Native Spaces | Angel Island Bike Tour, April 6th 2008

NativeSpaces Director Casey Allen led a free tour of Angel island with the help of NS Director Brett Stephens. The group of about 20 people rode the easy loop around the island's perimeter road surveying native plants and talking about their use in the home garden and the built environment. The day started overcast and chilly with the Ferry boat trip from San Francisco to Angel Island. Great views of the Bay, the Golden Gate and Angel Island.

The group had a bite to eat in the Alaya Cove picnic area before heading up the bike trail to the perimeter road. The dirt fire road/bike trail cuts through a costal forest mix of native Coast Live Oaks - Quercus agrifolia, Toyon - Heteromeles californica, Buckeye - Aesculus californica, Madrone - Arbutus menziesii , and non-native to the island Monterey Pine - Pinus radiata, Monterey Cypress - Cupressus macrocarpa and Eucalyptus. Many shade loving native plants were on the side of the path such as: California Figwort - Scrophularia californica, Mission Bells - Fritillaria affinis var. affinis, Seaside Bitter-Cress - Cardamine angulata, Western Sword Fern - Polystichum minutum, Goldback Fern - Pentagramma triangularis, and vines in the tree, Honeysuckle - Lonicera and Poison Oak - Toxicdendron diversilobum .

After the walk up the trail we gathered on the perimeter road to start the ride. We looked at another vine, Dutchman's Pipe - Aristolochia californica and the native rose - Rosa californica. Miners Lettuce and Bracken Fern - Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens abound along the road growing between the Elderberry - Sambucus, Californica Hazelnut - Corylus cornuta var. californica and other shrubs. We started to the west up the hill to check out the view of Alaya Cove, where the Ferry puts in.

As we get to the view we start to see the forest open up and more sun loving plants show themselves. Many flowers like: California Poppy - Eschscholzia californica, Lupine - Lupinus, Morning Glory - , Seaside Fiddleneck - Amsinckia spectabilis, Star Lily - Zigadenus fremontii, Mugwort - Artemisia and grasses. We pause to look at the Ferry terminal and enjoy the view of Marin. Then we round the bluff to see Mt. Tam and feel the wind from the ocean, the plantscape changes to a costal schrub with costal grasses. Artemisia californica and Coyote Brush are now the dominate plants.

More great views of the city of San Francisco and the bridges. After a great ride some of us took a break at the beach while others toured the fire road and other areas of the island. At 3 PM we met back up and rode to the ferry to return to SF.

NativeSpaces will do another Angel Island bike tour in the fall of 2008. Please sign up for the ride.



Angel Island Bike Tour, April 6th 2008 NativeSpaces Director Casey Allen led a free tour of Angel island with the help of NS Director Brett Stephens. The group of about 20 people rode the easy loop around the island's perimeter road surveying native plants and talking about their use in the home garden and the built environment. The day started overcast and chilly with the Ferry boat trip from San Francisco to Angel Island. Great views of the Bay, the Golden Gate and Angel Island. The group had a bite to eat in the Alaya Cove picnic area before heading up the bike trail to the perimeter road. The dirt fire road/bike trail cuts through a costal forest mix of native Coast Live Oaks - Quercus agrifolia, Toyon - Heteromeles californica, Buckeye - Aesculus californica, Madrone - Arbutus menziesii , and non-native to the island Monterey Pine - Pinus radiata, Monterey Cypress - Cupressus macrocarpa and Eucalyptus. Many shade loving native plants were on the side of the path such as: California Figwort - Scrophularia californica, Mission Bells - Fritillaria affinis var. affinis, Seaside Bitter-Cress - Cardamine angulata, Western Sword Fern - Polystichum minutum, Goldback Fern - Pentagramma triangularis, and vines in the tree, Honeysuckle - Lonicera and Poison Oak - Toxicdendron diversilobum . After the walk up the trail we gathered on the perimeter road to start the ride. We looked at another vine, Dutchman's Pipe - Aristolochia californica and the native rose - Rosa californica. Miners Lettuce and Bracken Fern - Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens abound along the road growing between the Elderberry - Sambucus, Californica Hazelnut - Corylus cornuta var. californica and other shrubs. We started to the west up the hill to check out the view of Alaya Cove, where the Ferry puts in. As we get to the view we start to see the forest open up and more sun loving plants show themselves. Many flowers like: California Poppy - Eschscholzia californica, Lupine - Lupinus, Morning Glory - , Seaside Fiddleneck - Amsinckia spectabilis, Star Lily - Zigadenus fremontii, Mugwort - Artemisia and grasses. We pause to look at the Ferry terminal and enjoy the view of Marin. Then we round the bluff to see Mt. Tam and feel the wind from the ocean, the plantscape changes to a costal schrub with costal grasses. Artemisia californica and Coyote Brush are now the dominate plants. More great views of the city of San Francisco and the bridges. After a great ride some of us took a break at the beach while others toured the fire road and other areas of the island. At 3 PM we met back up and rode to the ferry to return to SF. NativeSpaces will do another Angel Island bike tour in the fall of 2008. Please sign up for the ride. Posted by Casey Allen on April 6, 2008 02:41 PM \| Post a comment (If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.) Name: Email Address: URL: Remember personal info? Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)

Angel Island Bike Tour, April 6th 2008

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