Celebrate Southern California’s Natural Beauty for Earth Day

Happy Earth day!

In Southern California, we are lucky to enjoy a bounty of nature, from the forests to the beaches to the many beautiful nature preserves and hiking trails found throughout Los Angeles.

Exploring opportunities to preserve our natural environments can be an enriching and invigorating way to enjoy these surroundings. Throughout Los Angeles, there are many ways to get involved in caring for these spaces.

Santa Monica Mountains

The Santa Monica Mountains are one of the most striking and wide-ranging natural areas in Los Angeles, with over 500 miles of trails, many overlooking stunning ocean views. The Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council offers a running list of volunteer opportunities. Helping to maintain trails is an incredible way to explore these environments, enjoy fresh air, and build a relationship with the local scenery. 

https://smmtc.org/volunteer/

Angeles Forest: 

The Angeles Forest offers a beautiful escape in the San Gabriel Valley, hosting a range of wildlife and filled with recreation spaces from camping to hiking trails. The Angeles Volunteer Association works to preserve and care for the forest, especially crucial as wildfires significantly impact the area. Volunteering with the association offers an opportunity to help protect this land while exploring its breathtaking scenery.

https://angelesvolunteers.org/av/

Griffith Park: 

One of the most beloved parks in Los Angeles, Griffith Park's vast trails are known for their iconic views, from the Hollywood sign to the Observatory. A favorite stop for LA visitors, this park is home to some of the most famous trails and a wide swath of local flora and fauna. Friends of Griffith Park regularly hosts trail maintenance and planting events for a chance to preserve this historic location while enjoying time outdoors throughout the park. 

https://friendsofgriffithpark.org

Los Angeles River: 

The Los Angeles River has seen a revival in the last several years, greatly due to the efforts of Friends of the LA River. This organization has worked to help mend and restore the ecology of the LA River, prioritizing habitats for native plants and wildlife as they build and repair parks and offering many educational opportunities for LA residents. Their volunteer opportunities include river clean-ups and ranging events for engagement with the river, a pleasant opportunity to enjoy the river and support its revitalization. 

https://folar.org

At Home:

While Earth Day can offer motivation to enjoy the beautiful landscapes throughout the city, it's also a reminder to appreciate the nature in your backyard. There are many ways to enjoy and support the environment without leaving your home. Yard spaces of any size can contribute to the care of local wildlife by providing shelter, food, and water. When well maintained and frequently cleaned, something as simple as a hanging bird feeder can be an excellent way to support local birds and introduce more bird songs to your daily experience. Plantings to attract pollinators, particularly in a range of sizes and colors, may improve both your garden's health and other neighborhood plantings by encouraging the presence of bees and butterflies. Water features (or even just a tiny water dish) can hydrate local creatures, but don't forget to include a rock or stick for smaller birds or animals to leave the water safely.

While we believe in celebrating and caring for the environment every day, Earth Day is a beautiful opportunity to pause and appreciate nature. Take time this Earth Day to enjoy the outdoors, whether from your home or by spending time in a nearby park or natural setting, to celebrate the wonders of our Earth.

Sarah Barnard is a WELL and LEED accredited designer and creator of environments that support mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. She creates highly personalized, restorative spaces that are deeply connected to art and the preservation of the environment. An advocate for consciousness, inclusivity, and compassion in the creative process, Sarah’s work has been recognized by Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, Real Simple, HGTV and many other publications. In 2017 Sarah was recognized as a “Ones to Watch” Scholar by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID).

Birding for Well-being: How Connecting with Nature Can Improve Mental Health

Western Tanager

There are many proven health benefits to being in nature daily. For example, walking in the woods, also known as the Japanese custom "forest bathing," or "shinrin-yoku," lowers stress levels and boosts overall well-being.

Scaly Breasted Munia

Researchers from the University of Exeter recently found that bird watching can have a positive effect on mental health. They discovered that people who are able to watch birds from their homes have a lower risk of depression, stress, and anxiety compared to people who live in less nature dense areas with fewer birds…

Biophilia, the hypothesis that humans innately seek a connection with nature, drives biophilic design. This central home design principle aims to create healthy and comfortable spaces through the incorporation of natural elements. As a WELL and LEED accredited interior designer, I use biophilic design to create happy and healthy spaces for my clients. Biophilic home design ranges from adding indoor plants to ensuring proper air circulation throughout the home, to one of my frequent design priorities, arranging spaces to showcase natural views. I invite you to consider amplifying the soothing properties of your view by creating a safe-haven for birds in your yard.

Goldfinch

Birding as a hobby currently ranks second to gardening as America's favorite pastime, with an estimated 43% of all U.S. households, or about 65 million people, participating each year. Watching birds and their behavior may contribute to feelings of relaxation, which in turn leads to reduced stress and improved mental health. As a bird enthusiast, I would agree that watching birds in my garden helps me expand my perspective, gain focus and ultimately feel more at ease.

Bewick’s Wren

Based on my experience, I've put together a list of helpful tips for beginning bird watchers.

To first attract birds to your garden, observe the birds that currently frequent your neighborhood. Investigate their eating preferences and offer their favorite foods in your garden. In Los Angeles county, sprinkling mixed seeds about in the garden will likely attract mourning doves, white-crowned sparrows, and other ground feeders. Towhees love a protein-rich diet, and will eagerly indulge in dried mealworm. Orioles have a sweet tooth and fancy grape jelly and fresh oranges. Goldfinches love thistle seed, and house finches, while willing to eat most seeds, seem most excited for shelled sunflower seeds.

Goldfinch

I began with a tube feeder that only accommodates tiny birds. For the first few months, I solely had house finches visit. The mourning doves came soon after eating the seeds on the ground that the finches dropped. I soon realized that I would need more diverse feeding stations to attract larger birds.

Black-headed Grosbeak + Mourning Dove

If you are hoping to have a greater variety of bird species come to your garden, try adding a platform tray feeder. Last year, I hung a platform tray feeder from a tall post and was delighted when the first scrub-jay arrived. Since then, I've had an ever-expanding variety of visitors that include black-headed grosbeaks, scaly breasted munia, juncos, European starlings and the occasional red-tailed hawk. I've found that somehow birds bring more birds. Once word gets out in the neighborhood that free food is served, they find their way.

Rufous Hummingbird

If you're still not having much luck attracting birds to your garden, this could be because some species, like Beswick’s wrens, are shy and seldom visit feeders located out in the open. I've outfitted the perimeter of a covered outdoor area in leafy shade plants like an assortment of ferns, Ficus triangularis, and abutilon. Nearby I've nestled a suet feeder among the ferns and hanging baskets of plants. I found that placing the suet feeder amongst the plants provides wrens the security of leafy cover while offering the opportunity to watch the birds feed just feet away. Hummingbirds will also visit to drink from the abutilon blossoms, sometimes only inches away from where I'm sitting. It's magical.

Foxglove

If you're interested in having hummingbirds come to your garden, many plant species attract them. Although they do like hummingbird feeders, they seem even more interested in drinking nectar from flowering plants. Interestingly, bugs comprise a third of a hummingbird's diet; they don't just live on nectar. By planting nectar-abundant plants, you'll also attract more bugs for them to eat. Brightly colored, tubular flowers hold the most nectar and are, therefore, particularly attractive to hummingbirds. Examples of these types of flowers include salvia, foxglove, and fuchsia.

European Starling

Try adding a water feature to your yard. Birds love moving water, and it has been such a delight watching them bathe in a simple multi-tiered fountain. A bird-friendly fountain does not need to be anything elaborate that requires special plumbing; it can be as simple as buying a solar-powered water feature at your local nursery or online retailer. A solar-powered water feature is a cost-effective and energy-friendly option, and its cordless design allows for mobility.

Female Black-headed Grosbeak + Male House Finch

Whenever possible, orient furniture to face views of the outdoors and place bird feeders in locations visible from the indoors, without spooking the birds. It is delightful to watch the early risers, pecking around the garden for insects before sunrise, drinking my morning tea.

Mourning Dove

As more of us are working from remotely now, nature and home design are imperative to promote calmness, serenity, and healthy living. I hope this time at home can provide new opportunities to appreciate our surroundings, and the beauty and pleasure of observing local birds.

White-crowned Sparrow

Sarah Barnard, WELL AP, and LEED AP designs healthy, happy, personalized spaces that connect deeply to nature and art. Empathy and mindfulness are the foundation of her practice creating healing, supportive environments that enhance life.