On a gray day at the end of the old year, Chris Gray suggested a stroll through the Swasey Recreation Area, off Swasey Drive, on the west side of Redding. We ended up moseying about on the Wintu Loop Trail, probably no more than a mile all told.
We saw recovery from the Carr Fire: toyon were sprouting from the crowns; there were interesting leaf colors of purple and gold, as well as the more usual green. (Experiments are underway to see whether the toyon leaf colors will persist in cultivation, or if these color variations were simply a response to environmental stimuli or age.)
White-leaved manzanita were coming back as seedlings. Wavy-leaved soap-plant had delicate seed stalks taller than I am. We even found nutrient cycling at work in the forest—wood-rotting mushrooms were busily decomposing the woody debris on the ground. ~Susan Libonati-Barnes
Here’s a short slideshow of a few of the botanical wonders that Susan and Chris saw on their stroll. All photos by Susan Libonati-Barnes. Enjoy!
