Natural Area Observations

For this field trip I went to the Nipomo Native Garden in Nipomo, CA, which is the southernmost town in SLO county. There are two parts to the Native Garden. On one side of the street there is a more established user friendly path through coastal scrub and oak woodlands. There are educational signage, play areas, and plant Identification cards. I am not positive if all the plants there are naturally growing there or if some were planted.
I explored the other side of the street which is more of a sandy trail system leading through the oaks and scrub. There was a gradual incline and the woodland got denser the farther I walked along the trail. Some parts were completely shaded. I noticed that the plants growing under the shade were usually smaller and sometimes more unique. I found a small patch of goldback fern growing on the edge of a giant clump of poison oak.
Another cool plant I saw was the coastal bush lupine. I remember observing the same species a few weeks ago but the flowers were a blueish purple. This time they were a light yellow. I'm kinda confused how the same species can appear in different colors.
Although most of the trees were oaks, I did observe a blue elder bush/tree. It was cool to see the buds right before the flowers opened up. My family makes an immune boosting syrup from elderberries every year, so it was cool to find another tree to look out for once the fruit is ripe.

Overall, I was surprised at how many plants can thrive in such sandy soil. It was hard to walk the sand was so loose.

Posted on May 11, 2020 09:21 PM by chadschuler23