Wendy Dreskin
Naturalist / Nature Educator

 

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Point Reyes Field Institute Class: Wildflowers and Elephant Seals of Chimney Rock

Class date / time: 

Saturday, April 13  2024  9 AM - 1 PM PDT

Instructor: 

Wendy Dreskin

Fee: 

$50

Non-Member Fee: 

$60

Location:

Meet at Chimney Rock

 

     Join me to explore and learn about the colorful spring kaleidoscope that

blooms in great profusion along the bluffs of Point Reyes. This will be a day to

treat the senses!  We will spend the day examining and identifying the many

species of flowers found here, and learning about their native American uses,

the butterflies that use them as host plants, and the botanists who introduced

them to Western science.

 

      At a stop at the Elephant Seal Overlook you’ll have a chance to observe the elephant seals and learn about their comeback from the brink of extinction, the amazing adaptations that allow them to dive to depths of over a mile, the separate male and female migration routes, and how they meet “same time next year” at Point Reyes to breed.

 

     While the focus is on flora and elephant seals, be prepared to stop for any surprises along the way. In past years we’ve seen migrating grey whales, coast garter snakes, river otters, coastal green hairstreaks, and peregrine falcons.  

 

      Meet at the Chimney Rock parking lot. Please carpool if possible, as parking is very limited.  Be sure to be on time (or early!) as the lot fills up.  

 

 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wildflowers-and-elephant-seals-of-chimney-rock-tickets-789770694407?aff=oddtdtcreator

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Point Reyes Field Institute Class: Butterflies for Beginners  

Class date / time: 

Saturday, April 27 2024   11 AM to 2 PM PDT

Instructor: 

Wendy Dreskin

Fee: 

$50

Non-Member Fee: 

$60

Location:

Muddy Hollow Trail,  Limantour Road, Point Reyes National Seashore

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Explore the butterflies of Muddy Hollow from swallowtails to checkerspots and blues! Observe their behaviors and identify host plants.

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      In this introduction to butterflies you’ll meet 8 -12 species from different families (Swallowtails, Brushfoots, Gossamer Wings, Pierids, and Skippers) and have a chance to observe behaviors like nectaring, puddling, and possibly mating or egg laying.  You’ll learn host plants and nectar plants for various species, and which have adapted to non-native host plants.  Find out the best places in Marin to go to see less common butterflies, like our California state butterfly, the California Dogface.  This class is excellent preparation for the Marin Butterfly Count in June which is the butterfly community’s equivalent to the Christmas Bird Count. At the end of the day you’ll be ready to continue the fascinating study of butterflies on your own.    Note:  This is NOT a collecting class.  Collecting butterflies is not permitted at Point Reyes National Seashore. All butterflies we visit with are returned to their habitat unharmed.

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https://www.eventbrite.com/e/butterflies-for-beginners-tickets-790406736827?aff=oddtdtcreator                                                                                                                                                            

 

PREVIOUS CLASS LISTINGS AND EVENTS

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FOSC Speaker Event March 9th 2024
 

Our featured speaker Wendy Dreskin
 

FOSC has organized a speaker event at the Women's Club building 46 Park Road, Fairfax, CA 94930 at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 9th with fascinating and informative talks on numerous aspects of the Wall Property underscoring its value to our town as an open space treasure.

 

Wendy Dreskin is a long term educator and writer about the environment and conservation in Marin, a renowned recipient of the Terwillinger Environmental Award. 

 

Please click on link for more information:

https://web-extract.constantcontact.com/v1/social_annotation_v2?permalink_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fconta.cc%2F3Tj3bVi&image_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com%2F99529475701%2F8c5efd8a-67fc-4f7b-9505-69b340281954.jpg&fbclid=IwAR2gBjdSQj2hyNoqYa9tsvidATo3DYEFfLkZ7oxzxbfoSvq-uuNIGFkP2tc_aem_AfZ6PWx9tLf4lbd8Hic-TJAHn4PwU9-BxO4mSgnI66JaouHIR-nLPAGh0fdg0-I-qGE

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Mt. Tamalpais State Park Science Quest Day

Sponsored by Friends of Mt. Tam in Partnership with California State Parks and One Tam

 

Become One with Nature

Date and time

Sat, October 1, 2022

 

10:30 AM – 12:30 PM PDT

 

Join Wendy Dreskin on an exploration of the shady Cataract Trail which runs along Cataract Creek through Douglas Fir forest. We'll stop to learn about trees, ferns, birds, butterflies and other insects, and anything else of interest that we encounter. This is a chance to learn about Native American uses of plants, what plants butterflies lay eggs on, who David Douglas was and why so many plants are named for him, and more. Suitable for families with children who are interested in nature and are comfortable hiking 2.5 miles.

 

Free but pre-registration required.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/become-one-with-nature-tickets-402140632457?aff=odcleoeventsincollection

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Point Reyes Institute Class: Butterflies for Beginners  

Class date / time: 

Sunday, April 24, 2022      10:30 AM – 2:30 PM PDT

Instructor: 

Wendy Dreskin

Fee: 

$50

Non-Member Fee: 

$60

Location:

Muddy Hollow Trail,  Limantour Road, Point Reyes National Seashore

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Explore the butterflies of Muddy Hollow from swallowtails to checkerspots and blues! Observe their behaviors and identify host plants.

 

From swallowtails to blues, we will search for a variety of species and observe behaviors like puddling, nectaring, and maybe even egg laying. We’ll learn to recognize various native host plants like alders, ocean spray, milkmaids, sticky monkeyflower, yarrow, and purple needle grass as well as introduced plants that native butterflies have adapted to like English plantain. We will also look at native and non-native nectar plants including coastal hedge nettle, California blackberry, wild radish and thistles.

 

Butterflies we have seen during previous April classes in Muddy Hollow include Western Pine Elfins, California Ringlets, Red Admirals, Two Banded Skippers, Mylitta Crescents, Mourning Cloaks, and Painted Ladies.

 

Class includes an opportunity to view a number of butterfly and caterpillar field guides and learn the pros and cons of different resources.

 

This class is great preparation for the North American Butterfly Association annual butterfly count in June, the butterfly community’s equivalent of the Christmas Bird Count.

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https://www.eventbrite.com/e/butterflies-for-beginners-tickets-255461611557