Forest Bathing Session After Walk into Regional Parks Botanic Garden

Today a hike from Grizzly Peak Blvd. to the Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park. Then a walk through the Botanic Gardens, a Forest Bathing session there, and return.
Bring water, wear sturdy footwear, hiking poles if used. About a three mile walk.

Along the way we'll stop in a special place for a terrific session of Forest Bathing. If you are new to Forest Bathing it is defined as a form of meditation where we allow our senses to be taken over by the nature surrounding us and become in that moment, overwhelmed by sensory feedback. Surrounded by the natural world, sensing it and feeling it more deeply until our attention is focused away from our everyday cares and concerns to a calmer place.

FB was pioneered in Japan where studies showed positive benefits in lowering blood pressure, stress levels and promoting stable mental and emotional health.

Meet on the sidewalk at the intersection of Arcade Ave. & Grizzly Peak Blvd. Suggest parking on Grizzly Peak, north or south of Arcade Ave. Or on Arcade Ave or below on Fairlawn Dr. below.

Shown below from the Regional Parks Botanic Garden web site. Stated there, "The total number of living accessions from known wild sources is 4,012."
The latest figures indicate California has 6,272 plant taxa, from the Ca. Coastal Comm. data. Not exactly comparable but interesting.

Living Collection of the Botanic Garden
The living collection at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden is presented geographically.
As of July, 2015, the breakdown of the collection is as follows:
To see the breakdown of the collection click.

Below are the eight habitats of Calif. as listed in the Audubon Field Guide to Calif. I present the above, and this information below to help identify the habitat of the plants we see in the Botanic Garden.

1. High Sierra Nevada Habitats
2. Habitats of Other Mountains: Coast R., Transverse, Cascade, Peninsular Ranges, Desert Mountains & Klamath Mountains. (Calif. has over 6000 named mountains.)
3. Coastal & Island Habitat: Rocky or Sandy&Dune Coasts&Channel Islands.
4. Deserts: Great Basin, Mojave and the Colorado deserts.
5. Grasslands of the Central Valley: namely Grasses and Vernal Pools
6. Coniferous Forests: Redwood, Yellow Pine, Temperate Rain Forests, Douglas Fir & Mixed Evergreen Forests.
7. Chaparral (a habitat unique to Calif.) & Coastal Scrub
8. Foothill Oak Woodlands: Calif.Oaks, 20 oak species found in Calif. 10 of which are endemic.
9. Urban & Suburban Areas: Many introduced plants and “artificial” habitats.

Meet on the sidewalk at the intersection of Arcade Ave. & Grizzly Peak Blvd. Suggest parking along Arcade Ave. or Grizzly Peak Blvd.

Walk to Regional Parks Botanic Garden + Forest Bathing Session

Host or Publisher Jordan M Herrmann