Friends of Tecolote Canyon

This 3 foot beauty, a CA Gopher snake, was seen in one of the new restoration areas in TC. All snakes are the GOOD guys that reduce populations of rodents (rats, gophers, ground squirrels, and mice) in our neighborhood and canyon.

FYI When aroused, Gopher snakes will hiss loudly, sometimes flatten their body and vibrate their tail. This behaviour along with its markings causes them to be mistaken for rattlesnakes and killed. Please allow snakes a chance retreat into their habitat OR call TNC and speak to a Ranger.

Tecolote Nature Center will be closed on Thursday, March 31 in honor of Cesar Chavez Day.

Join SD Canyonlands and City of SD Rangers for the next April habitat restoration in Tecolote Canyon. What's the date/time? Register on https://www.sdcanyonlands.org Click on "Take Action", scroll down to "Give Back" then click on calendar event 9a to register. Thank you

Escape! (Environmental Stewards Canyon Program) connects enthusiastic naturalists and excited students once again into the nearby nature of Tecolote Canyon!

This beauty, a Western Alligator lizard, has been hanging out recently by TC Nature Center. Named for their flattened body, the heavy, earth toned scales camouflage it well in leaf litter. It feeds on insects and black widow spiders. In turn this reptile is food for larger reptiles, mammals and birds.

Many thanks to Marla,TNC director, for emailing this awesome photo!

Yes, PLEASE leash your furry friends on the trails for the next six months as the weather heats up! Protect them from rattlesnakes dozing in the leaf litter under shrubs. Be aware and care!

California Super Bloom - 20+ Locations To Explore

Check out the So Cal locations!

California Super Bloom - 20+ Locations To Explore Whether you are celebrating California Poppy Day or a fellow wildflower enthusiast, I've put together a guide of over TWENTY locations throughout California to find wildflowers in full bloom. Get location information, which flowers you can spot, and when they will be blooming. How many wildflower lo...

Incredible! On March 12, THIRTEEN energetic volunteers along with our fabulous Tri Canyon Rangers, continued the ongoing restoration in Tecolote Canyon. It is looking incredible out there. 98 (!!) natives were planted and watered as needed. The blue cones represent the new plantings and provide shields and shade.

Many thanks to Canyonlands whose web site serves for the Volunteer sign up. Thanks also to FOTC for providing snacks to the awesome volunteers.

Tecolote Nature Center NEW hours of operation starting week of March 6!

Volunteer Opportunity in March! Tecolote Canyon restoration event! Must register on https://sdcanyonlands.org
Take action tab/Volunteer/9a For the date/location/info about this opportunity

Chi-ca-go, Chi-ca-go, Chi-ca-go. Did you hear that call while walking on the Battle Trail? I did, and what a thrill!

Shout out to our Tri Canyon Rangers as well as many the volunteers who, in the last five years, have removed non native invasive species and planted hundred of native plants in Tecolote Canyon basin. One of the results is the return of California Quail, Callipepla californica, the state bird of California to our local restored canyon habitat.

Thanks to Cornel Lab of Ornithology for the photo of the male California Quail.

The markings tell the story!

How are you feeling?
A finished version of a doodle from a few weeks ago https://www.birdandmoon.com/comic/hawk-moods/

Blooming soon on a Tecolote trail near you!

Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)

📷: Tamia Dowlatabadi

Newest Mask update if you visit Tecolote Nature Center. Thank you!
Hours for nature center:
Closed: Sun-Mon-Tue-Th
Open: Wed-Fri-Sat 11:00-3:00

Many thanks to the SD Canyonland volunteers who arrived on Saturday Feb.12 to plant 100 natives in the newest restoration site in Tecolote Canyon. FoTC provided snacks and refreshments.

Photo Shout out to Tri Canyon Ranger Erika, Kindra from SD Canyonlands, Council member Jen Campbell, Marla Gilmore TNC director and David Hardster TCCAC/SD Canyonlands for organizing this event.

Zero Waste Bathroom Workshop

Learning more about zero waste? Awesome!

Zero Waste Bathroom Workshop Interested in reducing your waste, but unsure where to start? Join I Love A Clean San Diego on Saturday, February 26th from 10-11 am for our free Zero Waste Bathroom workshop.

Escape (Environmental Stewards Canyon Program) Naturalists met this weekend to discuss the possibilities for guided nature walks for students in spring of 2022.

Escape may be able to coordinate nature walks for students enrolled in with private schools, homeschool groups and charter schools. Please email [email protected] for info.

It's totally true, there is so much to see and experience in nature!

Naturalist hike.
https://www.birdandmoon.com/comic/naturalist-hike/

Sign up for this FREE informational webinar!

Please Register and Share
Don't miss the curbside organics composting webinar this Saturday, January 29 from 10am-11am. Registration is free. Learn about ways to reduce food waste, how to recycle right in the kitchen and how to properly dispose of food waste for curbside organics recycling pickup.
https://love.cleansd.org/event/save-your-scraps/e377607

Good news for all Monarch Butterfly lovers!

GOOD NEWS: The Xerces Society's report is out! Nearly 250,000 monarch butterflies were observed during the Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count at overwintering groves in California and Arizona — a major increase from last year's total of less than 2,000 monarchs. This is also the highest total observed since 2016. Special thanks to all our partners involved in western monarch conservation.

Photo by Joanna Gilkeson/USFWS

Tecolote Trail Spotlight: Gardena Loop Trail!
Access the trail entrance at the end of Gardena St and look for the kiosk! Street parking only, no facilities available.

Recent trail maintenance and restoration was provided by volunteers from SDMBA (SD Mountain Biking Assoc) in partnership with City of SD. This steep trail climbs up through the Coastal Sage environment climaxing at the top to an incredible view of Tecolote basin. Follow the trail past the September Street stairway entrance then head back down to meander along Tecolote Creek. Watch for the Poison Oak!

After winter rains, California native wildflowers abound along this trail beginning in March.

On the scene with Ben and Michael of SDMBA (SD Mountain Biking Assoc) working on the Gardena Loop Trail in TC. The recent work was completed in partnership with the City of San Diego. The focus of their efforts is long term sustainability, so everyone can enjoy the trail year round.Thank you Ben and Mike for generously giving your time and trail building skills to benefit Tecolote Canyon.👍

Take a walk in our local canyons to revive your head and heart!

Environmental Stewards Canyon Program is the name of the outreach to school children sponsored by the non profit Friends of Tecolote Canyon. We are hoping for a healthy New Year so we can get kids back into our wonderful open space!

Outdoor Learning enhances educational outcomes!

Coast Live Oak - California Native Garden - Ep.11

Our native oaks provide food, shelter, shade and other benefits to the animals that live in our local open space.

Coast Live Oak - California Native Garden - Ep.11 Oaks are foundation plants for our regional ecosystems.Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia© 2015 by Landscape Integrity Films and Education

Sorry for the screen shot, face coverings are required when visiting Teolote Nature Center!

The brilliant red berries are on display now in the canyons. A terrific native for any garden.

#BloomCalifornia with evergreen Toyon! This tree will delight you every season, alternating between berries and blossoms, and is dynamic enough to use as a privacy hedge, container plant, or specimen shrub. Find a nursery that sells Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) near you at https://bit.ly/bloom-f.

Why We Love #Toyon:
Foundational evergreen
Summer flowers
Stellar winter berries

Know Before You Grow:
Height: 6-30 feet
Width: 10-15 feet
Sun Exposure: Part shade to full sun
Water Requirements: Low
Soil: Tolerates a variety of soils
Bloom Period: Summer

Marah (wild cucumber)

We'll need a bit more rain for the giant tuber of the Wild Cucumber, Marah macrocarpus, to begin sending out the thread like vines and tendrils which cling to other native shrubs around it. The Wild Cucumber, definitely a NON edible is a fascinating native in Tecolote Canyon>

Marah (wild cucumber) The fruit of the genus Marah is bizarre! Watch this video all the way to the end to see who uses it as a nursery. Cucurbitaceae play listhttps://www.youtube....

BIRD WALK within Tecolote Canyon starting from Tecolote Nature Center. PLEASE RSVP through MEET UP: "Friends of Tecolote Canyon Natural Park and Nature Center " to receive info about the date in November and the time!

San Diego sunflower blooms throughout Spring, Summer and Fall season with little water.

Not to be confused with the native, CA Sunflower which has larger leaves and flowers, nevertheless the native San Diego Sunflower blooms longer!

San Diego sunflower blooms throughout Spring, Summer and Fall season with little water. San Diego sunflower, Bahiopsis Laciniata, is one of San Diego's heartiest flowering plants, that does best left alone in the sun with a bit of watering once ...

Baccharis pilularis (coyote brush)

Take a walk today and find Bacharis pilularis in Tecolote Canyon!

Baccharis pilularis (coyote brush) Baccharis pilularis (Asteraceae)coyote brushGlossary and Jepson eFlorahttps://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/Links to other Jepson Videoshttps://ucjeps.berkeley....

Home - Richard Louv

YES!

Home - Richard Louv Official website for Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle, and co-founder of the Children & Nature Network

TC Pumpkin Patch!!?? The Pumpkin Gall wasp (Dryocosmus minisculus) lays its egg on Coast Live Oak leaves. The tree responds to the "irritation" by forming the 1 mm pumpkin-shaped galls on the upper surface of the leaf. You'll need a hand lens to find the "pumpkins" of Tecolote Canyon!

Alerting as many nature lovers as possible!

If you see tar balls on San Diego Beaches, please report them. It's crucial that you do not come in contact with any tar balls you may see. They contain hazardous chemicals. That cleanup work is for trained Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Teams and contracted cleanup crews equipped in protective gear.

If you see tar balls, please report them to officials with details on when, and where you saw them, as well as your contact information to [email protected] or call 1-877-823-6926.