In 2010, local naturalist Roy van de Hoek re-discovered a rare yellow flowering plant in sandy dune soil along the Ballona Lagoon within the Marina Strand neighborhood. A long, narrow lagoon that once stretched uninterrupted from Playa del Rey to Venice, the Ballona Lagoon was historically hemmed in by foredunes on the west and backdunes on the east. When open to the ocean, it was the conduit for tidal channels of the Ballona Wetlands. It is now bisected by the Marina and Ballona Creek Channels, and its southern remnant is Del Rey Lagoon.
The dunes are long gone (save one remnant at Toes Beach in Playa del Rey), graded away first by oil development in the 1930s, and later for homes that now stand on both sides of the lagoon. Only a sandy sliver remains from Topsail to Ironsides Streets, bordered by Pacific Avenue on the west and the lagoon on the east (see the photo-map).
The flower discovery delayed a City of Los Angeles project to install a pedestrian trail with interpretive signs along Pacific Avenue all the way to Canal Court. A “social” trail had long existed there, along with the litter and dog waste that often accompanies such trails. The City project would remove non-native vegetation, plant natives and formalize and improve the trail in a regulated manner.
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Known as Orcutt’s Yellow Pincushion, the little yellow flower is a member of the sunflower family. There are dozens of varieties of pincushions across the arid west, known by the genus Chaenactis. The Orcutt’s variety is only found in a few places between San Diego and Ventura. While not officially “endangered” per state or federal listings, Orcutt’s is rare and declining, and deserving of special protection according to the California Native Plant Society, an organization of botanists and other environmental professionals that guides government on matters of native plant conservation.
The City amended the project to protect and enhance the Yellow Pincushion by including dog-resistant fencing along the trail and propagating the plants by collecting, replanting and watering the seeds. Despite concerns voiced by some(1), the California Coastal Commission approved the City’s amended plan and the project was executed.
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You can enjoy the trail, fencing and interpretive signs today, and see the results there of careful, professional management of the Orcutt’s Yellow Pincushion population. According to the City’s latest report submitted to the Commission, the pincushion population has doubled each year since 2010, increasing from 26,500 to 107,500 in 2012. About 2,000 seeds were sown in 2012 and seedlings were observed at all three new planting sites in January of this year, when the City prepared its report. Hooray for our Orcutt’s Yellow Pincushion, and everyone who has looked after its welfare!
Enjoy your Ballona Wetlands!
www.ballonafriends.org
