Discovering Griffith Park. Casey Schreiner

bush monkeyflower (Diplacus longiflorus) explodes with color in late spring.

      Both plant communities feature a variety of endemic trees, including coast live oaks, western sycamores (which lose their leaves in the early winter, giving us a tiny taste of fall), and rare California black walnut trees, which are found only in the L.A. area.

      Because Griffith Park has had a lot of different caretakers—and they haven’t always been mindful of native species—there are also many introduced and invasive species that have found their way into the park.

       Community Science

      One of the most exciting and effective ways of learning how to identify the flora and fauna you spot in Griffith Park—and anywhere, really—is by engaging in community science. Sometimes called “citizen science,” community science is the term for when scientists work with us regular folks to gather and interpret data about the world around us.

       LEARNING MORE ABOUT WHAT’S AROUND

      Interested in learning more about the flora and fauna nearby? Both the L.A. Zoo and Autry Museum inside the park are great places to start. If you’d like to learn even more, I recommend two must-visit destinations: For plants, the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley features an extensive nursery of California native plants as well as demonstration gardens and classes. The grounds are located at 10459 Tuxford Street in Sun Valley. Call 818-768-1802 or visit www.theodorepayne.org for more info.

      Likewise, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County has done an incredible job over the past few years of making nature come alive for city dwellers. They have an accessible and informative permanent Nature Lab exhibit about the wildlife present in Southern California; their native and edible garden will help you identify plants you see out in the wild and give you ideas for your own garden; and they have a variety of programs both on-site and in the field, including bioblitz days. The museum is located at 900 West Exposition Boulevard in Los Angeles. Call 213-763-3466 or visit https://nhm.org for information and exhibits.

       FAMOUS ANIMALS OF GRIFFITH PARK

      Griffith Park’s history with famous critters arguably begins in the 1950s, when a kangaroo named Parky walked the grounds on weekends with a pith-helmeted ranger who handed out park information and encouraged visitors not to litter. At the same time, the much-criticized Griffith Park Zoo had an infamous resident named Ivan the Terrible—a nine-hundred-pound male polar bear who killed three other polar bears in the zoo and was generally feared by everyone in Los Angeles.

      But the area has had some more recent, friendlier famous animals, including Reggie the Alligator, who was illegally raised in captivity and released in Harbor City in 2005. He was spotted in a lake there for several years and became a media sensation before being captured in 2007 and moved to the L.A. Zoo. Later that year, Reggie escaped his habitat and was found soaking up some rays near the loading dock. He still resides in the zoo today.

      The L.A. Zoo’s most recent famous addition is Hope, a California condor. Hope was hatched in captivity in Idaho and was meant to be released into the wild as part of a rehabilitation effort for the species, but when they noticed she had a wing injury, she was instead moved to the L.A. Zoo, where she now serves as an educational ambassador and the world’s first California condor to participate in a free-flight bird show.

      Arguably the most famous animal inside Griffith Park, however, is the male mountain lion known as P-22. First discovered on wildlife cameras by Angeleno biologist Miguel Ordeñana in 2012, P-22 has become something of a mascot for the cause of urban wildlife in L.A. To reach Griffith Park, P-22 had to cross the 101 and I-405, two of the nation’s largest and busiest freeways. He has helped Angelenos become more aware of the dangers of rodenticide, more appreciative of the natural world in their city, and more generous toward an ambitious project to build the world’s largest wildlife crossing over the 101 at Liberty Canyon. He even has his own Facebook page and Instagram account (www.facebook.com/p22mountainlionofhollywood and www.instagram.com/p22mountainlion, respectively), and he remains a beloved citizen of Los Angeles . . . even after he allegedly popped into the L.A. Zoo in 2016 to snack on a koala bear.

      Over the past few years, this data gathering and interpretation has been made exponentially easier with the development of free smartphone apps like iNaturalist (www.inaturalist.org). When you take a photo of something with your smartphone, it will usually automatically assign it a time stamp and geo-location. When you get home, you can upload those photos via the app or website, and other community members will help you identify what you saw. Then scientists can use that data to help track migrations, invasive species, the effects of climate change, and other information—and you’ll have fun learning about what you saw, too.

       Dangerous Stuff

      Most accidents in Griffith Park are usually the result of underestimating a hike, not taking enough food or water, or spending too much time outside when it’s hot. Animal encounters are extremely rare, and most are easily avoidable, as the majority of healthy animals want absolutely nothing to do with humans.

       Coyotes

      Coyotes are the largest animal you’re most likely to encounter in the park. Coyotes have had a negative stigma for generations, but these expert survivors have adapted well to the urban landscape of Griffith Park. They will generally leave you alone, but take care with small children and dogs—there’s a reason dogs are required to be on leash everywhere inside the park!

      A coyote (Canis latrans) searches among California sagebrush and buckwheat. (photo by Sarah Brewer)

      P-22 has a solid claim on being the most famous mountain lion (Puma concolor) in the world. (photo by Miguel Ordeñana)

      If you encounter a coyote or pack of coyotes and they don’t seem to be moving away on their own, the advice is the same as for most larger animals—stand your ground and make a lot of noise. They’ll usually look at you oddly and duck back into the brush.

       Mountain Lions

      There is exactly one known mountain lion living inside Griffith Park, P-22, and he is collared and tracked. Although P-22’s range is significantly smaller than that of other mountain lions, his behavior hasn’t changed much—he’s extremely elusive, hunts by stealth, and actively avoids human encounters.

      If you do encounter P-22—or any other mountain lion—stay calm and consider yourself lucky. Mountain lion encounters statewide are extremely rare and even more rarely result in injury to humans. However, small animals and children may be at greater risk than adults. Just in case you do meet one, here are some tips, which are all generally good advice for any wildlife encounter you’d prefer to avoid:

      •Don’t run: Running may trigger the lion’s hunting instinct and cause an encounter that may not otherwise happen.

      •Look big: Mountain