Dear Friend,

Is it just us, or has the number of rainbow sightings skyrocketed in the past month? And have you seen the wildflowers? We’ve been thrilled with the beauty of April so far, and equally grateful for the increase in precipitation our park has seen.

We also were not disappointed by the opportunity to let out our inner tricksters (April Fool’s Day, anyone?), and that is reflected, for better or worse, in our newsletter this month. First, there are some plants that may look inviting…but whatever you do, don’t eat them! Second, we have a rather bizarre animal lineup…can you spot the trick here?

In This Newsletter

• Perilous Plants That Poison
• Frightening Fauna That Might Fool You
• An Update on the Fish
• Earth Day Celebration at Stinson Beach
• Volunteer Program Schedules and Locations

Perilous Plants That Poison

 By Maria Pezza

There are plenty of plants you should be careful around. The first one that comes to mind, especially for those of us who spend time working in close quarters with plants, is poison oak. Get too friendly with any part of this plant, and you might spend several itchy weeks regretting it.

Another plant that causes instant discomfort—and there have been intense debates over which of these two is less pleasant—is stinging nettle.

Here are three more plants to add to your “caution” list. While you can touch and smell them without dire consequences, you most certainly shouldn’t do anything more. All the plants can be found in Marin, so keep your eyes open!

Death Camas 
Toxicoscordion venenosum

I sincerely hope I don’t have to tell you twice to stay away from any plant whose name has “death” in it, but I suppose it’s worth saying: don’t eat this one.

While you would have to consume a large amount of plant material for it to result in death, humans have been poisoned after eating death camas. Every bit of this plant is toxic to humans, from the bulbs in the ground, which have been mistaken for onions, all the way up to the flowers, which are deceptively pretty and can be tempting to children and animals alike

Poison Hemlock
Conium maculatum

This plant belongs to the same family as the carrot—a familiar plant that many of us use and enjoy—but its name should tell you all you need to know about how friendly this plant is. While the seeds of the plant have the highest toxicity, consumption of any part of the plant could mean death to mammals.

The most famous case of this is, of course, the use of poison hemlock in the execution of Socrates in 399 BC, but modern-day humans have been known to mistake the roots of the plant for wild carrot or parsnip—with tragic results. Gatherers beware!

Toyon
Heteromeles arbutifolia

Some of you may balk at this tree being included on a “poisonous plants” list, but don’t stop reading just yet! Perhaps you’ve heard mention of its possible use in medicine, or maybe you know that original inhabitants of California used the berries as a food source. A 2016 study examined the traditional use of the berries as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, and found that, while not exactly a cure, certain doses of the berries might slow “the progression of the disease and helps patients continue to have productive lives.”

The leaves, however, have been reported to contain cyanide, a common component of plants in this family (Rosaceae). There seem to be no reports of human deaths from eating the leaves of toyon, but the California Poison Control System does list the plant’s leaves as having major toxicity—ingestion of this plant could cause major systems (think heart and brain) to fail.

There are many edible plants in and around Marin county; just be sure to do your research!

Sources

Death camas: http://www.cbif.gc.ca/eng/species-bank/canadian-poisonous-plants-information-system/all-plants-common-name/death-camas/?id=1370403267102; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Death_camas_Zygadenus_venenosus_3_(18466934961).jpg (photo)

Poison hemlock: https://www.invasive.org/browse/subinfo.cfm?sub=4365; https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/conium/maculatum/; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Conium_maculatum_2.jpg (photo)

Toyon: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5456246/; https://calpoison.org/topics/plant#rating; https://www.flickr.com/photos/rezlab/5386844434 (photo)

Frightening Fauna Tha Might Fool You

 By Ailsa Harju

In the spirit of April Fool’s Day, I have included short biographies of four animals. Three exist in the wild, but the fourth is fake! Can you decide correctly which one is false?

Malaysian orchid mantis

Imagine that, on a tropical island hike, you watch a beautiful butterfly land on an equally beautiful flower. The butterfly steps forward, extends its proboscis and in a violent move, the flower petals engulf the butterfly whole. 

The culprit is the female Malaysian orchid mantis, which has developed a unique and efficient mimicry technique over time, leading to strong predatory success; to insects, they are indistinguishable from flowers. Though there is no particular orchid that the mantis resembles, it is gorgeously colored pink or yellow and displays vibrantly on green vegetation, waiting for pollinators to prey on. The display is so convincing that the mantis has been shown to attract pollinators at even higher rates than actual flowers.

Chinese water deer

The Chinese water deer has a fiendish head, with long canines protruding well-outside of the mouth, resembling vampire fangs. The deer has no formal antlers, instead sporting small devilish spikes atop the head.

Despite these spooky features, the water deer is, frankly, adorable. They are small, rising only half a meter above the ground, and their cute, rounded ears lead to frequent comparisons to stuffed bears. They do not drink blood either, and opt for grasses and sedges instead.

These deer are native to coastal plains, salt marshes, and riparian zones of China and Korea. There they live a solitary life, outside of mating season. They are IUCN Red List-labeled as “threatened.”

Ruby-wattled pigeon

Throughout southern Africa, the male ruby-wattled pigeon can be found hopping high from the forest floor in his exhausting mating rituals. This ability to hop several feet in the air easily compensates for the species’ poor flying abilities, and they stick to eating seeds and berries of low-hanging trees and shrubs.

