It might still feel sweltering outside…but it’s time to dial back your sprinklers.

In September, plants’ water needs drop by about 30 percent even if the temperature is hotter. We have fewer hours of daylight, so evaporation decreases. Also, plants begin to go into a dormant phase, which requires less water. Some years, humidity is also higher, increasing your discomfort but decreasing plants’ water needs. This rapid drop in water needs will continue into October and November.

Different plants require different amounts of water. So select the right plants for your home and keep them healthy all year long by following a watering schedule. Find your ideal watering schedule at rightscapenow.com/landscape-resources/watering-schedules.

Plastic bags by the hundreds, cigarette butts by the thousands, soda cans and cups, fishing line, bottles and bottle caps, tennis balls, construction debris, and a shopping cart or two will probably be pulled out of San Diego Creek during Inner-Coastal Watershed Cleanup Day on Saturday, September 16, 8:30 a.m.-noon.

The event is held in conjunction with Coastal Cleanup Day, but instead of heading to the beach, volunteers concentrate on inland waterways and creeks that eventually end up at the coast.

IRWD has hosted a cleanup site for the past 18 years. Inner-Coastal Watershed Cleanup Day is in its 21^st year. The IRWD site is one of 23 countywide.

Volunteers are invited to meet on Riparian View just off Michelson Drive, adjacent to San Diego Creek and the San Joaquin Marsh. Following registration, volunteers will receive gloves and bags for collecting trash and recyclables from the banks of the creek. Please wear closed-toed shoes, sunscreen and hats.

Participation in Inner-Coastal Cleanup Day is another illustration of IRWD’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

Each year, the Irvine Ranch Water District uses Sand Canyon Reservoir (near Strawberry Farms Golf Course) as a source to meet customer demands in the recycled water system. This year, as reservoir supply is used to meet demands, IRWD is taking advantage of the low reservoir level to complete periodic maintenance.

Maintenance will require the reservoir to be completely drained for a short time. It is anticipated that the reservoir will be empty by September, allowing the maintenance to occur during October, before the rainy season. Rainfall or recycled water will be used to fill the reservoir once the maintenance is complete. 

During this process, IRWD will monitor the site to ensure minimal impact on wildlife. At this time, there has been no impact to any turtles or eggs. Some fish have not survived the draining, however; these are all non-native mosquito fish and redfin.

Any questions, please email info@irwd.com.

The butterflies have begun to make their appearance at the San Joaquin Marsh. If you have never visited this urban oasis, there is no time like summer to do so.

The butterflies can be seen throughout the Marsh, but are more plentiful in the butterfly garden, established in 2005.

Feel free to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy at the abundance of picnic tables. But please do not feed the wildlife.

Visitors are encouraged to bring binoculars for bird watching. But there are other animals that might be seen, as well. Bobcats should not be confused with the more dangerous mountain lions. There is at least one litter of bobcat kittens born in the Marsh each spring, where there is plenty of food available to keep them happy.

The Marsh is a reconstructed wetland designed to clean urban runoff from the San Diego Creek before it reaches the environmentally sensitive Upper Newport Bay. Besides enhancing water quality, the Marsh provides a home to some 200 species of birds and other wildlife throughout the year in a park-like setting.

The Marsh contains more than 12 miles of meandering hiking trails on approximately 320 acres and is open 365 days a year, dawn to dusk. Best of all, a visit to the Marsh is free!

The Sea and Sage Audubon House is a great resource for Marsh visitors. You can sign up to participate in a variety of programs, or if you forgot your binoculars, you can check out a pair.

And don’t miss the pollinators’ garden. The 6,600-square-foot garden is located in the meadow area of the Marsh, behind the Duck Club and adjacent the butterfly garden. Many of the 22 species of plants will attract hummingbirds, but the real purpose of the garden is to draw bees, which are responsible for pollinating about one-third of the food consumed by humans.

All along the Marsh trails, you might notice the little birdhouses perched on metal poles next to the ponds. These were placed into the Marsh in the late 1990s to attract tree swallows. There are more than 100 of them dotted throughout the Marsh and they are monitored by volunteers from Sea and Sage Audubon. During the summers, hikers on the trails might be treated to the site of a mother swallow feeding her chicks as they poke their beaks out of the birdhouse opening.

The Marsh is located off Campus Drive on Riparian View in Irvine. Follow Riparian View to the Marsh driveway on the left. More information about the Marsh and a map to the site is available on our website.