FUTURE FIELD TRIPS: Mark your calendars!

Friday April 23, TBA
Weekday UCSC Campus field trips series w/ Jenn Yost
Tentatively set for Monday March 29, and Fridays: April 9th, April 23rd, May 7th.

Times to be announced by email as the time approaches. Join trip leader Jenn Yost on a series of campus hikes where we will explore the common plants of the UCSC campus. Easy hikes will depart from various locations around campus and will not last longer than 2 hours. We will also use the walks to voucher campus species that haven't been accessioned into the herbarium yet. If interested please RSVP to Jenn Yost at jennyost@gmail.com and we will send you more specific information.

Saturday April 24, 10am-3pm
Quail Hollow Ranch w/Deanna Giuliano

Have you ever seen the pygmy redwoods that grow at the top of Quail Hollow? Join Deanna Giuliano on a hike in Quail Hollow Ranch. We will see a variety of habitats, marshy meadows, woodland, chaparral and our own unique sand hills. Some species we could see are Lupinus latifolius, Rhododendron occidentale, Muilla maritima, and Fritillaria affinis to name a few. We will also enjoy spectacular views. About 5-6 miles round trip depending on the trails we take. Trip will be from10-3, bring water, layers, sunscreen, hat and a lunch. Meet at Quail Hollow Ranch county park main parking lot. Carpooling is encouraged, but not CNPS sponsored. Contact Deanna Giuliano for any questions atdrosegiuliano@yahoo.com or call 831 278-2699.

May 1, 9am - 12pm
Ano Nuevo State Reserve w/ Tim Hyland

This walk passes through an open portion of Ano Nuevo State Reserve. It is a flat 3 mile walk through a variety of coastal plant communities. Depending on the enthusiasm of the group we will see coastal scrub, coastal terrace prairie, willow thickets, dune mat, and bluff scrub vegetation. Although we aren't likely to see anything rare, the views of the coastline are world class, and we may be able to get up to see the largest European Dune Grass removal project on the central coast. Who knows, we might even get to see what most people go to Ano Nuevo for; elephant seals.

Meet at the parking lot just north of Whitehouse Creek: Take Highway 1 north to Ano Nuevo go just under a mile past the main entrance and about 100 yards past whitehouse canyon rd. the parking lot is on your left and is a little hard to see. If you get to the Gazos Creek parking lot you have gone about a mile too far. Tim Hyland Cell 359-3722 Tim.hyland@sbcglobal.net People wanting to carpool may meet in front of New Leaf Westside, 1101 Fair Ave at Ingalls St at 8:30am. Carpools are no-host, and not CNPS sponsored/insured.

Sunday May 2, 8:45am-3pm
Upper Garzas Creek Hike/BBQ Potluck, Carmel Valley w/Al Washburn

Join local resident and trip leader Al Washburn (awashburn8@comcast.net) or 373- 4873) and his sidekick botanist Bruce Delgado on a visit to Al's private cabin in the woods along Upper Garzas Creek at 2000' elevation. Your choice of gentle walks along the creek or more strenuous hike up steep surrounding hills. There will be quite beautiful waterfalls and riparian habitat, a good variety of lush ferns, tiger lilies, and perhaps peak of season wildflowers. Assemble behind Brinton's Hardware store in Carmel to carpool where we'll be leaving 8:45am sharp and will return at 3pm or later as arranged. Or meet at 9am sharp at the entrance to Rancho San Carlos Road off Carmel Valley Road. 4WD vehicles needed for access across several creek crossings. Parking limited so carpooling a must. CNPS members and guests only. Bring potluck lunch items to share around a cooking fire to eat near the tumbling creek.

Wed May 5, 7pm-9pm
An Evening with the Grasses with Sally Casey

Come to De Anza College for a two hour class taught by Sally Casey, specializing in identification of members of Poaceae, the grass family. Bring your own flowering grasses that you wish to identify.

The class will be from 7-9pm. Space is limited; call Sally Casey (408) 377-0989 (best after dark) for further information or to sign up. The class includes a grass walk on Saturday, May 8. (See below for a public grass walk to be held June 5.)