Once paired with a female, the couple will lay one egg at a time in grounded nests. These locations, though well-hidden in the underlying vegetation, are highly susceptible to predators, like the many poisonous snakes of the region.

To protect their chicks, ruby-wattled pigeons are fiercely defensive, and they have one trick up their wing: when stressed, the pigeon secretes a liquid toxin in its wattle, which it sprays at would-be offenders.

Sea pig

Sea pigs are actually sea cucumbers that often appear plump and pink, like a pig. They scavenge the sea floor in the deepest and darkest of oceans for bits of decaying material and carcasses.

On large, nutrient-rich whale carcasses you can find hundreds and even thousands of sea pigs furiously feeding, all facing the same direction. Though this is an eerie sight to stumble upon, sea pigs face in the direction of the current so that they can smell and/or grab food coming their way.

Sea pigs’ legs are fluid-filled appendages, rather than formal structures, and can be inflated or deflated at will. Like all echinoderms, they have tube-feet, which allow them to walk (slowly) by hydraulic pressure.

Sources:

http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/10.1086/673858.pdf?_=1460562037940

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/10329/0 

http://eol.org/pages/599675/details#morphology

Image Sources:

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/12/orchid-mantises-evolution-insects/

https://www.wired.com/2014/06/the-creature-feature-10-fun-facts-about-sea-pigs/#slide-1

https://haydensanimalfacts.com/2014/11/08/5-interesting-facts-about-chinese-water-deer/ https://billandpaige.com/victoria-crowned-pigeon-nature-park-port-moresby-png/

Answer:

An Update on the Fish

As some of you may know, we closely monitor many species of fish we have in our parks. This is both to determine the health of our creek ecosystems, and to better protect threatened and endangered species. Earlier this year, we talked about an exciting release of almost 200 California coho salmon into Redwood Creek. For an update on the results of this experiment, and for general information about how our fish are doing these days, check out this National Park Service article.

Earth Day Celebration at Stinson Beach

Want to come celebrate the earth with us?

Earth Day 2018 will fall on Sunday, April 22^nd, and our partners at One Tam will be hosting an event at Stinson Beach to celebrate! Come clean up the beach, do some creek restoration, have a picnic, and join artists in creating works of ephemeral art on the beach. You can find all the details at www.earthdaystinsonbeach.org. We hope to get the chance to celebrate with you!

Marin Volunteer Program Information and Work Day Schedules

Marin Park Stewardship

Saturdays, 10 am–1 pm, and Wednesdays, 1–4 pm

We alternate between sites, so check the details for each work day. Work day events include a combination of hands-on service and short natural or cultural history lessons.

Click here to learn more or sign up.

Wednesday Programs

April 4: Wolfback Ridge
April: 11: Oakwood Valley
April 18: Wolfback Ridge
April 25: Oakwood Valley

May 2: Wolfback Ridge
May 9: Muir Beach
May 16: Wolfback Ridge
May 23: Muir Beach
May 30: No program

June 6: Oakwood Valley
June 13: Muir Beach
June 20: Wolfback Ridge
June 27: Muir Beach

Saturday Programs

April 7: Oakwood Valley
April 14: Muir Beach
April 21: Earth Day event, Oakwood Valley
April 28: Oakwood Valley

May 5: Oakwood Valley
May 12: Muir Beach
May 19: Wolfback Ridge
May 26: No program

June 2: Oakwood Valley
June 9: Muir Beach
June 16: Wolfback Ridge
June 23: Muir Beach

Meeting Locations and Directions

Muir Beach – Meet at the parking lot picnic tables. Map

Alta Avenue at Oakwood Valley – Meet at the park gate located at the end of Donahue Street. Map

Wolfback Ridge – Take a right on Bunker Road (immediately before the tunnel). Park in the lot by the bus shelter behind the Marin Headlands sign, only in a designated parking spot (not along the road). We will meet in the parking lot. Map

Marin Headlands Nursery

Wednesdays, 1–4 pm

1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month, 10 am–2 pm

Come grow with us at the Marin Headlands Nursery! Each year, we grow over 30,000 plants to restore natural habitats within the Marin Headlands. The dedication and support of our volunteers are vital in the effort to grow plants, collect seeds, maintain the nursery facility, and much more. Our projects are outdoors, fun, and always hands-on.

For program updates and registration, click here.

Habitat Restoration Team

2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 10 am–2 pm

Sundays at 9:30 am–2:30 pm

Help restore and monitor critical natural areas from the Marin Headlands to Bolinas Ridge. Volunteers and staff meet at different scenic locations each week to restore native habitat throughout the Golden Gate National Parks. Come out and explore beautiful areas while assisting in invasive plant removal, winter planting, and seed collection. For more information, click here.

Invasive Plant Patrol

Wednesdays, 10 am–2:30 pm

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Invasive Plant Patrol volunteers hike throughout the Marin Headlands to find new invasions of exotics and remove localized infestations before they get out of control. Get to know the park trail systems and learn to identify plants, both native and invasive. Hikes will last approximately four hours. Locations vary from the Marin Headlands to Bolinas Ridge. For locations and to register, click here.

Thank you for supporting the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy!

- Marin Park Stewardship