Every winter, while ten million humans go about their daily lives on land, another sort of business is happening in the water just off the coast- the Grey Whale migration. Whale watching tours can be expensive but places like Point Vicente in Palos Verdes offer a chance to see migrating whales for the price of cheap binoculars. While whales might be the main attraction here, there is a lot more to observe and appreciate about the native plant garden, lighthouse, nature preserve, and hiking trails that are a part of San Vicente Point.
I unfortunately did not see any of the thousands of grey whales that migrate each year with my binoculars the afternoon I walked along the bluffs of the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve. But I did see the volunteers who are there to count the whales and who offer interpretive information for passers by.
What I did see was an interesting preserve that is very much a part of the urban/ wildland interface. The nature center is in a park like environment with picnic tables mixed with a few trees and lots of grass. Walking north you enter the preserve with heavily railed walkways and a lot of signage about not going off path. It is clear that foot traffic is a problem for the plants on the bluff side (probably because it is natural for people to want to get as close to the view as possible) and there are many restoration projects with baby plants along the oceanside of path.
Coastal bluffs have their pros and cons for the plants that grow there. The pros are that the ocean keeps things temperate and moist, but the cons are strong winds and salt spray. Many plants that grow in this area are so adapted for coastal bluff conditions that they don't grow anywhere else on the mainland! The preserve is home to the El Segundo Blue Butterfly that depends on only one or two species of plant that grow in a very limited area and the buckwheat this endangered butterfly depends on grows here at San Vicente Point. Just like the whales the more rare plants eluded me but I observed a several local plants that although common, were blooming beautifully- Lemonade Berry, Purple Sage, and California Brittlebush (according to the app iNaturalist).
I walked about a mile North through the preserve to where the more natural area ended and the path becomes much more landscaped.
Just beyond this area is a parking lot where the trail really mingles with the private property of the surrounding houses. An irrigation ditch becomes a haven for oaks and willow like trees to make a makeshift riparian zone between the mansions.
On the way back the bright yellow flowers of some Wattles caught my eye. Although very impressive in their bright yellow fuzzy ball flowers, they are originally from Australia and don't always play nice with local plants.
The plants I observed on my way back through the preserve caught my eye for their dried flowers instead of recent blooms. I was hoping to observe a the more unique dried buckwheat of the area but enjoyed the textures of this California Sagebrush, Giant Wild Rye, and Coastal Goldenbush instead.
I ended up back at the nature center and while the whale watching volunteers were counting away I had a quiet moment near the native plant demonstration garden with a hummingbird paused long enough for me to take its photo on this Red Fairyduster.
This area is truly unique in how much there is to see in such a small preserve so close to the large houses of Palos Verdes. The natural pull for humans to be close to the view seems to be a problem for the plants trying to survive an already harsh environment of salty wind but the work of volunteers to promote information about the El Segundo Blue and Grey Whales alike was hopeful.
Grey Whale watching season ends in March so there is still time for you to go scan the coastline for whale tails! Spring and Summer are the times the El Segundo Blue Butterfly is active in the area. So get a pair of binoculars and bring your camera and a sketchpad and come see what there is to observe in this unique coastal bluff that oh yeah... used to be a part of the channel islands but crashed into the mainland? Yup thats right! But I know even less about Geology so that will have to be explained through your own Google search. Hope you get out there and enjoy San Vicente Point and the surrounding trails!
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