Directions: The class will be in the Kirsch Center for Environmental Studies, in room 120 on the first floor (KC120). Hint: it's the most westerly room in the building.

The Kirsch Center, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd. in Cupertino, is located near the corner of McClellan and Stelling within the DeAnza College Campus. From Hwy 85 south, exit at Stevens Creek Blvd. and turn left (west) onto Stevens Creek. In 1/2 mile turn right onto Stelling, in 1/2 mile turn right on McClellan, then take your next right (north) onto the campus and the Kirsch Center will be in view straight ahead and a bit to the right, with the parking lot ahead and to your left. Take the next left onto the De Anza College Pkwy. and the next right into the parking lot. Day parking costs $2 and you can purchase your permit from the machine in the lot.

Friday May 7 TBA
Weekday UCSC Campus field trips series w/ Jenn Yost
Tentatively set for Monday March 29, and Fridays: April 9th, April 23rd, May 7th.

Times to be announced by email as the time approaches. Join trip leader Jenn Yost on a series of campus hikes where we will explore the common plants of the UCSC campus. Easy hikes will depart from various locations around campus and will not last longer than 2 hours. We will also use the walks to voucher campus species that haven't been accessioned into the herbarium yet. If interested please RSVP to Jenn Yost at jennyost@gmail.com and we will send you more specific information.

Saturday May 8, 11am-1pm
Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve w/ Val Haley

The Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve will be having three walks this spring on May 8, May 22, and June 5th. All of the walks are on Saturdays and will start at 11:00 am and last about 2.5 to 3 hours. It will be a moderate hike about 2.5 miles, so wear hiking shoes, sun protection, and bring food and water.

Come see plant succession in action, two years after the Martin Fire. There is abundant regrowth and a diversity of fire followers. Last spring was amazing. The walks will highlight unique Santa Cruz Sandhills geology, rare plants, plant communities, and fire ecology. The first two walks will be led by botanist and sandhills specialist, Val Haley. The last walk on June 5 might be co-led by Val and manzanita specialist, Mike Vasey, who has been doing maritime chaparral research at the Reserve.

We will meet at the Reserve Parking lot next to the old firehouse on Martin Road. The main cross streets are Ice Cream Grade to the north and Bonny Doon Rd to the south. Please RSVP to Val by phone or email if you would like to attend (425-0687 or vegnet@cruzio.com).

The walks are limited to 15 people per walk, so reserve your spot, and pick a date

Saturday, May 15, 3pm-5pm
Flowers and Pollinators of DeLaveaga Park w/ Justen Whittall

The focus of this field trip will be on flower colors in the forest (Whittall's specialty) and the primary pollinators in these communities. The hike will highlight understory plants of the Redwood Forest & Mixed Evergreen Forest. The out and back walk to the "Top of the World" is approximately 3 miles total distance with less than 200 feet elevation gain (Easy-Moderate hiking). Bring water and a snack. You might sneak a peek at his website, to whet your appetite for knowledge on the evolution of flower colors! http://www.jbwhittall.com/

Meet at the DeLaveaga Park Main Entrance. Branciforte Dr. approximately 1 mile north of intersection with Goss Ave., Isbel Dr. & Market St. Meet in the parking lot next to the children's playground, near park entrance. Carpools (always) recommended.

No reservations necessary; open to the public.

Justen Whittall (Department of Biology, Santa Clara Univ.), jwhittall@scu.edu, (831) 332-3389 (cell)

Saturday May 22, 11am-1pm
Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve w/ Val Haley

Come see plant succession in action, two years after the Martin Fire. There is abundant regrowth and a diversity of fire followers. Last spring was amazing. The walks will highlight unique Santa Cruz Sandhills geology, rare plants, plant communities, and fire ecology. This walk will be led by botanist and sandhills specialist, Val Haley. Walk will start at 11:00 am and last about 2.5 to 3 hours. It will be a moderate hike about 2.5 miles, so wear hiking shoes, sun protection, and bring food and water.

