On Saturday evening, September 6, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m., my wife Rondia and I will lead a Full Moon Sunset Nature Hike to a place above the Ojai Valley where we can watch the sunset afterglow and the rising of the full moon over Sulphur Mountain. This is a unique Ojai experience made possible by trail access through an abundant chaparral landscape to an ideal vista point overlooking the east-west valley. All the while, the “pink moment” on the majestic Topa Topa Bluffs paints a commanding presence on the eastern horizon.

 

 

After witnessing the sunset and moonrise, we’ll walk back to the trailhead by remaining daylight, moonlight, and flashlight, returning to the trailhead at about 8:00. Registrants will receive instructions on where to park, what to bring, etc.

The After-Party: Then at 8:00 p.m. you’re invited to join me and Rondia on the heated patio at Liz and Jeremy Haffner’s Ojai Valley Brewery. Brewmasters Jeremy, Griffin Davis, and their staff will be pouring their amazing locally-sourced beers, ales, stouts, wines, and non-alcoholic beverages as we celebrate the full moon while “La Luna” continues to rise in the eastern sky.

 

El Maiz Mexican Food Truck will be there serving until 9:00 and a great reggae band, Adrian Floy & The Hearing Colors, is scheduled to play until 10:00. You are welcome to bring your own snacks or dinner, if you prefer.

 

To learn more, click here or on the photo of the full moon rising over Sulphur Mountain, August 30, 2023, by Joe P. Powers.

 

 

My in-person live slideshow topic is "The Twisted History of Herbal Medicine in America." In-person and online info and registration are available at this link, in the article below, or by clicking on the image above.

 

Please join me for a Fall Equinox Walkabout at Taft Gardens and Nature Preserve on Saturday, September 20, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. “Walkabout” is a term rooted in traditional Australian culture, symbolizing a temporary return to a simpler way of life, often undertaken during intervals between modern societal obligations and usually involving a period of travel through the bush. That is the essence of what I have planned for you in observance of the Fall Equinox.

 

Our walkabout will begin in the Australian section of the Gardens and ascend through the wild plant communities in the Nature Preserve to a vista point adorned with a four-directions stone circle on a mesa with a 360 degree view. There we will align with the four directions as we interact with the annual solar cycle and our own ancestral origins somewhere on Planet Earth.

 

As we do on my monthly Nature Education Preserve walks at the Taft Ranch, together we will identify and discuss useful plants and observe birds and animal signs. For the Walkabout, we'll focus on survival in the wild. Click here or on the photo of the Stone Compass to learn more or go straight to the Taft Gardens ticketing page to register.

 

On Sunday, September 28, I will lead my 12th annual Fall Equinox Nature Hike in the peaceful Mixed Conifer Forest on the “sky island” known as Pine Mountain (elevation: 7000 feet). I promise that first time visitors to this area will be surprised and delighted to find a thick forest of pines, white fir, and incense-cedar so close to the Ventura coast. If we’re lucky, pine nuts will be falling as we walk and we may have a view of Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands, as seen here in this photo by Erika Klohe. Click here or on the photo to learn more. 

 

When a full moon takes place while the moon is near its closest approach to Earth, it is called a Super Full Moon or Supermoon. On Tuesday evening, October 7, from 5:30:00 to 8:00 p.m., my wife Rondia and I will lead a Supermoon Sunset Nature Hike to a vista point above the Ojai Valley where we can watch the rising of the Super Full Moon over the iconic Topa Topa Bluffs to the east and the sunset afterglow over the mountains to the west. 

 

As usual, we'll stop along the way to meet some valuable edible and medicinal plants of the season. To learn more and sign up, please click here or on the photo by Carla Cahill.

 

On Sunday, October 26, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. we will return to the Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park for the second and last time this year. Also known as El Estero, the Nature Park is a rare saltwater wetland in Southern California. The park includes walking trails and interpretive signage. It is home to hundreds of migrating birds and other wildlife, including exotic sharks, rays and native fish when conditions are right. 

 

There is a great variety of edible and medicinal plants of the Coastal Strand and Coastal Sage Scrub plant communities for us to see and learn from. Useful native plants there include Blue Elderberry, California Blackberry, Grindelia, Lemonade Berry, Mugwort, Pickleweed, Wild Rose, and Coastal Sagebrush.

 

The cost is $25 for all ages.  Children 12-and-under are free, one per adult, by prior arrangement. To learn more and sign up, please click here or on the photo above.

Join Emily Watson of Artemisia Academy and me for a seasonal workshop on herbal remedies for supporting the immune system and easing coughs and colds. We’ll begin with a 2-hour herb walk to discover native and local plants traditionally used for respiratory health, immunity, and cold-season care. Then, Emily will guide you through making a potent sinus steam and a delicious elderberry syrup. At the end of class, you’ll take home your remedies and the knowledge to make them again. Please save the date and visit HerbWalks.com or watch for an email update when registration is open.