This private non-profit garden/arboretum supports the graduate botany program of Claremont Graduate University. There is a grand selection of California natives in their natural state. The variety of oaks, including live oak, huckleberry oak, majestic oak makes for many happy squirrels. The Coulter Pine produces pine cones once called “widow makers” by lumberjacks because the weight of the cone, some as much as 40lbs., could end a life if you were cracked on the head. The cones when open are as sharp and fierce as bear claws.
July is a dry month for a visit but it gives you a clear understanding of how fire can race up a hill and engulf everything in its path. The monarch butterflies gather at the orchid tree’s purple and white blooms. The hummingbirds feast on the pride of madeira’s purple spikes of bloom. Trees are featured here with a fan palm oasis of trees rising 70’ in height and with the spent leaves hanging in a thatch. Wandering through this shaded natural area is a great walk after a long drive. The multi colored flagstone path is a beautiful pattern of colors and shapes.
