Our next East Bay watershed park visit is to Huckleberry
Botanic Regional Preserve, located in the hills behind Oakland off Skyline
Boulevard, between Sibley and Redwood regional parks. The preserve is
relatively small, 240 acres, with a 1.7-mile loop trail that links to the
larger Skyline National Trail. I visited the park in early May, on a cool,
overcast week end. I was very interested in visiting the park because of its
unusual plant collection.
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| Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve Entrance |
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| Picnic area |
According to the informative park brochure, written by Ben
Johnson, the native plant community is found nowhere else in the East Bay, and
represents a relic plant association found only in California areas where ideal
soil and climatic conditions exist. The vegetation originated in the southern
coast of California when the climate was moister and tempered by cool coastal
fog. Similar vegetation is found in the islands off the Santa Barbara coast,
and in pockets on the coast between Point Conception and Montara Mountains
south of San Francisco.
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| Huckleberry Path |
Per Johnson, the geology belongs to the Claremont shale/chert formation,
laid down in a deep ocean basin, pushed up, and then eroded around 12 million
years ago. The soil is poor and porous, with little water-holding capability,
so the conditions favor pioneering chaparral species, and hold off intrusion of
other local species.
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| Bench with a view of the Oakland Hills |
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| Lush forest with ferns and moss |
Upper Huckleberry Path is fairly flat, and passes through a
lovely, lush forest of Canyon live oak, Pacific madrone, California hazelnut,
and California bay, and an understory of ferns, huckleberries, Iris, currants,
and many others. The bay trees give off a wonderful, aromatic scent. Signposts installed
along the path serve as keys to brochure descriptions of the vegetation [such as Brittleleaf manzanita, Pallid
manzanita, Coast Silktassell, Western leatherwood, Jimbrush (Ceanothus), succession, geology, and
more.
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| Marker 15 - Pallid Manzanita (Arctostaphylos pallida) |
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| View of the Oakland Hills under clearing sky |
Along the trail are views of the Oakland hills, which were
still green in early May after our very wet winter. A bench provides a
wonderful spot to take in the view. I especially enjoyed seeing some of the
small woodland plants that grow in the shady understory.
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| Unidentified |
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| Cow Parsnip |
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| Unidentified |
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| Douglas Iris |
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This is a small treasure in the East Bay watershed. There
are few parking spots at the Huckleberry Main Staging Area, one picnic table
that I could see, and dogs and horses are not permitted on the path, so the
preserve may not appeal to everyone. But the vegetation and geology are
interesting, it's a great place for a short hike, and it gives us a glimpse
into how plants might "move north" to survive as environmental
conditions change. Be sure to check the website for notices that might affect
your visit.
