Sign Hill Stewards March Newsletter

Dear Sign Hill Stewards, We are excited to launch our first Sign Hill Stewards newsletter, as part of our Sign Hill Habitat Restoration Project. Read on for information about volunteer events, updates on the project, environmental education opportunities, and nature sightings on Sign Hill! We are so thankful for the community support we have received beginning this project! Your work will have a lasting impact on the health of the Sign Hill ecosystem. We hope to see you on the hill as this project grows! Best,  Emma Lewis Natural Resources Specialist Leading the Sign Hill Habitat Restoration Project

Volunteer with Sign Hill Stewards! Wednesday March 11th & Saturday March 14th 9 am -12 pm

Register Here! Many rare plant and animal species live on Sign Hill’s native grasslands, including the endangered mission blue butterfly. Help us conserve and restore their habitat by removing invasive plants and planting native plants! Sign Hill Stewards will do important work while also learning more about the wildlife in their backyard.

What's New on Sign Hill?

This winter we hosted our first Sign Hill Stewards volunteer events. Thank you to the 100 volunteers who participated in habitat restoration work on Sign Hill! We planted 500 pollinator-friendly native plants and removed 1,000s of invasive plant seedlings. Special thanks to the Oakland Military Institute Running Grizzlies team and the South San Francisco Improving Public Places group for volunteering with us!

Volunteers did an amazing job removing invasive Italian thistle seedlings threatening native grasslands.

New growth on a young silver lupine, host plant for the endangered Mission Blue Butterfly! This plant was grown by volunteers at the Mission Blue Nursery.

South San Francisco's Improving Public Places took on Sign Hill in February, planting almost 200 native plants!

Environmental Education Opportunities

Introduction to Plant Identification Workshop - Free Saturday April 18th 10 am - 1 pm

Have you ever wondered what plants are growing around your house and in your local parks? Join us for a morning of botanizing on Sign Hill, a beautiful park with many wildflowers, shrubs, and trees. Participants will learn how to recognize common Bay Area plants. They will be provided a Sign Hill plant field guide as well as worksheets with tips on plant identification. Register Here!

San Bruno Mountain Conference Sunday April 19th 8:45 am - 4:45 pm

Conference attendees will learn about the fascinating ecology and history of San Bruno Mountain from a variety of speakers including ecologists, botanists, natural resource managers and local history experts . Emma Lewis, Natural Resources Specialist for the SSF Parks and Recreation Department, will be presenting on the Sign Hill Habitat Restoration Project and volunteer opportunities on Sign Hill. Join us in supporting the efforts of our San Bruno Mountain friends!

More Information

Tickets

Nature Sightings on Sign Hill Keep an eye out for these wildflowers and pollinators on your next hike!

Silver lupine ( Lupinus albifrons ) Yellow-faced bumblebee ( Bombus vosnesenskii ) foraging for pollen and nectar on a silver lupine. The native silver lupine provides food for a variety of pollinators, including the endangered Mission Blue butterfly ( Icaricia icarioides missionensis ). Sign Hill is one of the few places in the world where the Mission Blue butterfly is still found.

Golden violet / Johnny-Jump-up ( Viola pedunculata ) Golden violet flowering on Sign Hill. This important, native wildflower is the host plant for the endangered Callippe silverspot butterfly ( Speyeria callippe callippe ).

Anise Swallowtail ( Papilio zelicaon ) Anise swallowtail sunning itself at the top of Sign Hill. This native butterfly, as a caterpillar, feeds on plants in the carrot family. It is common in the Bay Area due to its ability to feed on the invasive weed fennel (also in the carrot family). As an adult, it relies on native wildflowers like lomatium for nectar.