This spring's Sunday Herb Walks in downtown Ojai are wrapping up this month. On June 13 we'll visit historic Libbey Park and on June 27 we'll go to Cluff Vista Park, a native plant demonstration garden designed by renowned Ojai landscape architect Tom Bostrom. Both places are easy walks, wheelchair-accessible, and are home to many useful plants that can grow in Southern California landscapes.

 

Read more about the series at this link or sign up for individual walks in the Herb Walks Events schedule above.

The Ojai Valley Green Coalition is offering local Ojai kids ages 8-11 an innovative new program called "Relatives with Roots: Arts & Education in the Natural World." I'm honored to be one of the presenters along with Chumash elder Julie Tumamait-Stenslie and artist Vera Long. The program is free of charge, thanks to several grants. Three sessions are still accepting enrollment. Beginning June 19,  each consists of two consecutive Saturday classes from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. at Cluff Vista Park in downtown Ojai. Click on the image above or this link to learn more and register your child.

The Environment Now Foundation recently released a new wildfire report, From the Home Outward: Lessons from California for Federal Wildfire Policy, which details strategies for mitigating risks to communities while recognizing the important role fire plays in many of California’s unique ecosystems. The report’s sections were co-authored by various fire scientists, ecologists, and conservationists, including two friends of Herb Walks: Los Padres ForestWatch’s conservation director, Bryant Baker, and California Chaparral Institute's Richard Halsey.

I'm in the last phase of reviewing the copy-edited manuscript for my book, Medicinal Herbs of California: A Field Guide to Common Healing Plants. It's due to be published by Falcon Guides on November 1, 2021. The first-of-its-kind statewide field guide to more than 70 common medicinal plants of California, the book includes principles of herbal remedies, history and roots in native cultures, current scientific information, and how to find and incorporate medicinal plants into daily life. 

 

The guide features 200 color photos for positive identification and nearly the same number of citations to references supporting the scientific information for those who wish to dig deeper.

 

It's available for pre-order now on my website at this link. If you decide to buy one now or at some point in the future -- and would like a signed copy -- please purchase from me. Also, quite frankly, I can earn a few dollars from the sale if you buy it direct. If you do end up buying it on Amazon and you like it, please write a review. Good ones are worth their weight in gold.