Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens An Ocean-Front Treasure, Just a Short Drive Away
One of the wonderful things about living on the coast is being connected to, well, the coast. Our regular readers and the visitors who pick up The Lighthouse Peddler while they're exploring the coast know that from the Russian River to Fort Bragg we can drive an hour (or so) and see a long list of California's wonders. There are the glorious redwoods, the rugged coast, numerous parks, the scenic winding roads, 9 significant rivers—Noyo, Big, Little, Albion, Big Salmon, Navarro, Garcia, Gualala, and Russian. And that list doesn't include offshoots, tributaries, adjacent creeks and more.
While you're here, you can also take time to visit a number of 'destination' stops, and one of those is the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. The Botanical Gardens hosts plant sales, art exhibits, educational workshops, bird and whale watching walks, botanical meetings, fundraisers, and more.
Many of their classes and workshops have limited space. It's best to call the Gardens at 707-964-4352 ext 16 to reserve a space. Note: payment is due upon sign-up; and may be non-refundable. A small fee is charged for most classes. Guided walks are generally included in Gardens' admission; see individual listings for more information. Here's a brief look at some of the upcoming offerings.
• Spring Bio-Blitz Challenge. The Spring BioBlitz is a self-guided exploration of the Gardens' 47-acre natural wonder. They're challenging you to capture the biodiversity at the Gardens between April 30 and May 3 using the iNaturalist app. Last year in Mendocino County, 1,427 observations of 618 species were made by 287 participants. Seven regions/cities in California are participating this year, including Costa Mesa-Orange County, Inland Empire, Los Angeles County, Mendocino County, Sacramento Region, San Diego County, and San Francisco Bay Area. Both you and the Gardens will be thrilled to see what discoveries you've made.
• Rhododendron Photo Show. In lieu of a traditional Rhododendron Show, the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens is hosting a photo competition — the 2021 Rhodo Photo Show — to highlight this season's best rhodie specimens. Fill your feed with cascades of color from the genus Rhododendron. Visit the Botanical Gardens' Facebook album to view the official contest entries. They will love to share your colorful pics #rhodophotoshow! Entry Deadline: Sunday, May 9.
• Yoga at the Gardens. How about "Mindful Yoga with Delphine Davidson"? It's scheduled for Sundays at 12:00pm on the Event Lawn at the Botanical Gardens beginning May 16. It's a unique yoga experience as you find yourself encircled by towering cypress and the melodies of nature . . . birds, bees, and the mighty ocean. All levels are welcomed in this class.
• Intro to Nature Journaling. Here's a great (and inspiring) way to spend a Saturday. Nature Journaling will help improve your observational skills, drawing skills, and add to your knowledge about your subject. The Botanical Gardens is the perfect setting to begin this journey. You have a variety of subjects to observe in their natural environment at a specific time of day and season. Some of the skills you will learn are drawing the structures of plants, observing and drawing small, quick landscape environments, page layout and lettering, capturing information in a variety of formats, and color techniques to enhance your pages. There will be many handouts and models, samples of different journals and journaling styles, and nature journal kits. Contact the Gardens to register. It's Saturday, May 22, from 10:00am to 3:00pm with Mary-Ellen Campbell in the MCBG Education Center.
The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens has something for everyone. Including you.
Images:
Above: The Rhody Path
Left: American Kestrel. Falco Sparverius.
Images courtesy MCBG.
