Words and photos by PBC Naturalist Greg Finkelstein

The Pacific Beach Coalition recently hosted a special springtime wildflower walk along the bustling trail that connects Linda Mar State Beach and Rockaway Beach. Coastal Guardian donors were invited to experience our ongoing habitat restoration efforts and the thriving results firsthand. Keep reading to find out their unexpected sighting!

A Wonderful Wildflower Walk

What an incredibly pleasant day! It was very special for me to be able to share the hard work that PBC has been doing with such passionate and supportive people. We started off the walk looking at some native dune ecosystems, admiring plants such as coastal strawberry, sagewort, and paintbrush.

As we continued past the willows, we learned about other native plants, including yarrow, bee plant, and lizard tail. We also got to see examples of invasive plants, including wild radish fennel, prickly oxtongue, cape ivy, curly dock, and dandelions, that PBC’s volunteers work hard to remove.

Up the hill, California poppies dotted the landscape, and we compared them to coastal poppies. We also saw scorpion plant (phacelia), Red currant, Douglas Iris, soaproot, hummingbird sage, native sunflowers, and too many more to name.

Happy Habitats for Buzzing Wildlife

We even enjoyed the presence of some animals, including a field crescent butterfly enjoying some yarrow, spittlebugs making their home throughout various plants, and some native coastal bees on the scorpion plant.

Arguably the most incredible and rarest moment of the day: Spotting the reclusive, gentle, and rather odd-looking native coastal snake, the rubber boa.

Our rubber boa friend was hanging out in the very last place we checked. It honestly looked fake to me at first. Though I had heard of the rubber boa, I had never seen one in the wild before. Its stubby tail threw me off, but it was fascinating to look up and hear about how they use it as almost a sacrificial pose when they are burrowing down rodent holes. I also learned that they give birth to live young.

It had no qualms with being picked up and then slowly slinked back into the underbrush after we took our pictures. It was a very memorable experience for me, not only because I got to see a rare animal, but also because it represents the wildlife that is able to return to the area, partially thanks to PBC’s efforts.

Join Us at Our Next Special Event

Coastal Guardian donors are invited to join special events just like this one. Your tax-deductible donation helps us support more volunteers at habitat restoration sites and purchase native plants. Want to feel more connected to the earth and your community? We always welcome new volunteers at monthly habitat restorations.