California Native Plant Society -- Marin Chapter Meetup

A Mid-Winter Stroll through Tilden Park’s Botanic Garden
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 10 am to 2 pm
Leaders: Anna Gil and Kurt Rademacher

While many of the world’s plants basically “close shop” during winter, for those which evolved to thrive in California’s “Mediterranean” climate with its mild winters and long, hot, rainless summers, the early winter rains signal a spring-like resurrection! Long patient seeds germinate, ferns unfurl, and the mossy tree trunks and iconic yellow hillsides soon erupt into emerald green.

Join us for an intriguing walk through the Regional Parks Botanic Garden tucked into a valley in the Berkeley Hills. This is a “living museum” of California’s varied plant communities, from deserts and alpine meadows to chaparral and coastal rainforests. We will explore how various plants adapt to their unique habitats and seasons: their structures and ‘tricks’ to both thrive and survive the exuberant and the dormant times.

For now, winter uncloaks a surprising palette of variously colored seeds, twigs, and buds in reds, purples, yellows and greens on leafless plants like the various willows, maples and dogwoods. The garden’s scores of Manzanita species are in full, if dainty, bloom, as are some other early bloomers like the anxious milk maids and the secretive fetid adder’s tongue. Don’t expect to see anything abloom in the Sierran meadow section, though we will learn what their alpine colleagues are doing beneath their current snowpack.

Come prepared for a cold-weather walk on potentially wet trails and stony stairways for this peek into the winter world of our native plants. This walk will be about one mile long.

Directions: East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park, via Shasta Road approach, Berkeley. Intersection of Wildcat Canyon Road and South Park Road.

Carpool Options: From Marin County, Meet at 9 am, leave by 9:15 to reach garden by 10:00. Meet near the corner of Larkspur Landing Circle and SF Drake Blvd. (east end of the shopping center near Design Within Reach). Riders will park on SF Drake Blvd. headed west, not in the shopping center lot.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/V4PAJ2viUwbdGVaZ6

Bring: Water, a snack/lunch. Dress in layers. A hiking pole and sturdy shoes are advised, as surfaces can be uneven. Rain cancels.

Email Ann with any questions: annonfire@gmail.com Text for day-of-trip questions or issues: 530-521-4402

Please:

• New Year, new waiver. Please sign the CNPS Marin 2026 Waiver
• Practice clean trail etiquette. Pocket Guide – Every Step Counts and Cleanliness Tips for Hikers
• No dogs on this trip.

Mt. Tamalpais Fern ID Field Trip
Thursday, February 12, 2026
10 am to 2 pm
Leaders: Kurt Rademacher & David Edelson

In our deep winter when most of Mt. Tamalpais’ wildflowers are dormant or non-existent, the ancient ferns are in their glory, unfurling on shady creekbanks and sunny cliff faces. Ever find the diversity of these feathery fronds confusing? Want to be able to distinguish a lady fern from a coastal wood fern, or the leather fern from a bird's foot fern? How about a 6-foot giant chain fern from a 2-inch lip fern?! Come join us for an exploration of about a dozen different species, their intriguing life cycles, extreme habitat preferences, and how to identify them. This will involve some close looking and attention to detail, so please bring a 4-power or stronger hand lens if you have one.

Gathering at Pan Toll, we plan to hike about two miles, introducing fern anatomy and biology on some common species, and then on to less common cliff brakes and lip ferns. Driving on to nearby Rock Springs (free parking), we will search for other denizens of woodlands and serpentine outcrops.

Directions: Meet us at the Pan Toll Campground parking lot on Panorama Highway, about 30 minutes from Highway 101 exits in Mill Valley, or 5 minutes up from Stinson Beach. State Park parking fee is $8 cash or check or check out a State Parks pass from your local library. There are restrooms at both Pan Toll and Rock Springs.

Bring: Water, a snack/lunch. Hiking pole is suggested, as trails are steep and rocky at some places. Dress in layers, mittens, and bring rain-gear, as weather on the mountain can change quickly.

Rain cancels. Check Meetup for notification.

If you have not done so already, please sign the CNPS Marin 2026 Waiver

Practice clean trail etiquette. Pocket Guide - Every Step Counts and Cleanliness Tips for Hikers

Email Ann with any questions: annonfire@gmail.com Text for day-of-trip questions or issues: 530-521-4402

Attendee limit: 20