Yesterday we had an extra work day for Connelly High School and Orangewood Academy for their Service Day.  The task of the day was to remove the invasive crystalline ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum) that is taking over the Point near the World War II gun mounts.  We had about 40 people in total and they pulled out 20+ bags of ice plant!  This ice plant is called crystalline ice plant because the plant is covered in fluid-filled sacs that look like crystals. Right now, it is mostly green but as the plant starts to flower and seed it turns a bright red color.  I had some students ask me about the wildflowers in the area for a school project and that was fun for me.  I like educating people about the plants, both native and non-native, that we have at Bolsa Chica.  We then took a short walk to check out the baby Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus).  The owls were napping and didn’t move too much, but the students were really happy to see them.  We finished off the morning with a tour on the walk back to the parking lot.

~Erin