Take Time for a
Wildflower Walk
Edgewood
County Park
"When we walk, we naturally go
to the fields and woods; What would become of us if we walked only in a garden
or a mall?" Henry David Throeau
Directions: From Highway 280, take
Edgewood Road east about one mile to Old Stage Road opposite Crestview Drive.
Or from San Carlos/Redwood City, take Edgewood Road west to the park.
Grade: Moderate, elevation gain of about 400 feet.
Distance: 2.25 miles.
Time: One to two hours or more, depending on the time
you take to spot and identify wildflowers.
Special Conditions:
o
No dogs or bikes allowed on trails.
o
Watch for poison oak near trailside. Park opens
at 8 a.m. and closes at sunset.
o
Water and restrooms are at the Old Stage Day Camp
and Picnic Area.
o
The park is administered by San Mateo County. For
information, call 650-363-4020.
It's that time of year again. Spring is in the air after weeks of rain and cold weather, and the days are gradually getting longer and warmer. This is the perfect formula for nature's spring show--carpets of wildflowers that suddenly appear and all too soon die off when our grassland turns gold brown during the summer months.
One
of the Bay Area's best displays is at Edgewood Park, only a short distance for
our Peninsula readers. There are many miles of trails in Edgewood Park, and
each offers something unique to go with flowers--forest shade, forest views,
vast meadows, water ravines (usually dry), and fine exercise trails. Docent-led
walks by the Friends of Edgewood National Preserve are available each Saturday
and Sunday from the first of March to mid-June. During these walks you will see
many of the 50-plus species of blooming wildflowers in the park. The March and
June walks start at Old Stage Day Camp, and the April and May walks start at
the Park-and-Ride lot at Edgewood Road and Highway 280. No reservations are
needed. Bring a snack and water. Restrooms are available only at Old Stage Day
Camp. For more information or to schedule a guided tour for your group, call
Dianne Hunt, docent coordinator, at 650-261-1935.
Our walk this week starts at the Old
Stage Day Camp trailhead. Parking is limited inside the park, but you will find
space along Edgewood Road. Edgewood Trail is marked with a trail sign next to
the parking area. The trail quickly climbs through a mixed forest of oak, bay,
and madrone through six switchbacks, gaining a couple hundred feet. Through this
shady area you will see spring flowers, including Western hound's tongue, with
clusters of blue to purple flowers and white centers growing on top of a long
central stalk. The plant gets its common name from the large, simple leaves
growing at the base of the plant, which have small hairs on the surface that
give a rough texture resembling a dog's tongue. We also spotted patches of
maiden hair fern. The black stems of maiden hair fern were pounded by Indians
and then woven into baskets as a black pattern. Strands of maiden hair also
made the pattern of a special hat called "the squaw cap." When a
woman became widowed, her hair was burned off at the neckline and then smeared
with pine pitch. On top of this, she wore the squaw cap for a year as a sign of
her grief--so reports Kathleen Lyons and Mary Beth Cooney-Lazaneo in their book
entitled "Plants of the Coast Redwood Region." My wife suggested that
this would produce a bad case of scalp itch, but who am I to argue the duties
of a grieving widow? We found another plant that we couldn't precisely
identify. I think it is vetch. It looked like a garden sweetpea, pale lilac to
deep pink in color. The previously mentioned book reports that the young seeds
and shoots can be cooked and eaten like domestic peas.
The trail continues over a service
road. You can turn left here and shorten your hike, but we suggest that you
continue on since the trail levels out. There are good views across the
canyon--which is Edgewood Road--to Pulgas Ridge Open Space Area. Soon, the trail
opens to the broad meadow area, where the wildflower display is especially
grand. Your views to the west and south focus on the Santa Cruz Mountain Range.
You will probably notice the sounds of Highway 280; we have found that the
level of traffic noise in this area is directly proportional to the speed and
direction of the wind. During our recent hike, the freeway noise was quite
loud, but at other times the wind prevailed and the freeway noise could not be
detected. As you wander across the meadow to the junction with Serpentine
Trail, you will notice lupin--a bright purple bush--and blue-eyed grass. The
latter is not a grass but an iris. And the eyes aren't blue, but yellow, and so
it is with common names. Pigs sometimes grub at the woody plants, and therefore,
the genus name "Sisyrinchium," which means "pig snout."
According to Lyons and Cooley-Lanzaneo, tea from blue-eyed grass was used as a
remedy for fever reduction.
When you reach the junction with the
Serpentine Loop Trail, turn left and walk along the meadow past the service
road to the junction with Sylvan Trail. Turn left there and climb briefly
toward the tree-covered knoll and the next junction, then right into the shady
canyon and its eight switchbacks. When we were there, we spotted wild cucumber
in this area, a profusely growing vine that often obliterates the shrub over
which it spreads. The seeds from wild cucumber were used for a variey of
ailments, from kidney trouble to falling hair to treating saddle sores on
horses (Lyons and Cooney-Lazaneo).
At the bottom, turn left and walk along
the hillside through a mixed forest to the day camp/picnic area. The parking
area is just ahead.
If you have more time, take the
Ridgeview Loop or the Serpentine Loop. The latter will take you through the meadows
below the tree line, and the former will take you up and over the high point at
an elevation of 872 feet.
Plan to visit the Edgewood Park at
least once during the next few months. If you are serious about wildflowers,
take a weekend docent-led hike. Or pick up your favorite flower guide and give
it a go. Either way, you're sure to enjoy nature's springtime display.
Written by Tom Davids