Memorial Bridge

At this bustling corner of campus, you find yourself on a stone bridge over the South Fork of Strawberry Creek, not far from the confluence with the North Fork. Several spectacular California buckeyes line the banks of the creek here, and these trees are fabulous year-round. In spring/summer, the big, palmate leaves burst forth with sweet-scented flower panicles, and in fall/winter, the pendulous fruits hang from the bare, deciduous branches. To your right are the life sciences buildings. When campus was first established, a Middle Fork of Strawberry Creek meandered through the meadowy flat that once occupied this space. The Middle Fork wetland was drained and filled in 1877 to create a cinder running track for the Cal track team, and a grove of blue gum trees (Eucalyptus globulus) was planted in 1882 to block the foggy wind that blew from the west. The blue gum trees flourished, drinking the fog in summer and the rain in winter, and they soared in height. By some accounts, these are the tallest hardwood trees (angiosperms) in the United States! As you make your way into the Grinnell Natural Area, you can reflect on the loss of the marshy central branch of Strawberry Creek and the fact that this wetland is no longer available to help absorb the heavy precipitation of winter.