Trail users can find the hot spots for the upcoming wildflower array using the ArcGIS system

Hillside of California poppies next to parking area, Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve (Ivette Lopez) Photo courtesy Santa Clara County Open Space Authority

Field of lupine at Llagas Creek Trail, Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve (Adriana Michie) Photo courtesy Santa Clara County Open Space Authority

By Robert Airoldi

Robert Airoldi

All the rain we had this winter is going to lead to an extraordinary display of wildflowers this spring, Santa Clara County Parks officials told us. The California poppy, lupine, and buttercups are just a few of the colorful flora that will be on full display for nature lovers and recreationalists.

The explosion of flowers, known colloquially to some as a “super bloom,” will be in full swing once a prolonged period of sunshine and warm weather occurs. It is expected to last through May.

“It’s been a cold and rainy winter for many in the Bay Area, but our reward will be an awesome array of wildflowers for everyone to enjoy,” said Santa Clara County Parks Director, Don Rocha.

Once the bloom begins, park staff will continue to monitor the trails to keep visitors up to date for the best places to view the wildflowers.

Trail users can find the hot spots for the upcoming wildflower array using the ArcGIS system. The dashboard allows people to view the trails in Santa Clara County and summary statistics about them. The recommended county parks to view the wildflowers are Stiles Ranch Trail at Santa Teresa, Calero, Coyote Lake Harvey Bear, Almaden Quicksilver, and Joseph D. Grant.

Visitors are asked to stay on established trails and avoid walking, laying or standing on the flowers. Parks staff also asks that people practice “pack in, pack out” and to throw trash away properly into the designated receptacles.

Users can find trail maps and use the ArcGIS System at www.gisdata-sccparks.hub.arcgis.com/.

Participants celebrate Holi at Christmas Hill Park.
Photo courtesy Monica Iyer

After a three-year break, the Indian Association of South Santa Clara County celebrated the colorful festival of Holi with much fervor April 2 at Christmas Hill Park. It was an afternoon filled with friendly folks throwing and smearing colored cornstarch powder on each other to mark the beginning of spring with an ancient ritual. Celebrants also enjoyed delicious Indian cuisine at a potluck — and, of course, lots of dancing.

Pronounced “holy,” Holi is a popular and significant Hindu festival celebrated as the world’s rebirth in spring through the Festival of Colors. It honors the eternal and divine love of the gods Radha and Krishna.

“While traditionally Holi represents victory of good over evil as well as the onset of spring, it has a much deeper meaning today,” said the local nonprofit’s board president Monica Iyer of the get-together. “It symbolizes unity. Thus, the IASC family, too, came together to celebrate. We sang and danced and shared home-cooked food. We covered ourselves in powder dye as millions do all over the world. We threw away our inhibitions and were united as one colorful group at the end of it all.”

Elizabeth Gschwind (left) with Elizabeth Vosseller, creator of S2C.
Photo courtesy Elizabeth Gschwind

Imagine the difficulty of living your entire life unable to express your wants, needs, and aspirations. That is the everyday experience of millions of non-speakers with autism across the country and around the world who many experts believe are cognitively disabled.

A groundbreaking new method of communication called “Spelling to Communicate” (S2C) is changing everything. A new documentary “Spellers: The Movie” follows the lives of several young adults who have unlocked their voices by spelling out their thoughts on a letter board. They start small, painstakingly pushing a pencil through a series of letter boards with the support of a communication partner, eventually graduating to smaller boards and finally to fully-independent typing on a keyboard, changing their lives forever.

“Spellers” premiered last month at the Phoenix Film Festival, taking home two awards, including best documentary.  South Valley residents can see the film at a special screening  1p.m. April 30 at CineLux, Tennant Station in Morgan Hill. Contact Elizabeth Gschwind for tickets at (805) 377-2400.

Gschwind’s two children attend Paradise Elementary School. One has autism but is not a non-speaker. That’s inspired her to bring the film to Morgan Hill.

“I volunteered to host a screening because I want more families to learn about S2C so they can try it for their kids,” she said.