Walks in the wildflowers

As a resident of Emerald Hills for nearly 30 years, Kathy Korbholz has come to know the park’s ever-changing landscape well through frequent hikes and plenty of hours volunteering for the nonprofit focused on preserving Edgewood Park’s natural resources.

Korbholz will be among the docents leading the free weekend walks through the park and sharing the knowledge she’s developed of the diverse set of plant and animal species found in the park bordered by Edgewood Road to the east and Interstate 280 on the west. Though she acknowledged the park is not likely to showcase the types of “superblooms” and sweeps of flowers that have made headlines in other parts of the state, she noted Edgewood Park offers a breathtaking biodiversity not found in many other parks of its size.

“The amazing part about Edgewood is that there are over 550 species in less than a square mile,” she said. “We have what we call the red, white and blue of spring.”

Whether it’s pointing out the long stalks and deep magenta hues of the shooting star plant or drawing visitors’ eyes to the fuzzy leaves and tiny white flowers of the California plantain plant, the docents leading the walks are focused on bringing the landscape into greater focus for park visitors, noted Korbholz. Once visitors know what to look for, many are able to see the many flecks of color the green hills offer for those who are willing to look for them, she said.

“Once you see something, your mind then can say, ‘oh, there’s another one, oh, there’s another one,’” she said. “I think that’s one of the things docents are able to do is to point out the things that you might walk right by.”

Korbholz also noted the abundance of species like the California plantain and owl’s-clover are critical to the survival of the Bay checkerspot butterfly, which was nearly extirpated but has been brought back to the park in part through the efforts of volunteers who have monitored the population. Because the butterfly’s larvae are sensitive to the cold, wind, overcast skies and the availability of plants to eat, full-size butterflies must lay hundreds of eggs in the up to two weeks they take wing to ensure some larvae make it through the summer months, she said.

Including grasslands, chaparral, coastal scrub and foothill woodlands, the park also offers a wide range of habitats for animal life ranging from the dusky-footed woodrat and more than 70 species of birds. Korbholz said many docents visit the park often enough to know where certain animals have built their nests or when different plants start blooming.

Though Korbholz said she’s found the second and third weeks of April are typically the time when wildflower blooms peak in the park, she wasn’t sure if the timing could be delayed due to the rain and colder temperatures logged this spring. But she also acknowledged the timing of the blooms can change daily with the major temperature fluctuations that accompany spring.

An avid hiker, Korbholz said an interest in the park’s trails initially drew her and her husband to the park when they first moved to the area in 1991. She said a chance encounter with volunteers maintaining a trail was their introduction to volunteering at the park, a portion of which was slated to be developed into an 18-hole golf course in the 1980s.

She said a successful effort to protect the park as a natural preserve in part inspired the formation of the Friends of Edgewood Park, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary and now includes 250 families who volunteer to offer walks and events, compile plant information and coordinate efforts to protect the park’s natural habitats, among other activities.

For many volunteers, ensuring native species are able to flourish in the park has become a focus, said Korbholz, who said non-native grasses and other species that have taken hold in the park can threaten the wide array of wildflowers visible in the spring. Featuring 160 acres of serpentine soil, which is low in nitrogen and high in magnesium and metals, the 467-acre park offers a rare look at the plants that have thrived in the area for thousands of years, she said.

“You can’t have this anywhere but here,” she said. “It’s really amazing here, which is why we’ve sought so much to protect it.”

From March 16 to June 2, docents will lead free Spring Wildflower Walks every Saturday and Sunday morning at Edgewood Park. Visit friendsofedgewood.org/springtime-wildflower-walks to learn more.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106