OAK GLEN >>There are more than 30 varieties of native plants with flowers that range from vibrant red to mysterious black.
Look closely and you may see a darting movement around these delicate blooms…..the hummingbirds are feeding.
On Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., The Wildlands Conservancy opens a Hummingbird Hill section to its 2,000-plus acre Oak Glen Preserve.
The acre-plus segment of land is not quite complete. There’s a bog and a pond area in the planning stages.
But what’s there is complex exhibit of the bold flowering beauty which drought-tolerant native plants can provide.
And an additional benefit to planting them is their hummingbird-drawing magnetism, said Paul Melzer, director of mission advancement for The Wildlands Conservancy, which owns the Oak Glen Preserve.
Visitors to the preserve — which has no admission or parking charge — may see the 80 beats per minute wing flapping of a Rufous hummingbird or other varieties such as the Anna’s, Allen’s, and Black-chinned, he said.
“Everybody has a right to connect with nature,” Melzer said.
The Wildlands Conservancy, an Oak Glen-based organization, is California’s largest nonprofit nature preserve system. Its preserves includes 12 landscapes spanning over 145,000 acres of diverse mountain, valley, desert, river and ocean front properties, its Website says.
Visitors to the Hummingbird Hill exhibit will also be able to walk nearly five miles of nearby trails contained in the Oak Glen Preserve’s Southern California Montane Botanic Garden and Children’s Outdoor Discovery Center, Melzer said.
“I like the pond area the best,” said Alexandra Hall, 10, who was among the among these school children from Banning’s Hemmerling Elementary School, visiting the preserve Tuesday on a school field trip.
Despite the drought, the preserve’s spring-fed pond is still there, although the water level is down considerably from several years ago.
Saturday’s event will include a scavenger hunt, photo booth, face painting and other activities.
There will be guided interpretive walks at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.
And a night walk is slated for 7 p.m. The address is 39611 Oak Glen Road, in Oak Glen.
