Upcoming Activities in the Park
And the rain keeps coming! However, we cannot count on that continuing into the hot, dry season. In preparation, we will irrigate new plants in the park as needed and pull weeds that have not yet gone to seed. We will also cut back and remove nonnative grasses to keep the park looking nice.
We are planning to add new signage, as well. One sign will describe habitat in the park, explaining the relationships between the plants, animals, fungi, soil, water, and microorganisms. Also, plants will be tagged with ID labels so that visitors can learn the names of these native beauties.
If you are interested in helping out with these new projects, come to the next Volunteer Day on May 20th, or send an email to barbara@weedingwildsuburbia.com.
Bush Sunflowers Go Dormant
As the bush sunflower (Encelia californica) is finishing up its amazing bloom, I’d like to discuss dormancy. The leaves on bush sunflower start to dry up and drop off the plant right about now. The flowers that brightened the park in February and March are withering and going to seed. From May until January the plants look dead, however, they are merely dormant, waiting out the dry heat until temps lower and moisture rises. Nonetheless, they provide materials for critters to build nests and offer shelter to those who crawl and burrow in them.
The following pictures were taken from roughly the same spot. Notice that after the bush sunflower and sagebrush turn brown and gray, the California buckwheat bursts into bloom. This plant will bloom from about June through November, depending on how hot and dry the year has been. There is something in bloom at all times of the year in the park.
Appreciate Our Local Plants
Our local native plants live in a tough world. They must be able to survive many months, sometimes more than half a year, with hot temperatures and little to no rain. They have adapted to this climate in a variety of ways. Annual wildflowers finish their life cycles before the summer months. Their seeds sit dormant in the soil until conditions are right. Then they burst into bloom, make seeds, and wait it out, once again, until the time is right.
Other plants, like cacti and succulents have thick, waxy skins that hold on to the water they take in when it rains. Some have hairy leaves to reflect sunlight and trap moisture from the air. Many, like the bush sunflower, slow down and go to sleep (dormancy) for the hot months.
As you walk through the park try to appreciate our seasons and the remarkable way life here has adapted to it.
May Volunteer Day
This month we will continue to weed and spread mulch. We will also water new plants in the Demonstration Garden and elsewhere in the park.
Where: 100 block of Pasadena Avenue in So Pas, east of York Blvd. Bridge
When: 05/20/23; 9 am – noon
Nature Park volunteers should:
- Wear sunscreen, hat, sunglasses
- Bring plenty of water
- Bring gardening gloves and tools (weeders, trowels, whatever you use in your own garden), there are extra tools and gloves for those who need them
- Wear comfortable work clothes, including work shoes (sneakers or boots) and long pants
- Bring binoculars for birdwatching (optional)
(It is recommended that participants wear face masks. I use one in my own garden to help with allergens and dust.)
Children must be under adult supervision at all times. There is poison oak in the park that we will point out before starting.
The South Pas Nature Park is a four-acre habitat park along the Arroyo Seco. The entrance, marked by a small plaque on an attractive river rock wall, is in the 100 block of Pasadena Avenue in South Pasadena, east of the York Street Bridge. There is plenty of on-street parking on Pasadena Avenue.
Upcoming Cleanups and Events
Volunteer Days are usually held on the third Saturday of the month from 9 am to noon.
- MAY 20, 2023
- JUNE 17, 2023
NO SCHEDULED CLEANUPS IN JULY AND AUGUST
(Dates are tentative, please confirm on Facebook, WeedingWildSuburbia.com, or email.)
Donate
If you would like to help grow our nature park but prefer not to get into the dirt, you can donate through South Pasadena Beautiful. Be sure to include a note specifying that the donation be applied to the Nature Park.