Orange County-based Raw Food Chef Alysha Maiorelli taught another inspiring raw foods class at the ENC last night! Alysha taught participants the art of blending organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds to create delicious and simple soups and smoothies! Alysha prepared a Cookies N’ Cream Smoothie, Strawberry Milkshake, Green Smoothie Magic, Chocolate Almond Fudge D-Lish Milkshake, Cucumber Dill-licious Soup, Heirloom Tomato Basil Soup w/ Garlic Aioli, Creamy Corn Chowder w/ Fixins’ and Luscious Avocado Herb Soup. Participants tasted samples of all soups and smoothies prepared during the class. Participants sampled a variety of Coconut Bliss Ice Cream (organic, diary-free, soy-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free). By the end of the class we were all very full!

Painting the habitats for our imaginary creatures. Catching (and releasing) crayfish! Playing indoor games in our library. Puzzle time! Students used armatures to create the “head” of their choice. Even the lizards came out to check out the action! More fun with crayfish. The Nature Games kids take a break from running about the Center! There are fewer pictures of them simply because they never stayed still! Day one of Camp found our Nature Games Campers sitting out the rain over a game of chess. They are very good!

Brittlebush Fuchsia flowering gooseberry Hummingbird sage Blackberry Redbud Bitter Cherry Blue eyed grass Island morning glory Fairy duster Seaside daisy Beavertail

Marc Shargel’s beautiful photography books are still for sale at the ENC – at prices WAY below anywhere else!Marc signing a book for a guest – some of the books we have for sale are signed by Marc, the author/photographer!Guests enjoyed a fabulous photographic journey along California’s coast. We were reminded that everything is connected, and that we need to work to protect the ocean’s biodiversity before it is too late.

Meghan is READY with her lab coat, clip board & loud speaker!Leslie informs the students of the crime and describes the steps they must take to solve it.Students take water samples to see if the water is safe for tree frogs (the victim).Interviewing Bo, our Executive Director.Interviewing Mike our Grounds Coordinator.Examining particulates to establish the content of our pond water. Is there algae for the tadpoles to eat?Students presented their case in front of the District Attorney and the Courtroom.

Wildflower season has started here at the ENC. While we do not have a large display of annual wildflowers, our shrubs and trees are putting on quite a show – especially the Ceanothus!Island snapdragon glows in the late afternoon sunset and columbine flowers nod in the cool late Winter breeze.Manzanita flowers reward those patient enough to seek them out, and the western redbud blooms entice fuzzy native bees with their sweet scent and tasty nectar – in exchange for a little pollination action, of course! Join us for a Wildflower Walk on 4-10 at 1PM. RSVP to 949-645-8489 or lori(at)encenter.org

Helen delaMaza represented Population Connection in February and provided training to ENC staff and visiting teachers. Population Education’s lesson plans are all about people–how the human race has grown and shaped the world around us. World population has quadrupled in the past century, changing the way we use natural resources and function as societies. Population education is the ultimate multidisciplinary field; it is ecology, human geography, anthropology, economics, biology, public health, sociology, environmental studies, history and civics all rolled into one. ENC Naturalists Mark & Leslie help pollute the “Potamic.” All of Population Connection curriculum materials are classroom-tested, rigorously evaluated and frequently updated to be leaders in their content and approach. All lessons are interdisciplinary and well suited for a cooperative learning environment. Population Connection…

Chaparral, Fire, and Grizzly Bears: A different way to view Orange County Nature A presentation by Richard W. Halsey Thursday, February 25, 2010 The Laguna Canyon Foundation and the Environmental Nature Center presented writer, naturalist, and director of The California Chaparral Institute for this indoor “trailside chat.” Of all the distinct, natural communities in California, only one is found throughout and only one can be said to represent the state’s most characteristic wilderness: the chaparral, an association of remarkable plants and animals shaped by summer drought, winter rain and an extremely fragile relationship with wildfire. Guests explored the chaparral’s unique natural history, its importance to Orange County, and why it represents such a vital link to nature for all Californians. Avanti Cafe donated a platter…

ENC Grounds Coordinator Mike Swingholm shows Daisy Girl Scouts how to plant plants in our Orange County Native Butterfly House!

Mr. Dan helping to paint a clay reptile. Jack IS Art in Nature. Working on our “habitats.”

Building a shelter.Brewing up some tea.