I started my California Climate Action Corps Fellowship with Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy as an Urban Conservation Fellow almost a year ago. One of my main personal objectives for the term was to increase my native plant literacy, which I was able to do decently quickly as a field trip docent at Rosemont Preserve. Sharing the ecological knowledge I’d gained with students and visitors was not only fun but rewarding, and I’m extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to lead so many tours at the preserve.

As the year progressed, though, I found myself appreciating the native flora far beyond just knowing their names and a few fun facts about them. Visiting the preserve several times a week gave me the chance to witness the unfolding of the seasons across the landscape. Watching the plants bloom in succession over the winter, spring, and summer gave me a deep appreciation for the magic of the chaparral’s timing: Scale Broom in vibrant yellow in the winter, then Ceanothus to welcome in spring. Next, Yerba Santa that kept its blooms for months, Sun Cups that lined the sandy paths, and tiny white Rooreh flowering in the shade of the Coast Live Oaks. Then the large, striking Sacred Datura alongside the dainty Narrowleaf Milkweed, both beloved by native pollinators. And now, at the height of summer, the Buckwheat along the paths is in prolific, vigorous bloom and the Laurel Sumac is fruiting. The chaparral, far from the stereotype of LA as a desert, is vibrantly alive for the majority of the year. It provides bountiful resources for the animals that call it home. Something seems to always be offering fruit, nectar, shelter, or seeds. It was a massive privilege to spend this fellowship term among these plants, marking the passage of time with their seasons.