April showers bring wildflowers, and they’re already starting to show. Hills hikers are being treated to verdant grasses and early blooms at sites in our East Bay Regional Park District.
The Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve is one of many stellar spots to see pink-flowering currant, star-like California manroot, delicate pink pallid manzanita and the aromatic canyon gooseberry. Interpretive signs in Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve on Skyline Boulevard let you take a self-guided walk along the lush, ridgeline trail, identifying plants as you look out over vast swaths of unspoiled land in the valley below.
If you prefer a guided, group experience, the next free, 2-mile stroll will start at 9:30 a.m. April 26. It’s open to the public, and no reservations are required. Meet at Huckleberry’s staging area on Skyline. For more information, visit bit.ly/42fpaQv online or call 510-544-3187.
Native gardens: It’s been 21 years since the East Bay saw its first Native Garden Tour, and the event returns with two days of online garden tours this weekend (from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday) to get you ready for spring planting. Registration is free (donations are encouraged) and the Zoom event is a prelude to the in-person tours of more than 50 native plant gardens from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m May 3-4.
The tours showcase homes with earth-friendly features as well as native plant gardens that attract birds, bees and butterflies. There are also talks on fire-resistant native plants, water conservation and more. To register for the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour and Green Home Features Showcase, go online to bringingbackthenatives.net/garden-tour-registration.
Around town: Restaurant owners are preparing for Tuesday’s Taste of Montclair Village next week, a dine-around that includes tastes and sips from Village favorites like 5 Spiced Kitchen, Crogan’s, Daughter Thai Kitchen, El Agavero, Italian Colors and other popular purveyors of food and drink.
The event is like a street fair with crafts and free children’s activities, live music in the plaza, giveaways and discounts at Montclair’s many boutique shops. You can see the list of participants and find out about tickets to the Tuesday evening event online at events.humanitix.com/taste-of-montclair-village.
Fond farewell: Patrons of Perle Wine Bar and Bistro said their goodbyes this past Sunday, the restaurant’s last day in business after eight years in Montclair.
Chef/owner Rob Lam and business partner Marcus Garcia said they’ll miss serving the neighborhood despite the economic challenges since the COVID-19 pandemic. The prime location on Mountain Boulevard will hopefully bring interest from other high-end restaurants.
Zoo news: Briar, a rescued mountain lion, will make his permanent home at the Oakland Zoo. The orphaned cub was discovered in El Dorado County at just four weeks of age. Zoo staff tried to rehome the growing cat after rehabilitation but have since decided that he’s adapting quite well to his current enclosure.
Briar can’t be released into the wild because mountain lions need two years with their mothers to learn how to survive. Fans can watch Briar run, jump, climb and rest in his hammock on the zoo’s online cat cam at oaklandzoo.org/webcams/mountain-lion-cam.
Ginny Prior can be reached at ginnyprior@hotmail.com and followed on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and at ginnyprior.com.