Giving Thanks to the Land
I am a Certified California Naturalist, and I love, love, love taking pictures of flowers! So, naturally, when I learned about iNaturalist a few years ago, I embraced it. I learned to take pictures of leaves and flowers, lizards, beetles, and other critters, and how to post and identify them on iNaturalist. And, although, I’m not usually a competitive person, I learned that I’m very competitive when it comes to a nature challenge!
We were issued that challenge on March 1st: the Wild Coachella Challenge (WCC – I also love turning names into acronyms!), a “bioblitz” to photograph and identify as many Coachella Valley wild animals and plants as possible, and to post the findings to iNaturalist. Little did I realize on March 1st, how perfectly timed this Nature Challenge would be! By mid-March, the world had changed around us, and the WCC became the means to sustain my mental, emotional, and physical well-being, by exploring and connecting to the land.
With the vast openness of the Santa Rosa Mountains, it was easy to explore and maintain social spacing. My goal was to hike a different trail, or different section of a trail, or a different area, every day, and to photograph as many living organisms as possible along the way. I explored the Bear Creek Oasis Trail, wash and ridgeline, and all the way from Coral Mountain to Martinez Rock Slide to Fish Traps Archeological Site. I was joined on different (socially spaced!) hikes by my California Naturalist classmates, Bob Erickson, Tracy Bartlett, and Susie Mammel. By the end of the month, I had made 1,318 observations!
Tracy and I enjoyed exploring so much together, that in April when the WCC was over, our outdoor adventures morphed into what we call “Wellness Wednesdays”. Tracy searches for lizards and snakes, and I seek out the tiniest flowers that I can see in the mountains around our home. While I have many “most favorite” flowers, one of my most favorite is bristly langloisia, Langloisia setosissima. It is always such a joy to come across these tiny delicate flowers! During this time of social spacing, I cherish the tranquility and peacefulness of being outdoors in nature, where it is so quiet that I can hear the sound of the beating wings of painted lady butterflies as a pair dances by me through the air.
Today is #GivingTuesdayNow, an opportunity for us to come together as a community and show gratitude for essential things that we too often take for granted. Now more than ever, our connection to the land is essential for our well-being, and I am so grateful to be a Friend, helping to nurture that connection. While sheltering in place, we are still hard at work acquiring land, building new trails, and developing virtual educational resources for all ages.
Please join me in showing your gratitude for the land today in whatever way you can, by pausing to enjoy the sunset over our beautiful mountains, or sharing an observation of a flower or beetle you find outdoors, or making a donation to Friends of the Desert Mountains. Our desert, the plants and animals, and people who live here, and your generosity are essential parts of what makes the Coachella Valley so special.
Thank you, and I hope to see you on the trail again soon!
Elizabeth Ogren Erickson
Certified California Naturalist
Friends of the Desert Mountains Board Member
