On this beginner and family friendly native plant wal k, join California Naturalist Divya Shenoy, assisted by Arvind Kumar, to ex plore the creekside and shrubland habitats of Alum Rock County Park. We wil l walk along the beautiful Penitencia Creek Trail, Mineral Springs loop and other hillside trails. We will also stop by the Youth Science Institute Na ture Center, which has live animals and an extraordinary taxidermy display!

We will see native plants such as the coast live oak, California bay laurel, toyon, buckeye and maidenhair ferns! We may see birds, such as Ste ller’s jays and acorn woodpeckers, butterflies and small mammals. We will a lso see historical mineral spring structures and discuss the ways Ohlone Na tive Americans utilized native plants.

The walk will be about 3 mil es in length. The pace will be a stroll with water breaks, pauses to view p lants, and a 15- minute snack break in the middle. There are some sections of trails with moderate inclines and declines, so hiking poles are recommen ded for those who need additional stability and support.

Please wear comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen, a hat and bring plenty of water. Opti onally, you can bring a snack, plant and bird identification guides and lis ts and binoculars.

RSVP is required to join the hike. No drop-ins ple ase and space is limited. See the instructions at the beginning of this Fie ld Trips section to RSVP on Meetup.

Driving directions and parking tips are provided on our Chapter’s Meetup group. Drive past the first parking lot at the park en trance, past the ticket booth and past the next two lots. Park in any of th e last group of three parking lots at the end of the park. One of the lots has a $6 parking fee and two are free. We will meet at 10:30am at the bridge nearest to the playground, which is next to a picnic tab le and bathroom. Alum Rock Park’s website includ es a link to a park map.

RSVP is required to join the hike. No drop-i ns please and space is limited. See the instructions at the beginning of th is Field Trips section to RSVP on Meetup.

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CONTACT:https://www.meetup.com/California-Native-Plant-Society-Santa-Clara-Valley-Chapter/ DTSTAMP:20260414T024822 DTSTART;TZID=America/Tijuana:20240512T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Tijuana:20240512T133000 SEQUENCE:0 TRANSP:OPAQUE END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR