This is a garden (San Joachin Wildlife Sanctuary)

If you want to take out-of-town visitors on a tame yet spectacular wildlife walk, bring them to San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary (SJWS) in Irvine.

SJWS contrast: verdant native plant and bird life set against artificial waterways and high rises.

Wide, level trails are accessible to old, young, even wheelchairs, and the Sea and Sage Audubon House and comfy restrooms make SJWS inviting for less-than-outdoorsy folks.  SJWS is a spectacular birding area, as well as an award-winning water purifier for the urban runoff from San Diego Creek.  It is also an easy place to see native plants in a nearly wild setting.

While Coastal Sage Scrub endures with no nearby water source, it seems to love to be within sipping distance of ponds.  This is Chapparal Mallow (Malacothamnus fasciculatus).

Ornamental native gardens surround some of the buildings.  The rest of the natives look wild.  But make no mistake: SJWS is not wild.  It is a garden.  Five full time gardeners maintain the plant life here.  Non-native (i.e. weed) removal is a never-ending job.  You will see fewer weeds at SJWS than in any truly wild area in the county (sadly.)

Mule Fat, a relative of my favorite Coyote Plant, in bloom.

The dominant plant at SJWS seems to be Mule Fat (Baccharis salicifolia.)  Its favorite habitat, the edge of a pond, is in great abundance here.  Mule Fat is a great wildlife plant, feeding everything from insects to deer.  Water-loving and rather shaggy, it is not first choice on my garden list. Its curious name apparently arose when Spaniards' mules who ate it got bloated.

A silvery Coastal Sage Scrub border: Elderberry in the background, blooming Bladderpod, and California Sagebrush up front. The density and verticality say "garden, not wild."

Aside from riparian (waterside) plants, Coastal Sage Scrub is the dominant habitat at SJWS.  Stands of wild roses (Rosa californica) are a particular delight.

Roses don't grow this thick and happy in the wild.  Enjoy!

SJWS is part of a "mitigation project" by the Irvine Company.  In my best understanding, the legal term "mitigation" means restoring an area to a passable resemblance of wild habitat in compensation for destroying a comparably-sized existing wild habitat by commercial development (i.e. subdivisions.)  This project cost over 12 million dollars, was a wonder of intergroup cooperation and, I suspect, has kept some wildlife biologists and native plant nurseries solvent.  They know what they're doing, or else they keep redoing it till it works.  One wonders what could happen if the big bucks were a little more evenly distributed among native restoration efforts.

The Sea and Sage Audubon House contains friendly staff, a great bookstore, news of classes and events, and a photo guide to native plants in the SJWS.

The Sea and Sage Audubon Society, quartered in the SJWS, offers a visitor center and variety of nature programs for children and adults.  Check here for more information, including classes and schedules.

Are you curious about native area restoration?  Check out this guide from Las Pilitas Nursery.

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