Ecological Musings: Edgewood Preserve, Redwood City, CA -- May 9th, 2025

Background:

I’m currently taking a California Ecology class. One of the class assignments is to keep a field journal of each of our weekly trips. Today’s journal is about my least favorite location: Edgewood Nature Preserve.

Baseline Data

Name: Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve

Address: 10 Old Stage Coach Road, Redwood City, CA, 94062

Coordinates: 37.4733° N, -122.2783° W

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Date: Friday, May 9, 2025
Time: 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM

🌤️ Weather Overview

  • Temperature:

    • High: 82°F (27.8°C)

    • Low: 42°F (5.6°C)

  • Cloud Cover: Approximately 73%

  • Wind:

    • Direction: west-southwest (WSW)

    • Speed: Average speed of 15.4 mph (24.8 km/h)

  • Humidity: Around 35%

  • Precipitation: Approximately 0.027 inches

Hilariously, Edgewood has always been one of my least favorite hikes. This is, in large part, because I always get a heat + sun induced headache after the hike is over. Outside of the uniqueness of the serpentine grasslands at Edgewood, the hike feels like a quintessential NorCal hike. By that, I mean, I feel like there’s not really much to see except for a lot of trees. You’ll see the occasional tiny species and, if you’re lucky, a snake. But that’s about it.

We did encounter a few pretty cool sights, though. I was particularly fascinated by the spittle bug cocoons that lined some of the plants in the chaparral. They reminded me of silkworm cocoons.

Spittlebug Cocoons

We also encountered some really pretty flower species including fairy lantern lilies and yarrow. This trip actually inspired me to plant some yarrow in my backyard. I didn’t realize you could make a delicious, mild tea out of it that is good for alleviating stomach issues. It can also be used to stop bleeding in wounds.

My brother and I have an inside joke where, whenever we encounter serpentine grassland, we always shout “OH MY GOD IT’S THE SERPENTINE GRASSLAND!!!” because that’s literally the most interesting part of the Edgewood hike. What’s intriguing about it is that, despite its high magnesium and nickel content and extremely low nitrogen content, certain plant species have adapted to thrive in serpentine soil. For some reason, every time we go on this hike, we keep missing the brief period of time where gorgeous poppies line the grassland. As such, it just ends up looking like an empty field of tall grass and nothing: a tick’s paradise.

By far, however, the coolest thing we saw on this hike was this rattlesnake that was certainly not in the mood to see us.

Oh and one final note! Apparently you should never pick up a furry caterpillar because their hairs are venomous and will cause a very painful sting.

huda .