Drinking water is not available in the lighthouse area due to a water line break. Be prepared and bring water if visiting the lighthouse. The nearest water fountains are at South Beach & Drakes Beach. The public restroom near the visitor center is closed. More
Drakes Beach Road now only open 10 am to 4 pm to better protect elephant seal pups.
Northern elephant seals have returned to Drakes Beach and given birth close to beach access points. To better protect the pups during this important time, this area will only be open when park staff and volunteers are present. The beach itself is closed. More
Sky lupine (Lupinus nanus) and California poppies (Eschscholzia californica).
Point Reyes National Seashore is a jewel in the California Floristic Province—one of 25 regions of the world where biological diversity is most concentrated and the threat of loss most severe. Unique geology, soils, and climate conditions make for a highly variable landscape within a relatively small land base. The Seashore encompasses over 70,000 acres of dunes, sandy and rocky beaches, coastal grasslands, Douglas fir and bishop pine forests, wetlands, chaparral, and wilderness lakes. The broad range of plant communities supports over 900 species of vascular plants—pretty amazing! This number represents about 15% of the California flora. Three plants are considered endemic to Point Reyes.
As native systems have been altered in other areas of California, many native plants have been pushed to the brink of extinction. Point Reyes National Seashore serves as a refuge for an astonishing number of these rare plants. Over 50 plants at Point Reyes are currently listed by the Federal government, State government, or the California Native Plant Society as being rare, threatened, or endangered. These threatened, rare, and endangered plants are actively monitored and managed by park scientists.
Unfortunately, approximately 300 of the plants within the park are not native. These include a wide variety of grasses in the pastoral zone, South African capeweed, scotch broom, pampas grass, and trees such as eucalyptus, cypress, and Monterey Pine. Invasive non-native species tend to spread very rapidly and out-compete native plants for scarce space and resources. To curb the tide of many of the Seashore's non-native invasive plants, volunteers are recruited to remove the most threatening species.
Note: Some organisms in this “Plants” category, such as marine plants and algae, are placed here for convenience, but they are not truly plants. Real plants include multi-cellular organisms that produce food through photosynthesis. The plant kingdom includes vascular plants (seedless and seed plants) and the bryophytes (liverworts, hornworts, and mosses).
Locations:Golden Gate National Recreation Area, John Muir National Historic Site, Muir Woods National Monument, Pinnacles National Park, Point Reyes National Seashore, Presidio of San Francisco
Offices:San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network
Meet GIS Intern Shea Nolan, get a peek at post-field season indoor botany, and test your invasive species ID skills in this fall-winter issue. Also catch invasive species profiles of two grassland troublemakers, Bromus tectorum and Rytidosperma penicillatum, and a native species profile on the charming redwood forest floor groundcover Oxalis oregana.
Locations:Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Point Reyes National Seashore, Presidio of San Francisco
Offices:San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network
You'll find coastal wetland wonders, Point Reyes post-fire monitoring, September invasive species surveys in the Presidio, and salt marsh plant community surveys featured in this issue. Noteworthy invasive species profiles include false ice plant and oxeye daisy, and don't miss a native species spotlight on the sticky, strangely shaped Point Reyes bird’s-beak, a threatened species in California!
Locations:Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods National Monument, Point Reyes National Seashore, Presidio of San Francisco
Offices:San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network
Internship projects, invasive species early detection surveys across Golden Gate, and plant community surveys in squishy salt marshes and dense Douglas-fir forests are among the features in this August issue of Botany News. You'll also find info on two high priority invasive plants to look out for, parrot's feather and old man's beard, and a native species spotlight on the beautiful, sturdy, and ecologically and ethnobotanically significant blueblossum ceanothus.
Locations:Golden Gate National Recreation Area, John Muir National Historic Site, Point Reyes National Seashore, Presidio of San Francisco
Offices:San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network
This July, the Invasive Species Early Detection team mapped invasive plants at John Muir National Historic Site and at Rancho Corral de Tierra and the Presidio of San Francisco in Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Yellow star thistle, Algerian sea lavendar, and Oppositeleaf Russian thistle emerged as noteworthy early detections. Meanwhile, the Plant Community Monitoring team surveyed freshwater marsh plots and shine a spotlight on the ecological benefits of poison oak.
Locations:Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Pinnacles National Park, Point Reyes National Seashore
Offices:San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network
Beyond the breath-taking views that give Bay Area national parks their claim to fame lie incredibly diverse plant communities. Since 2013, National Park Service botanists, seasonal technicians, interns, and volunteers have established and revisited over 150 permanent plots, building a baseline for long-term data collection. This summer's botany team has hit the ground running, enjoying snacks on the hillsides of Tennessee Valley and sleeping beneath the stars in Pinnacles.
415-464-5100
This number will initially be answered by an automated attendant, from which one can opt to access a name directory, listen to recorded information about the park (e.g., directions to the park; visitor center hours of operation; fire danger information; wildlife updates; ranger-led programs; seasonal events; etc.), or speak with a ranger. Please note that if you are calling between 4:30 pm and 10 am, park staff may not be available to answer your call.