Peek Beneath the Water at the Lagoon Causeway

The Lagoon Causeway provides a unique opportunity to see what lives beneath the water. The Colorado Lagoon is connected to Marine Stadium and the Pacific Ocean, so you can see oysters, barnacles, and seaweed attached to the base of the bridge, as well as fish like yellowfin goby, sea mullet, and stingrays, and even the occasional octopus swimming in the shallow water. The bridge is a great place to stop and see what you can spot.

From a rest area to the left of the bridge you can see the restored West Arm of the lagoon. This is a protected conservation area that has been planted with seventeen varieties native plants. You can see one plant, pickleweed, which is uniquely adapted to living near salt water: it stores toxic salt in the tips of its succulent leaves which turn dark red and eventually drop off when too much salt has accumulated, protecting the rest of the plant. Though some areas may look like open beach they are actually delicate habitat for plants and animals so please admire the conservation area from a distance and do not walk beyond the fence.

Busy Hummingbirds and Lazy Sunsets at the Benches

These benches commemorate the efforts of Ray Thorn and Cindy Desatoff, early advocates for preservation of the lagoon. Not only do these benches face the sunset, but they are backed by a sage scrub habitat of native plants. Behind those in the golf course you can see bottlebrush trees covered in red flowers. Though bottlebrush trees are originally from Australia, local hummingbirds love them and can be heard trilling and seen darting in and out of the trees all year long.

On this grassy bank you can sit under the shade of palms and a large Tree of Heaven and watch over ten species of ducks searching for food in the lagoon. Take a moment to recognize how different the plants here are from the restored West Arm: there are a lot fewer species overall, little ground cover to provide homes to wildlife, and fewer flowers to provide nectar and seeds for insects and birds. Everything in this section from the grass (from Europe), to the palms (from Mexico), and Tree of Heaven (from China) were imported as decorative plants and can pose a threat to the native plant species that support our local wildlife.

As you walk a path along Monrovia Avenue, you can see the restored bluff habitat of the lagoon's east bank. This includes native plants like California brittlebush and bladderpod which have stunning yellow flowers in the winter. The nectar in these flowers are critical food for pollinators like honey bees and hummingbirds. Hummingbirds must drink their own weight in nectar every day to survive.

It is easy to think of the lagoon as a closed pond, but it is actually connected to Marine Stadium by a culvert under East Colorado Street. This culvert means that the lagoon fills and empties with the tides, not only improving water quality but allowing access to fish and other marine life. There are plans to renovate the inlet, changing it from a closed culvert to a wider open waterway, providing cleaner water and more natural habitat.