Beautiful red dragonfly
Although several people suggested that they had been unable to attend the Saturday clean-ups, few new people came this Sunday either. Unless I get a stronger commitment for Sundays, I will stick with the second Saturday of the month for future park clean-ups.
If you haven't stopped by, do so, the park is looking better all the time. Now that the weeds are less of a problem, we will focus more attention on planting to improve the vegetation in the park. Depending on weather, I am hoping to plant in November or December. I will let everyone know when that will be. We will have over a hundred plants, so I hope we can get some help.
Sunday was a beautiful cool day at the park. We found little castor bean or other weeds. The big one now is the Russian thistle, aka tumbleweed, (Salsola tragus). As I mentioned in the September report, we will concentrate on removing young plants since the older ones have already seeded. This plant needs to be bagged to make sure we remove the seeds. It likes disturbed soil, so in time, as the park stabilizes, it should become less of a problem.
Deerweed (Lotus scoparius)
I know the above picture isn't exciting to many of you, but this plant is a native found in sites with disturbance, like washes. We planted a few last year but I haven't seen any of these return. It is likely this is a progeny from the ones we planted. I get excited when I see these kinds of plants because they indicate that the area is recovering from its weedy, disturbed condition.
Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)
Similarly, these seedling buckwheats (Eriogonum fasciculatum) show that locally native plants can return and thrive in the area.
Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia)
And of course, the coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) in the center of the park is a joy to look at. The trash bag beneath it is filled with Russian thistle.
Poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobia)
And what can beat poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobia) for autumn color?
Every time I come to the park I see people jogging, walking dogs, riding horses and just strolling through the park. It is your park - enjoy it.
