By now, many of the plants native to our local biome have gone dormant as they cope with the hottest, driest time of year. To the uninitiated, these plants may seem lifeless as they drop their leaves and blooms, dwindling to twiggy shadows of their lusher, former selves… but early fall is unique here in California, and their inactivity is intentional and intelligent. We humans can learn from their dormancy, and we can also learn much from the plants who have adapted to stay green and growing year round, despite it all.

Most distinct about the native plants we’ll encounter on this walk is their resilience – their adaptations to our specific environment and climate, which humans continue to shape and change. Now more than ever, it’s time to hear and heed the lessons the natural world generously offers us, to begin to grow quieter in order to listen in the language of plants.

Join me for an extended plant walk (a hike, really) tracing the path of the Arroyo Seco from a heavily developed, human-centric area, into the canyon carved by this still-flowing stream, and even deeper into a realm ruled largely by the relationships between wild beings.

As we walk, I’ll share my knowledge and practice with the dye- and fiber-producing plants growing here, and also about the ethnobotanical relationships (between people and plants) that have and continue to be formed by the original Indigenous stewards of this land.

We’ll start early-ish to beat the heat, and plan to hike to Gould Mesa, a trail camp about 2 miles from our starting point (for a 4-mile roundtrip trek). Bring plenty of water, sun protection, and snacks if you’d like – we’ll stop stream-side for a 15 minute “lunch” break at around the halfway point. This hike is shady, almost entirely flat, and next to a beautiful flowing stream we can dip our feet in to keep cool! We’ll walk slowly and stop often to talk about the plants we encounter.

Hope to see you at the Arroyo – Sunday, September 25, 9am-12pm.