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Greenbelt Alliance In the News

March 20, 2003

A little slice of heaven at Angel Island

Wildflowers are in full bloom

The complex mosaic created by wildflower blooms can seem overwhelming to a beginner. Is that a bright pink wild hollyhock, or just a pink-bordered checker mallow? A California or a western buttercup? Rare or common? Native or not?

"The first step toward getting to know these things is to take a few guided wildflower hikes," says Sylvia Lange, a leading docent of the Angel Island Association. That's one of her areas of expertise. Lange has led "Wildflower Rambles" on the island for nearly 20 years, and instructs other docents in seeing the method in colorful chaos.

But it wasn't always that way.

"I'm not a botanist. I'm an enthusiast," Lange says. "My name, Sylvia, means 'girl of the woods.' That's my main credential to talk about wild plants, their symbolism and their use by native Americans and early settlers."

Lange gradually gathered her lore from college classes, botanical guidebooks, a thesis on the flora of the island, and admired teachers like Wendy Dreskin -- who produced a video on the wildflowers of Marin County.

"I've had an interest in this stuff from the time I was a Girl Scout," said Lange, 70. "Now, I'm really indulging myself."

David Schmidt, a publications editor for the western region of the EPA, gained his fascination with wildflowers during a stroll on Twin Peaks in San Francisco. He saw California Native Plant Society (CNPS) president Jake Sigg and a companion using a long lever called a "weed wrench," to pry an especially aggressive, invasive plant called scotch broom from the ground, as they sought to restore habitat for native blooms.

"I volunteered to help them with that work," Schmidt said. "Jake taught me to differentiate between various plants on a series of outings, and it opened a window on a whole new world."

Beginning in 1991, Schmidt began to assemble knowledge through other outings with CNPS and groups such as San Bruno Mountain Watch, as well as by studying guidebooks on native flora.

"I've lived in the Bay Area much of my life, and even got a nature merit badge from the Boy Scouts by learning how to identify a few shrubs and trees," said Schmidt, 46. "But I hadn't realized before the amazing biodiversity here. There's well over 1,000, maybe even as many as 2,000 plants that only grow in coastal California. I've gotten so I can visualize the whole ecological history of a piece of land just by seeing what grows there."

Now, in his spare time, Schmidt shares that expertise by leading wildflower walks and nature hikes for the Greenbelt Alliance and CoastWalk, including an annual outing on Angel Island during its period of peak blooms. The center of that period can vary somewhat depending on weather; this year the peak is right now.

"Angel Island is an interesting place botanically," Schmidt said. "Originally, there was so much oak forest, before the Gold Rush it was called Wood Island. That was all cut, and it became mostly grassland, where cattle were grazed. You can see some of the grassland remains, but the oak has resprouted, and other areas have returned to native plant cover. You can find a nice array of native wildflowers, if you know where to look."

Both Lange and Schmidt praise the area just north of the summit of the island's central peak, where star lilies, Douglas iris, mission bells and California buttercups grow in profusion.

And as added incentive to huff your way up the North Ridge Trail, toward 788-foot Mount Livermore, this hike provides a chance to examine a newly restored area at the tip of the peak.

Brigadoon-like, this summit is emerging from mists of the past after suffering invisibility for almost half a century. In 1954, this mountaintop was leveled by the military to build a radar site for anti-aircraft Nike missiles. But a park bond act passed in California three years ago included $300,000 to put the tip back on. Crews completed the principal work this winter -- pushing the soil and rock that had been bulldozed off back into place. Now, revegetation with thousands of native plants is proceeding on the renewed, 15 feet of summit dome.

The mountain is named for Caroline Livermore, who successfully fought to save the island from development by having it declared a state park.

California's famed archdruid, John Muir, ignited his initial fervor for the landscapes here when he saw hillsides above Oakland ablaze with "yellow and blue and white in endless variety" in April 1868. Later that spring, he exulted as he waded through a sea of gold and crimson blooms east of Pacheco Pass on his first hike to the fabled Yosemite.

The rainbow gate into enjoyment of nature can also swing wide for you. As Lange says, just reach, grasp the knob, and take that first step.

Wildflower walk information
General -- Guided wildflower walks take place in many federal, state and local parks. Contact local park staff for options. Self-guided nature trails can also help. On guided hikes below, bring lunch, water, and a weather shell garment.

Angel Island -- Silvia Lange's Wildflower Rambles start at 10:30 a.m. on March 23 and 30, and April 6, 13, 20 and 27 (take first Tiburon-Angel Island ferry in the morning). Cost: $8, round-trip ferry fare includes park entry fee;

hike is free, but donations can be made to help the nonprofit Angel Island Association. Group hikes scheduled on request. Reservations urged: (415) 435- 3522, ext. 9. Park info: www.angelisland.org.

Mount Tamalpais -- The state park's annual wildflower hike takes place at 9: 30 a.m., April 26, starting from Pantoll Station. Public transit: (415) 455- 2000. Park info (and other hikes): (415) 258-2410, or www.mttam.net.

Point Reyes -- The national seashore has Whales and Wildflower walks starting at 1 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, from visitor center at Drake's Beach. Shuttle brings participants to trailhead at Chimney Rock. Walks cover 1. 2 miles, last 2 hours. Hike is free; shuttle ride costs $4/person; kids age 12 and under, free. Walks last through April; shuttle discontinues in mid-April (then, drive to trailhead). Park info: (415) 464-5100, ext. 2, www.nps.gov/pore/home.htm, or www.pointreyes.net/general.html.

Mount Diablo -- This sprawling East Bay park hosts many outings in the "Spring on Diablo 2003" series. Park entrance fee:

$4/car at main entrance; $2/car at Mitchell Canyon. Some options: Waterfalls and wildflowers, 9:30 a.m. Sunday (March 23) has 6- and 9-mile options. Call leader Fran Leighty day before hike for report on conditions, trailhead directions. (925) 944-9068.

Wildflower Watch, 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays. (March 26). Call leader Sabrina Dussau for location. (925) 757-2620.

Wildflower Walk Around the Mountain, 9:30 a.m, April 4, is a strenuous hike of 7 miles. Contact Bruce Baldwin and Staci Markos, (510) 643-7008.

Spring Flowers of Mt. Diablo, 10 a.m., April 5, is a mild, 4-mile walk. Contact Yulan Tong, (925) 945-6068.

For more hikes and general park info, contact the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association, (925) 927-7222, www.mdia.org.

San Francisco -- David Schmidt leads a hike to Natural Areas of San Francisco (seven hilltops in the city), 9:30 a.m., April 5, starting from the Muni/Metro station at Castro and Market streets. The hike has a mild 5-mile and strenuous 8-mile option. For more walks in the Greenbelt Alliance's spring wildflower series, call (415) 543-6771, or check www.greenbelt.org/cgi-bin/calendar.cgi.

E-mail Paul McHugh at pmchugh@sfchronicle.com.

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