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Jug Handle Trail: Location 21

The tall, slender forest shrubs along this stretch of trail are trying to find a sunny opening in the forest canopy. The light green leaves about half the size of your hand belong to rhododendron, which blooms in May and June. The smaller gray-green leaves with points on the edges are those of the tanoak, named for the acid once extracted from its bark for tanning leather. Its acorns were a staple in the diet of the Pomo Indians who lived in this region. The narrow dark green leaves with sawtooth edges belong to the wax myrtle, named for the candle wax extracted from its blackish-purple fruit clusters. The ground to the right of the trail generally slopes down to Jug Handle Creek, which has cut down through several hundred feet of the terrace system.