Join Ken Himes and Don Thomas for our fall habitat restoration project at the Caltrans fountain thistle site. This is the twice-a-year event that we have been conducting for over 10 years in partnership with Jake Sigg and the Yerba Buena Chapter of CNPS, to protect the Federally endangered fountain thistle.

Fountain thistle (Cirsium fontinale var. fontinale) is a rare endangered plant that grows in an unusual specialized habitat, serpentine seeps. It is found only in a few places on the San Francisco Peninsula and only in San Mateo County.

Our work at this site is a restoration success story. Once almost completely displaced by jubatagrass (Andean pampas grass), the fountain thistle has largely recovered, as a result of the work done by CNPS volunteers. However, fountain thistle is still under threat from jubatagrass and other non-native plants. By removing these invasive plants twice a year, we have succeeded in preserving the habitat of the fountain thistle.