Classrooms, canyons, and a new appreciation for what grows wild at home
Jun 3, 2026
Nestled in the heart of San Bernardino National Forest, Mill Creek Canyon is home to many plant species within the Forest Falls community. Walking down the hiking trail, I first encounter a chaparral community, composed primarily of evergreen shrubs. As the trail continues downwards onto the mesic slope upon the creek, I found myself surrounded by riparian woodland tree species. It was this moment when I began to realize how much I have been underappreciating the beauty of the plant communities so close to home.
As a commuter student with limited opportunities to travel internationally, Professor Jim Blauth’s Plant Ecology May Term course was the perfect opportunity for me to experience the classroom outdoors. For one month, I hiked through seven different plant communities of Southern California, learning and identifying each species along the way.
The first trip was to the desert washes of the Coachella Valley, home to the Creosote bush. Further along the trail, scraping the fault lines, lies a hidden oasis composed of tall California Fan Palm and thin-bladed salt grass.
I then traveled to the higher deserts of Yucca Valley, where the infamous Joshua Tree calls itself home. The next stop was Mill Creek Canyon, which, of course, was comprised of White Alder and Cottonwoods of the riparian woodland community. Right in Redlands, I hiked through San Timoteo Nature Sanctuary, aka the community dominated by interior sage scrub, surveying the brittlebush and California buckwheat species. Heading south, I hiked through Sylvan Meadows, where the beautiful grasslands of Murrieta, along with the occasional Engelman Oak, can be found. Then it was back to Yucaipa, where the canopies of coast live oak towered over my head in Wildwood Canyon. For the final trip, I journeyed to Idyllwild, where I observed the montane pine forest, composed of tall Ponderosa and Jeffrey pines.
For students seeking a course that offers immersive, firsthand experiences with nature but don’t have the means to travel abroad, this course is for you. Though my time in this course has ended, I plan to continue exploring local plant communities to deepen my appreciation for the intricate relationships that shape the environment around me.