We will meet at the Reserve Parking lot next to the old firehouse on Martin Road. The main cross streets are Ice Cream Grade to the north and Bonny Doon Rd to the south. Please RSVP to Val by phone or email if you would like to attend (425-0687 or vegnet@cruzio.com).

The walks are limited to 15 people per walk, so reserve your spot, and pick a date

Sat May 22 10 am
Fountain Thistle -- San Francisco Peninsula Watershed

Join Don Thomas and Ken Himes to see the rare, federally endangered fountain thistle (Cirsium fontinale var. fontinale) in the Crystal Springs Watershed, normally closed to the public. This plant is endemic to the San Francisco Peninsula, and most of the populations occur in the Crystal Springs Watershed.

First we will visit a small, easily accessible fountain thistle population on Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir, and this will include a short work session to remove teasel that is invading its serpentine seep habitat. (Tools will be provided.)

We will then visit a newly re-discovered large population of fountain thistles, comprising approximately 19,000 plants. Unlike most of the other populations, this one occurs in serpentine grassland dominated by hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa).

We will walk about one mile in total. The activities will end in the early afternoon. The trip is limited to 20 participants. To reserve a spot, contact Don Thomas at don_e_thomas@yahoo.com or (408) 828-4044; or contact Ken Himes at (650) 591-8560

Sat-Sun May 22-23
The Cedars (Sonoma County)

Join Kevin Bryant, Matt Teel, and Roger Raiche for an exploration of Roger's amazing property, The Cedars. The Cedars, so named by early explorers for its extensive stands of Sargent Cypress, is a roughly 10 square mile area of Sonoma County consisting entirely of serpentine and its parent rock peridotite. Many rare plants, including several disjunct or endemic species, await us for a rare opportunity to visit this remote, privately owned and botanically unique piece of California.

This overnight camping trip is limited to 20 participants. Details and directions will be given to confirmed participants; expect a 3 hour drive from the SF peninsula, leaving early on Saturday and returning late Sunday. High clearance 4wd vehicles are needed to access the property; participants with unsuitable cars may leave their vehicles safely at a neighboring ranch and carpool in. If you have a high clearance 4wd and plan to attend the trip, please let Matt know when reserving a space. Springs and pools are abundant; bring a swimsuit if you like. Participants should be prepared for steep, rugged terrain and mainly single-track trails.

We are offering priority to Santa Clara Valley Chapter members for this trip. Contact Matt at mat_teel@ yahoo.com or (650) 851-4691, to sign up. If you are not a Santa Clara Valley member and are interested in attending, please email Matt to get on the waiting list. If there is still room 10 days prior to the trip, we will accommodate whomever we can.

Sun May 23 10am
Pescadero Marsh and Dunes

Join Toni Corelli and State Park volunteers Avis Boutell and Nancy Frost for a walk on the North Pond Trail at Pescadero Marsh. This is a great place to see coastal scrub, native prairie and wildflowers, along with saltwater marsh wetlands and the birds associated with it.

This will be an easy one-way walk of about 1 mile and we will return along the same trail. After lunch we will go to the Pescadero dunes to see different plants and how they manage to live in this extreme habitat. We'll meet at the North Parking lot of Pescadero Marsh at 10am.

Directions: From Hwy. 1 park at the north parking lot at Pescadero Marsh. A parking fee is required and there are restrooms at the parking lot. Bring lunch and wear layers. The tour will go until 3pm.

For more information contact Toni at (650) 464-1289 or corelli@coastside.net. Or see the map at www.parks.ca.gov/lat_long_map/default.asp?lvl_id.

Mon-Fri May 24-28
High Desert Trip - South-eastern Sierra

This trip captures the season just ending in the upper Mojave while just beginning on Sierra slopes. (And it should be good if the abundant flowers in Short Canyon were an indication March 30.)

We will be walking the upper canyons toward the south and bajadas opposite Lone Pine. Haiwee Reservoir marks the uppermost Mojave Desert province. Calochortus kennedyi will be present. Later in the trip, the bajadas east of Mt. Whitney offer a unique Ceanothus cuneatus / C. leucodermis brush community and also late-season desert flowers.

