The young coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia) are still struggling with lower rainfall, but in their protection a variety of plants and animals thrive.
HD
One of the plants sending up shoots and flowering is the manroot or wild cucumber. This tender vine will produce baseball-sized fruit covered in spikes. (see the dried fruit in fall - A Walk on Mulholland Hwy) With just a little rain new plants sprout, just off the beaten trail in under the young oaks. I followed this path trying to get a photo of a male Nuttall's woodpecker and I found a quiet and unexpected Earth Minute.
Looking for easy hiking terrain and great views of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley?
Mulholland Drive / Hwy is a famous road in Los Angeles. It winds its way from the Hollywood Hills overlooking downtown, along the ridge of the Santa Monica Mountains and eventually to the sea near Leo Carrillo Beach. But a section has never been paved and is maintained as a fire-fighting access road. The wide dirt road is closed to vehicles and makes for easy walking with fantastic views.
HD
Walk the southern end of Mulholland's unpaved section with us in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
Take in the colors of the chaparral hillsides. Keep your eyes open for wildlife, especially birds. And be amazed by the spring wildflowers even in a drought year.
Golden stars (Boomeria crocea) are a native California chaparral wildflower, most closely related to lilies. The small amount of rain we had this spring was enough to encourage these ephemeral blooms to send up a flower stalk.
Other chaparral wildflowers: coyote mint, buckwheat, bush monkey flower, and more. The manroot or wild cucumber (Marah fabaceus) is one of California's few native vines. It produces lemon-sized prickly seed pods that dry and burst open to spread the seed. The entire vine dies back, but the root lives on underground. Sometimes reaching the size of a person. It's a perfect adaptation for survival in a land of summer drought.
The dirt road is open to people, dogs, and horses.
Rattlesnakes can be present. For the safety of dogs and wildlife, PLEASE
keep dogs on a leash.
