The Blow Sand Habitat
The church is built within what was once 270 square miles of blowing sand dunes. There is now just 5% of it remaining. Most of the church grounds is now stabilized sand but there is one section where the wind blows around the building and maintains a small blow sand system. In that little area, the endangered Coachella Valley milkvetch lives and even thrives, one of just 30 remaining locations of this remarkable species.
Creating the Garden
We have kept the blow sand area free of people or development for years. The new garden opens it up so people can see our little beauties, but it is critical to not harm the blow sand system. The sand is like a river, with sand flowing into and out of the area. As the surrounding neighborhood is developed we are trying to maintain the river of sand that feeds this living system.
With an extremely light touch, this Habitat is a simple rock lined path through the area, with minimal planting.
Enjoy!
We created 500 feet of path through the Habitat, gently lined with small stones. The trail invites you to come in and experience the land of the milkvetch.
We placed over thirty small plant ID tags on the perennial vegetation, and will place tags for the annuals when they appear each year.
White Sage, Salvia apiana
Just before the entrance to the garden, we planted a White Sage. As the years pass, we hope to fill the surrounding area with the offspring.
Burning white sage, also known as smudging, is a practice used to cleanse a space or person of negative energy. It’s a tradition of many Native American cultures including the Cahuilla. As the practice has become more popular, white sage plants in the wild have been harvested and decimated. If you purchase white sage for smudging please ensure that it was responsibly grown. Or grow your own!
Mesquite Grove
High above the Blow Sand Habitat is a linear grove of Mesquite. Still tiny, this keystone species will greatly enhance the habitat for wildlife, providing a food source, shelter and nesting, and shade.
You will find Honey Mesquite (Neltuma odorata) and the comical Screwbean Mesquite (Prosopis pubescens) planted in the grove, just above the top of the trail.
Questions, so many questions
There are several non-native, ornamental plants in the area. Do we keep them? What about the California Fan Palm that sprouted when we had an undetected irrigation leak? Do we let it die and become habitat for bees and bugs?
Will the small stones be enough to mark the trail given the high winds? We will see. We start with as small of impact as we can.