Laurel Sumac's Developments and More

This afternoon at 1 PM I did the Laurel Loop, starting on Lower Laurel and finishing on Willow down all the way to the parking lot. It was very hot, about 86 degrees F, and I only crossed paths with 3 other hikers, and one biker over the course of about 2 1/2 hours.

If you are planning on hiking during the summer at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, please make sure you bring lots of water, sunscreen, and that you wear the appropriate clothing and a hat!!!

I hadn't been able to check up on the plants since my last post on June 8, 2009. Here are some photos with a few notes to give you the update on what I saw. Enjoy!



At the beginning of Lower Laurel. Note the buckwheat in flower, and the overall dryness of the grasses.

Continuing along Lower Laurel. Please stay on the main trail and do not go off trail towards the caves - those are off limits, even though people have trampled so much on the grasses that it looks like there is an official trail!!!


The weirdest thing? Poison oak (foreground clump of green) in a grassland in 86 degree weather in dry, sunny conditions, on Lower Laurel. I am definitely confused on this one.

Poison oak next to the California False Indigo - now here the Poison Oak makes sense - and has a beautiful red color to it in areas... wow!

The lemondade berries have, in most parts of our park, seen their glorious days come and go. However, many of them still have a bright dark red / orange-red. I would not advise tasting them anymore, most of them are dirty / covered in dust. ( I didn't even try).



The progression of Laurel Sumac in flower/fruit. All three photos taken on Lower Laurel trail.

Hey, cool! Remember the False Indigo in bloom? Check out the fruit/seed now.

Here's another shot of the False Indigo, for the records.


Ghost Rock in the hot sun. Beautiful clouds behind.


This little critter was fun to notice on some California Buckwheat in bloom.


Bedstraw on Lower Laurel!

A final little note: recently, two mountain bikers visiting our park cut off the head and tail of a rattlesnake near Camarillo / South Stagecoach - and even boasted about it to people they met along the trail. Please stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the Park Rangers, County Staff, or the Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteers/Staff. We need everyone's help in keeping our precious park WILD.

Thanks!