Date and Time: Sunday, January 4, 2026, 2-4 pm, RAIN OR SHINE
Trip Leader: David Margolies (510-393-1858 cell, divaricatum@gmail.com)
Location: Huddart Park, 1100 Kings Mountain Rd, Redwood City, CA 94062 ($6 cash parking fee)
Meeting Place: In the parking lot for Huddart Park just past the pay station
David Margolies will lead a hike on the Crystal Springs Trail where fetid adder’s tongue (Scoliopus bigelovii, Liliaceae) usually blooms in early January. In most locations outside botanical gardens, it blooms in late January or early February, but we have seen it in bloom at Huddart Park most every year except 2013 and 2016.
This is a gentle trail, losing about 200 feet over about half a mile to the creek. We will walk to the creek and then return the same way. It is unlikely there will be any other flowers out this early, but the fetid adder’s tongue’s presence tells us that the new flower season has started. Other plants out of flower will also be identified. The area is second-growth redwood and mixed evergreen forest.
Note that you must pay the $6 parking fee even if the entrance booth is not staffed. Bring cash and use the envelopes provided outside the booth.
Note: There is poison oak in the park. Poison oak is dangerous even when it has no leaves. Stay on the trail. It will probably be muddy and may be raining. Be prepared. The walk will take place rain or shine.
—David Margolies, Treasurer and field trip leader, CNPS East Bay Chapter
December 2025
