Today I hiked with a friend on Ring Mountain.  When I was a nature guide there in the 1980s, I learned about the Tiburon Mariposa Lily that was discovered in 1971.  From the photos, you can see its beauty and elusiveness.  It grows on serpentine soil that is surrounded by sandstone, so it never spread, and is protected along with other rare plants that grow on Ring Mountain. It blooms late May and early June, and it’s a gift to see it.  The land was previously owned by The Nature Conservancy and is now owned by the Marin County Open Space District.

The Coast Miwok lived and thrived here.  When I led groups of children who were in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade, we went through a grocery list of how everything we need to survive is here; food from the bay, acorns from oaks, a buckeye tree, quail, soap root for washing, pennyroyal for tea, tule for boats, beauty, and clean air.  The Miwok carved petroglyphs on the rocks facing west.