The Elfin Forest is a most appropriate name for the Santa Monica Mountains chaparral community. Looking at chaparral from the perspective of elves and fairies, shrubs become magnificent trees spreading over nooks and glens. Spring begins soon after the first rains. Although no season will be totally without flowers, the majority of blooms can be seen from late January through June.

Santa Monica Mountains Flowering Seasons Currants and gooseberry January-May California lilac February-May Canyon and Bush sunflowers March-June Monkeyflower March-August Lupines March-May California Fuschia August-November

Low rainfall(13"- 14" per year) is a major influence on the plant life here. Root systems are deep and widespread, anchoring plants while enabling them to gather both ground water and rain water efficiently. Fog is another important source of water in these coastal mountains. However, plants must be very careful water conservationists if they are to survive for months without rain. Leaves tend to be small and thick with hard, waxy coatings. Pores through which water is lost are reduced in number and found on lower leaf surfaces. These lower sides are often protected by down covered edges or by hairs which trap water vapor. Light colored, heat reflecting lower surfaces keep leaf temperatures down.

Chaparral animals have evolved drought resistant behaviors similar to desert animals. Not many large animals venture out during the heat of the day. Some lizards have special kidneys which excrete a semi-solid urine, avoiding even that water loss. Many animals live in underground burrows where the temperature changes are much less extreme.

The way in which nutrients are recycled is another unique aspect of the chaparral community. Decay is necessary to the cycle of life. Fungi, earthworms, insects and bacteria all utilize dead material as food and return organic compounds to the soil. Plants need these compounds to grow. Animals either feed on the plants (herbivores) or each other (carnivores). However, in our Mediterranean climate with its warm, dry summers, little decay takes place. The nutrients in the soil are slowly used up. The major soil rejuvenator in the chaparral community is fire. This traditional enemy of man is a natural part of this ecosystem. It is estimated that an average stand of chaparral burned every twenty-five years before man's intervention. The native plants, apparently devastated, are well adapted to fire. Some seeds are only ready to sprout after cracking in the heat of fire. Some plants regrow quickly out of charred, and seemingly dead, stumps. Some trees have thick bark and slow-to-burn leaves which save them in many of these fast moving fires. For all plants, the open spaces and enriched soil cause a growing spree that results in a full grown chaparral stand in just a few years. Fire does not leave a permanent scar on this landscape.

All in all, the chaparral supports a unique and complex ecosystem. The closer you look, the more you'll find to appreciate.