7.  Piedras Pintadas Botany (Wildflowers)

Discover Just How Biodiverse the San Dieguito Watershed Really Is!  

Saturday, April 11, 2026

9 am - 4 pm

Expert: Caitlin Kreutz

Maps: Google Map for this ESP session

Map of the Piedras Pintadas and Bernardo Bay trails (.pdf)

The ESP Café will be OPEN at 8:30. Join us for juice, coffee, light breakfast items and great conversation!

Recommended Reading:  

SAN DIEGO:  An Introduction to the Region by Philip R. Pryde

• Chapter 16: Fun in the Sun: Regional Recreation Facilities.

COAST TO CREST AND BEYOND: Across San Diego County by car along the San Dieguito River

by Wolf Berger, Ph.D.

• Chapter 4: Lake Hodges and San Pasqual Valley.

• Appendix IV: Plants of the San Dieguito River Valley: Pages 140 - 143. 

This will be a day of plants, color, waterfalls and views.  

We will meet at the Ed Brown Senior Center in the Rancho Bernardo Community Park.  The Senior Center is located at 18402 West Bernardo Drive, San Diego, CA 92127, (858) 487-9324 (more information on the location is at the EdBrownCenter.org). Jonathan Appelbaum, the former SDRVC Conservation Manager, will present a lecture and slideshow about the botany in our watershed. 

We will then head out onto the Piedras Pintadas Trail.  Along the way, Jonathan will point out and explain many of the botanical residents.  Our lunch and Reflection will be on Piedras Pintadas Ridge, which overlooks much of east Lake Hodges, including Bernardo Bay and Bernardo Mountain.  While Piedras Pintadas Trail does involve some elevation gain, it is still an easy to moderate 3-mile loop, and one may return to the Senior Center at any time.

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