COYOTE BRUSH

1. Coyote brush provides food and shelter to over 200 species of insects.

2. This plant releases aromatic oils during the warm summer that are lovely to smell, but also create a bitter taste which keeps deer from eating it.

3. Coyote brush can be found along the coast from southern Oregon down to Baja California. 

4. The Chumash Indians used clusters of branchlets of coyote brush when collecting cactus to brush away the small spines; and boiled coyote brush leaves as a remedy for poison oak. 
 

In order for new plants to grow, a plant needs to create seeds and get them into the ground.  They do this in many different ways.  

Some plants have a mechanism that allows them to pop the seeds out.  When the shell gets dry, it simply bursts open and the seeds pop out. This is called mechanical seed dispersal.  

Some plants make a tasty fruit, luring animals to eat them and disperse them through through thier scat (AKA: poop). This is called animal seed dispersal.  

The coyote brush makes little floral parachutes attached to each little seed.  When the wind blows, it catches the seeds, allowing coyote brush to grow all over our open space.  This is called wind dispersal. 

The origin of the name “coyote brush” is unclear. One theory holds that the leaves may look like coyote paws; another that the plant is variable and adaptable – “clever, like a coyote”. A less imaginative theory suggests it was named because of an ecological association with coyotes.

A pioneer species is a classification given to plants that are hardy and can grow in poor conditions.  These plants are usually the first to grow back after a disturbance such as a fire.  The coyote brush is considered a pioneer species because of how quickly it can regrow after a fire.  

Coyote brush is somewhat resistant to burning due to the oils it release through its leaves, but will still burn in a wildfire.

The coyote brush can be found along most of our trails and open space.  One of our favorite trails to spot this plant is the Rancho Portreo Trailhead on Lynn Rd. The trailhead parking lot is to the right of the Rancho Potero Community Equestrian Center.  There are bathrooms at the trailhead and a picnic bench.  You can then take a fairly flat 1 mile loop begining at the Grasshopper Trail from the parking lot. A map of the area can be found here:
 http://www.conejo-openspace.org/assets/dos_vientos_trail_map-2pgs.pdf