Upcoming Clean-up, Saturday, March 14, 2009, 9 am - noon

Meet at the park info sign on Pasadena Ave and then head down into the park. The group will pull weeds, pick up litter, and enjoy the park. Come for the whole time, for an hour, or just stop by to say hello.

Nature Park entrance on Pasadena Ave., east of the York St. Bridge

Remember to:
- wear sunscreen, hat, sunglasses
- bring water
- bring gardening gloves and tools (weeders, trowels, whatever you use in your own garden)
- comfortable work clothes, including work shoes (sneakers or boots)
- binoculars for bird watching (optional)

Children must be under adult supervision at all times. There is poison oak in the park, which we will point out before we start.

Please pass this info along to anyone else you think might be interested in the park. If you know of anyone who doesn't use the internet, let me know so we can be sure they are kept in the loop.

For more information email me at: barbara.eisenstein@gmail.com.

Video on Invasive Plants (Garlic Mustard)

Garlic Mustard Identification and Control from Barbara Lucas on Vimeo.

Although we do not seem to have garlic mustard here in So. Cal., we have many similar invasive weed problems. This video demonstrates what invasives can do, how, why and what we can do to combat them. Our efforts in the Nature Park to control castor bean and milk thistle are good examples. Next we may try to get a handle on the non-native mustards that paint the park yellow in spring.

Park Clean-up (Feb. 14, 2009)

Oregon grape (Berberis sp.)

The Nature Park was very pleasant on Saturday. Sugar bush, mulefat, wild cucumber, golden currant, and barberry were a few of the native plants in bloom. We saw two lupines and many California poppies getting ready for the spring wildflower display. The black sages by the entrance, along with buckwheat and bush sunflower, are doing well, and getting ready to bloom also.


milk thistle (if you see this, kill it!)

The weeds are abundant. Last year we focused on eliminating castor bean (Ricinus communis), and it is still nearly non-existent. Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is mostly gone as well. The weed we are now focusing on eradicating is milk thistle (Silybum marianum) - shown above. If you see it, pull it out or just kick it over with your foot. We want to get rid of these seedlings before they flower and spread a great abundance of seeds in the spring. The plant grows to six feet tall. A couple of years ago a boyscout troop worked hard removing it. We now have to keep after the offspring!

Enjoy the rest of the pictures and do take some time from your busy schedules to walk around the park yourselves.


oak tree


miner's lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata)


mushrooms

Park Clean-up (January 10, 2009)

Had a large turn out at the Nature Park on this beautiful January morning. As planned we focused on removing milk thistle seedlings. Most of them are in the central part of the park. We worked north of the central info kiosk.






milk thistle seedlings

We also removed an old, apparently abandoned encampment on the southeast part of the park near the stairs. The garbage was left at the entry behind the stone wall for Athens to pick up.



The signs in the center of the park and on the east side were both defaced with graffiti. I will contact the graffiti hotline. The city should consider removing the signs since they are scratched and a constant target for graffiti.



We sowed California wildflower seeds in the central part of the park. Many of the poppies sowed last year are returning and it should be a great wildflower display again.

We also planted a monkeyflower that was grown from a cutting of an Arroyo Seco watershed plant.


Boy digs hole while dog looks on


Girl carefully pats down soil

It was a beautiful and fun day. Join us next time.


Jogger runs up and down ramp


Shopping cart and defaced water fountain mar Nature Park entry


Oregon grape getting ready to bloom in Nature Park

Happy Holidays from the Nature Park (next clean up: Saturday, 1/10, 9 AM)

Tinsel on coyote brush (Photo by Lizzie Eisenstein)




Today I went to the Nature Park for the first time since last month and was very surprised to find it lovingly decorated for the holidays. Red, white and silver tinsel adorned the native shrubs and trees.

There was not much litter around and the weeds are still fairly well under control. TruGreen must be keeping after the Ailanthus because it isn't really coming back. I saw a few germinated seeds of milk thistle (Silybum marianum). If any of you go to the park, please look for these and either pull them out or just kick at them with your foot. This noxious, annual weed is easy to remove at this stage but is a real bear later. The picture below the seedling is a stand of milk thistle in the Nature Park in spring 2005. The prickly plants stand about 5 -6 ft. tall. Boyscouts assisted in it removal.




Remember park clean-ups are informally scheduled for the second Saturday of the month and I do expect to be at the Park on January 10th at 9 AM.

As always:

Meet at the park info sign on Pasadena Ave and then head down into the park. The group will pull weeds, pick up litter, and enjoy the park. Come for the whole time, for an hour, or just stop by to say hello.

Remember to:
- wear sunscreen, hat, sunglasses
- bring water- bring gardening gloves and tools (weeders, trowels, whatever you use in your own garden)- comfortable work clothes, including work shoes (sneakers or boots)
- binoculars for bird watching (optional)

Children are welcome but must be under adult supervision at all times. There is poison oak in the park, which we will point out before we start.

Please pass this info along to anyone else you think might be interested in the park. If you know of anyone who doesn't use the internet, let me know so we can be sure they are kept in the loop.

For more information email me at: barbara.eisenstein@gmail.com.

WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PEACEFUL NEW YEAR!

Barbara

November 8, 2008 Park Cleanup

This Saturday I was joined at the park by a dad and his two daughters, and my husband. Together we picked up a little trash - there was very little in evidence, and we sowed some poppy seeds and planted deer weed (Lotus scoparius).

Dad and daughter water new deer weed plants

Big sister draws a picture in her field notebook of the new plants and a watering can

When I arrived at the park I was greeted by a gentleman who was carrying out a trash bag full of garbage. It is evident that many people are taking care of the park when they visit. My husband, who hadn't seen it since September, was very impressed with how much better it is looking. Graffiti is under control and the sycamore circle is fairly clean.

Below is a picture of a toyon in full berry with a flowering coyote brush behind it. Come and enjoy the park. You will be surprised by how pretty and peaceful it is.

Park Cleanup - Saturday Nov. 8, 2008, 9 - 12

Trail in South Pasadena Nature Park

Meet at the park info sign on Pasadena Ave and then head down into the park. The group will pull weeds, pick up litter, and enjoy the park. Come for the whole time, for an hour, or just stop by to say hello.

Remember to:
- wear sunscreen, hat, sunglasses
- bring water- bring gardening gloves and tools (weeders, trowels, whatever you use in your own garden)- comfortable work clothes, including work shoes (sneakers or boots)
- binoculars for bird watching (optional)

Children are welcome but must be under adult supervision at all times. There is poison oak in the park, which we will point out before we start.

Please pass this info along to anyone else you think might be interested in the park. If you know of anyone who doesn't use the internet, let me know so we can be sure they are kept in the loop.

For more information email me at: barbara.eisenstein@gmail.com.