular flower buds on them, but you’ll really have to look for them, as will the hummingbirds that normally enjoy an abundant supply of their nectar. If you have hummingbird feeders, your clients will really appreciate you this year! Birds that are mainly seed and fruit eaters, like the pictured Song Sparrow (resident all year), are also likely to be increasingly hungry this year as the flowers missing now mean these foods will be in even shorter supply later.
February does provide some of the best birding opportunities in the Elfin Forest year. Our winter water birds are still here at least through February. This includes all ducks and geese, all wading birds, and all grebes known to be seen in the estuary from the Elfin Forest. American Avocets are also here until March.
Winter visitors to our chaparral and pygmy oak groves are nearing the end of their visit and will soon head north or up into high mountains. These include Ruby-crowned Kinglets and American Robins, as well as Fox, Lincoln’s, and Golden-crowned Sparrows.
Of course our year-round birds remain here, such as Lark, Savannah, Song, and White-crowned Sparrows; both California and Spotted Towhees; Anna’s Hummingbirds; California Quail; the California Thrasher; and Western Scrub Jays. The seclusive Wrentit is more often heard than seen.
As you stroll around the boardwalk, see what flowers you can find open despite the drought, enjoy listening to and watching the birds, and resolve to keep your bird feeders copiously filled for them in this drought-stricken time of food shortage.
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