The California Native Plant Society, Channel Islands Chapter, is kicking off the statewide CA Native Plant Week with a plant sale on Saturday, April 15 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the third level parking area behind the Ventura City Hall on Poli St.

While you're there, or just as easily online, please become a member and support the nonprofit organization that does more than any other to preserve California's native landscape.

Join me on Saturday, April 22, for a 1.5 hour Nature Walk during the annual Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center Open House. I’ll take a break from our Herb Walks Bookstore booth at 1:00 p.m. to lead a walk up the nearby Wheeler Gorge Nature Trail.

There is no admission to the Open House itself which runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. My walk is specially priced at just $15. Kids 5-12 can come along free, one per adult.

To ensure your space, register here in advance.

Celebrate Earth Day with an educational Herb Hike to Matilija Campground. The trail will take us into the Matilija Wilderness, one of my favorite locations in the Los Padres National Forest. The views of the surrounding mountains are stunning and there is a great diversity of riparian and chaparral plant life to identify, sample and discuss.

Once at the campground, we’ll practice cracking open and eating sweet Southern California Black Walnuts, one of the foods that foragers covet.

Read more and sign up here.

If you are 50 years of age or older, you can sign up for "Drought Defense: Native Plants for the Garden," my 4-week slideshow and field study course presented by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), a branch of the California State University, Channel Islands, Extended University program.

There's still time to register but the deadline is coming up. Learn more here.

Due to the overwhelming response to the April 8 hike at this venue, I have scheduled a second walk there so that no one has to miss it this spring.

I have been offered the opportunity to lead an Herb Walk on a beautiful private ranch in the Ojai mountains. One of the conditions is that I cannot divulge the location to the public. All I can say is that it’s a rare and special place where I have been longing to lead a walk for years. There are no public trails that allow access to this area. The property includes plants and features beyond what we usually encounter on my outings, including a renowned Mediterranean climate botanic garden. Once you register, I will send an email with photos and more details.

The California Native Plant Society, Channel Islands Chapter, is kicking off the statewide CA Native Plant Week with a plant sale on Saturday, April 15 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the third level parking area behind the Ventura City Hall on Poli St.

While you're there, or just as easily online, please consider becoming a member and supporting the nonprofit org that does more than any other to preserve our native landscape.

On Saturday, May 6, we'll go deep into the Sespe Wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest on Potrero John Creek, 20 miles north of Ojai. We'll cover 1.7 miles each way on a mostly level trail with very gradual elevation gain through chaparral and riparian settings, beginning at 3700 feet.

This hike is presented under a Special Use Permit from the Ojai Ranger District Office of the U.S. Forest Service designed for guides who provide recreational and interpretive services to the public.

To learn more and sign up, click here.

Here's a chance to make a small but significant contribution to the planet on Earth Day by supporting my friend Alvany's Santiago Eco Peace Living project near her hometown in Brazil. It's small scale, hand labor intensive, tree planting effort and just a few donations from my readers could make it happen. Let's give her the Herb Walks bump! Here's a link to the Indiegogo campaign, "Building a paradise in the Atlantic forest."

Did you know the third week of April is officially designated as California Native Plant Week by the CA State Legislature? From April 15 to April 23 celebrate California's biodiversity with one of many options right here in this newsletter.

Looking for a birthday or Mother's Day gift for that unique nature-loving person in your life?

Learn more here and order one today.