Nestled amidst residential areas and surrounded by several schools, the Ojai Meadows Preserve (OMP) stands as OVLC’s most frequented preserve. With a quarter-million annual visitors, the OMP serves as a bustling hub, drawing in hikers, bikers, dog walkers, students, and nature enthusiasts alike. Yet, with thriving activity comes the pressing need for continuous maintenance and care of the preserve’s trails and infrastructure.

On a cloudy spring morning, warmth is hard to come by. Longer days awaken our solitary bees from their winter sleep, but cold mornings make it hard to move. And yet, rays of warmth can still be found between the grasslands, on the corners of oak dappled shade where the California buttercup hides.

Every sowing season brings something new—new observations, insights, and revelations. In fall, summer seed is sown, feathered lightly over germination mix with gentle and even swaths. I never count the chickens before the eggs hatch; make promises of life I cannot keep. At the end of the day, the decision is up to the seed. So, our nursery team asks, politely, in the right balance of temperature and water, for them to wake up.