Plants and insects are at the very bottom of the food chain – many higher forms of life depend on them for survival. An intact native plant habitat supports a diverse insect population, which in turn feeds amphibians, reptiles, birds, small mammals and other animals. Learn to identify the common native plants and insects of our area with California naturalists Karan Gathani and Arvind Kumar on a guided walk through Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve, the largest and southernmost preserve in the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.

We will hike the Woods Trail with spectacular views of Mt. Hamilton and the valley floor. Expect to see coast live oak, madrone, California bay, bigleaf maple, buckeye, big berry manzanita, toyon, coffeeberry, cream bush, chamise, mountain mahogany, and sticky monkeyflower. We may encounter butterflies, bees, beetles, grasshoppers, flies, spiders and ants.

The elevation gain is 600 ft; the distance covered is 5.4 miles round trip.

All interested in plant and insect identification are welcome; prior knowledge of botany or entomology is helpful but not required.

Wear good walking/hiking shoes. Bring a sack lunch and plenty of fluids. Drinking water is not available in the preserve. We also suggest bringing a hat, sunscreen; and optionally, a hand lens and smartphone camera. We expect to return to the parking lot by 3:00pm.