Shane Brown is a lifelong naturalist and the caretaker at Big Oak Canyon, Earthroots 39-acre property in Silverado, California. This blog is a highlight reel of his experiences at Big Oak Canyon.
It was a dry and windy February at Big Oak Canyon. The sunny weather started to bring out the wildflowers early this year, and the lengthening days brought flowing sap and swelling buds on the trees. Red-tailed hawks danced their pair-bonding dance and Anna’s hummingbirds, one of the earliest nesting birds, already had a brood of babies. On the first of the month, the orange-crowned warblers started singing, and on the 17th I heard the first white-throated swift, both indicators I use for changing of the seasons. It was a very quiet month, in terms of people, and there was ample time for reflection.
Big Oak Canyon Highlights
Projects
A volunteer working on the retaining wall for a new garden bed.
Trivia
Answers for last month:
Bee bread and larva cells
Miner’s lettuce or Indian lettuce
What plant has a natural rooting hormone that you can use to help cuttings of other plants take root?
Willow
What is usually the first migratory bird to come back to Orange County that signifies the coming of spring?
Swallows or swifts
This month’s questions:
What was the main economic activity for the first homesteaders in Silverado and nearby canyons?
What common bird of the canyons goes into a state of torpor in the winter, and is named for the call that it makes?
What kind of plant can become completely desiccated and spring back to full vigor in minutes after rain?
Comment below with your answers!
Blog post was written by Shane Brown.
Shane is the caretaker of Earthroots’ Big Oak Canyon property. He also teaches the Spanish Immersion in Nature and Ancestral Arts programs. He occasionally helps with other Earthroots classes and leads volunteer days at Big Oak Canyon.
