Spring | Sonoma Overlook Trail • Montini Open Space Preserve

We are once again in the season when poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) attempts to run rampant on the trail, threatening hikers with itchy rashes that can spread over one’s entire body (believe me, I’ve been there). So now is also the time when we stewards work to mitigate this threat. In the past, we have sprayed the edge of the tray to kill it off, but recently we have been taking a more ecologically friendly approach by simply clipping it back.

This is potentially dangerous work, but with appropriate precautions one can do it without harm. Last year I got one small spot of itchy irritation that I was able to manage until it subsided. This year (knock on wood) so far I’ve been itch-free.

As I’ve been doing this over the last week I’ve received a lot of complimentary feedback from grateful hikers who know how annoying such a rash can be. This helps make the labor worthwhile, as you know from even just several hours of work you can make a real difference.

Now that it’s official, we can definitely say that spring has arrived. But you would have to have been living in a cave to think that spring in Sonoma only arrived a few days ago. Call it climate change or just yearly fluctuations, but we seem to be experiencing some early arrivals of bud break, wildflowers, and other indications that Winter is over.

The Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum) have been going crazy, as have the glorious California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica, pictured), as well as a plethora of other beautiful blooms. There seem to be more with each passing day. The insects are also out in vast numbers, as this bumblebee illustrates. Note the large packets of pollen on either side. This bee has visited a number of flowers already to amass such wealth, which of course pollinates the flowers the bee visits any carries on the magic of spring.

To help identify what you see along the trails, don’t miss our Flora page on this site. Although there are not a lot of flowers identified there yet, we will be working to include as many of the flowers and other plants that you see on your hikes as we can. Also, don’t miss our Gallery of Trail Flowers. If you have pictures of your own you wish to add, just let us know!