Field trip with the Marin chapter of the California Native Plant Society

Abbott’s Lagoon Trail and Dunes, Point Reyes National Seashore

Sunday, June 5, 2022 - 10 am to 2 pm

Leaders: Paul da Silva & Carolyn Longstreth

The vicinity of Abbott’s Lagoon at Point Reyes National Seashore is of special interest to CNPS for several reasons. It has a remarkable diversity of plant habitats. Marsh, coastal scrub, coastal prairie and coastal dune are in close proximity and easily accessible. It also has many rare plant species, with about twenty on the most recent edition of the chapter’s plant list for the public trail. Furthermore, recognizing the severe threats facing the dune habitat from invasive plant species, the National Park Service has made this habitat a priority for restoration, and has mounted strong campaigns to remove the most important invasive plants, in which many CNPS members have participated. This habitat will be the major focus of this trip, although some of the other habitats may be visited as well.

Because of the cool weather and abundant fog, the bloom season here lasts longer than in many other areas in California, even in the generally dry conditions of the dunes. The beginning of June usually marks a transition from the first major group of dune flowers to the beginning of the second. The first group includes Agoseris apargioides, Amsinckia spectabilis, Armeria maritima, Erysimum menziesii, Lathyrus littoralis, and Lupinus chamissionis. The second group includes Achillea millefolium, Acmispon glaber, and Lupines arboreus. Other characteristic species such as Abronia latifolia, Calystegia soldanella, Camissonia cheiranthifolia, Chorizanthe cuspidata, Fragaria chiloensis, and Polygonum paronychia tend to have flowers in both time periods. If we are lucky, we may catch the rare species Lupinus tidestromiand Layia carnosa in bloom at the same time. We will also see the damage that the two principal invasive species, Ammophila arenaria and Carpobrotus edulis, can do if not controlled.

The trip may also coincide with the peak nesting periods of several species of solitary and semi-social hunting wasps, which show an interesting diversity of behaviors.

The total trip is about four miles out and back. The maintained trail is smooth and fairly level, with a slow, steady descent from the parking lot to the dunes, and a gradual rise on the way back. In the dunes, walking is in loose sand.

Plant List: https://www.cnpsmarin.org/images/pdf/ABBOTTS_LAGOON_PUBLIC_TRAIL_2019.pdf
Flower Sheets: https://www.cnpsmarin.org/images/pdf/AbbottsLagoonSpring.pdf
https://www.cnpsmarin.org/images/pdf/AbbottsLagoonSummer.pdf