Strawberry Creek (South Fork)

Just below this location is the confluence of the three major tributaries of the South Fork of Strawberry Creek. You stand above the tributary that emerges from Strawberry Canyon Gate near Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Buildings 74 and 84, along Centennial Drive. This tributary is joined by a small, seasonal stream called Winter Creek that originates near School Pond above the Mather Redwood Grove in the Botanical Garden. Near the creeks, try to find two species of tree with large, palmate leaves, viz., California buckeye (Aesculus californica) and big-leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum). Both species are deciduous and the leaves turn brilliant yellow in autumn; the maples produce the helicopter-like seeds called samaras, and the buckeyes produce the heavy, fig-shaped fruits. As you walk along Centennial Drive to the next point, look for these species in the creek bottom to your left.