Walking on the wilderness side

STEVE KAWARATANI

“Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk

very far.”

--Thomas Jefferson

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.”

--Aristotle

Early May celebrations had left me feeling full and less than

sassy. I imagined where I wanted to be and found myself putting on my

hiking boots. Meanwhile, Catharine grabbed the sunscreen and water

bottles. Soon, we found ourselves walking from Alta Laguna Park

toward the Aliso and Wood Canyon Wilderness Park.

This hike was a pleasant adventure into a treasured wilderness of

4,000 acres and two year-round streams, and an opportunity to visit

plants that live in the wild. We were blessed with a glorious blue

sky and a gentle breeze. Sycamores swayed and songbirds flitted

unfettered through the chaparral.

Moving downward, in the opposite direction of weary mountain

bikers, we encountered the blazing yellowish orange of the sticky

monkey flower, diplacus aurantiacus. This wildflower brightens both

the natural and home landscape during the spring and summer. Nestled

nearby, within a field of grasses, was a gorgeous stand of mariposa,

calochortus splendens. This charming native lily is pale lavender to

lilac and may also be grown in the garden.

Wildflowers are usually seen on the protected eastern and northern

sides of hills, where the soil is a good sandy loam. Most of these

natives grow rapidly. When spring arrives they will shoot up and

bloom profusely for a number of weeks, and as the weather heats up,

disappear with the same rapidity.

Many gardeners try to introduce the brilliant red of the coast

paintbrush, castilleja affinis, into their garden. Invariably they

will fail, as these plants are dependent on the roots of a host for

water.

In some cases, they are beneficial to its host. The paintbrush

seems to help plants, that have been damaged by deer or mountain

bikes, to conserve water. This enables the host plant to get a fresh

start and sprout new leaves.

Continuing eastward, we were drawn to the pink flowers of the wild

rose, rosa californica. Catharine discovered that the flowers are

quite fragrant. Flowering though July, the hips are an important food

source for “residents” of the park.

Blue-eyed grass, sisyrinchium bellum, lined our walkway as we

paused to admire a red-tailed hawk soaring overhead. This plant

blooms with exuberant blue-purple flowers and is a useful ornamental

plant. Adjacent were the pretty deep blue flowers of the wild

hyacinth, dichelostemma pulchellum. A bulb, also known as blue dicks,

it thrives in sunny banks in the garden and blooms for several

months.

Our final ascent found us adjacent to a field of black mustard,

brassica nigra. Although the yellow flowers are breathtaking, it is

considered an alien in this locale and is being eradicated in other

local wilderness parks. All too soon we had returned to civilization.

As we reached our car, we stopped briefly and enjoyed the magnificent

view of the coast and beyond; these sacred public views protected by

our city. See you next time.

* STEVE KAWARATANI is happily married to local writer Catharine

Cooper, and has two cats. He can be reached at (949) 497.2438, or by

e-mail at plantman2@mac.com.