Camping will be primitive sites or motel lodging at your choice (with motels at Lone Pine or Ridgecrest). Dates are event days: we'll hike Monday afternoon and the last overnight stay will be Friday night.

Reservations are required. For more information or to reserve your spot contact one of the trip leaders: Joe Cernac at (408) 292-5465 or joecernac@sbcglobal.net; and Stella Yang at (408) 255-6233 or yscottie@pacbell.net.

Saturday June 5, 11am-1pm
Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve w/ Val Haley and Mike Vasey

Come see plant succession in action, two years after the Martin Fire. There is abundant regrowth and a diversity of fire followers. Last spring was amazing. The walk will highlight unique Santa Cruz Sandhills geology, rare plants, plant communities, and fire ecology. Botanist and sandhills specialist, Val Haley will be joined by manzanita specialist, Mike Vasey, who has been doing maritime chaparral research at the Reserve. Walk will start at 11:00 am and last about 2.5 to 3 hours. It will be a moderate hike about 2.5 miles, so wear hiking shoes, sun protection, and bring food and water. We will meet at the Reserve Parking lot next to the old firehouse on Martin Road. The main cross streets are Ice Cream Grade to the north and Bonny Doon Rd to the south. Please RSVP to Val by phone or email if you would like to attend (425-0687 or vegnet@cruzio.com).
Limited to 15 people, so reserve your spot!

Sat Jun 5 10am
Grass Walk at Los Trancos

Join Sally Casey to explore the native grasses at Los Trancos Open Space Preserve in Los Altos. See many species of grasses in sunny and shady conditions. Bring a hand lens if you have one available, a sack lunch and water.

The hike distance will be about 2 miles with minimal elevation gain. The walk, with a lunch break, should be completed by 2:00pm.

The trip is limited to 18 participants. Reservations are required. To reserve a spot, contact Sally Casey at (408) 377-0989 (best after dark) or email Carolyn Dorsch at cdorsch1@aol.com.

June 11th and 12th
11th Annual Early Summer Wildflower Show
Garland Park, Carmel Valley

Wildflowers, Hikes, Lectures, and more. More information to be announced: Contact Debbie Wyatt (wyatt@mprpd.org or (831) 659-6065).

Saturday June 12, 10:00am - eve
Swanton with Roy Buck and Jim West

Swanton! The very name evokes images of mysterious bounty to local botanists. A hotspot of ongoing evolution, Swanton, AKA the Scotts Creek watershed, hosts an unexplained hyperdiversity of plants - over 600 taxa! Fortunately we'll have two of the best botanists around to help sort out the abundance; Roy Buck and Jim West. For an overview of the watershed, see http://swanton.ucscarboretum.org/index.html. Here is a plant list for Swanton Pacific Ranch http://www.spranch.org/floramain.lasso?Available=Y Leisurely but long hike ends when people stop asking, "What's that?" Bring life support. Limited to 40 people; you must sign up in advance: roybuck@msn.com or (831) 588-1776. People wanting to carpool may meet in front of New Leaf Westside, 1101 Fair Ave at Ingalls St at 9:00am. Carpools are no-host, and not CNPS sponsored/insured.

Sun Jun 20 10am
Feelin' Fruity

Fruits… we take 'em for granted… peach, pear, or plum, we know 'em well… but what are fruits and where (botanically) do they come from?! And what of plants like asters, orchids, or irises… where do they fit on the fruit spectrum? Finding the answers can be surprisingly fun and… well… fruitful!

Join Drew Shell for this frolic through the fruit world at Belmont's Water Dog Lake Open Space. We'll likely see plenty still in bloom, but our main focus will be understanding nature's fruitful bounty. To paraphrase an old tune, we'll be slowin' down, not moving too fast, tryin' to make the morning last, kicking down a trail of stones, looking for fun and feelin' fruity!

This special, educational hike is limited to 15 people. CNPS members (with immediate family or one guest) have priority up 'til one week before hike. Approximate distance will be 3 miles and and the trip is expected to last 3-4 hours. To sign up or get more info, contact Drew Shell at shell@corp.webtv.net; or Carolyn Dorsch at (650) 804-6162.

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