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Docent and naturalist Scott Peden leads a leisurely hike to see the winter blooming plants of Rancho del Oso. He says the first .75 miles of the hike—which starts at the gate by Highway 1—"always has lots of flowers in bloom you wouldn't expect to see elsewhere."
On his list of flowering things you'll probably see: coffeeberry, lizard tail, western morning glory, coast buckwheat, radish, mustard, variegated bee plant, hairy honeysuckle and sticky monkey flower. "And several species of ferns are putting up their new shoots with interesting reproductive bits to look at magnfied," he says. "It'll only get better."
Peden also points out that this is the season to see bright red toyon berries (toyon, also called "hollyberry," gave Hollywood its name); orange madrone berries; and many kinds of lichen, including lace lichen.
3600 Highway 1 (17 miles north of Santa Cruz). Meet at the Rancho del Oso gate across from Waddell Beach. 10am. Free.
Toyon photo by Docent Joyce / Creative Commons
