The Holler is surrounded by thousands of acres of pristine, reserved-riparian backcountry habitat. One such nearby preserve is the 737 acre Wilderness Gardens that we visit often for hiking and picnicking.
(Please click to enlarge).
The area was home to Luiseno Indians for thousands of years and grinding stones can be found with a careful eye. Today the preserve is located between the present day Pala and Pauma Indian Reservations.
Settlers moved into the area in the 1800’s, and a grist mill was built in 1881.
In the 1950’s, the publisher of the Los Angeles Daily News bought the property and filled it with flowers and gardens, including 1000 Camellia trees, his wife’s favorite flower.
The ponds were created by damming the creek to provide irrigation for his gardens.
The preserve has returned mostly to it’s natural state, but the ponds remain and are filled with beautiful, nesting, aquatic birds, some quite exotic.
The first ducklings have hatched!
Beautiful evidence of the old gardens remain.
Soon the nesting bird’s broods will be hatching, and it is always a thrill to see the fluffy hatchlings venture out for their first pond swim. I’ll try and get you some snaps!
Cheers to you from the always peaceful and quite Zen-like, Wilderness Gardens Preserve.
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cindyknoke.com 
I always breathe a sigh of relief and relax when I come across one of your nature blogs, Cindy. Thanks. 🙂 Curt
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Well, this makes it all worthwhile! Thank you my friend~
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Thanks for this refreshing beauty at the end of my day!! Peaceful sights to take to sleep!
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Ahhhh, how lovely & makes posting so worthwhile! Sweet dreams~
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Absolutely stunning! Thanks for sharing. We’re finally expecting a lovely spring day here in NJ–and some of our spring flowers are starting to bloom.
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WOO HOO! I am finally hearing from my eastern friends that spring has arrived!!! About time and just imagine how exuberant the flowers will be! They always are the best after the hardest winters~
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Yes, some of our daffodils are finally blooming! Woo hoo! 🙂
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YAY!!!
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Beautiful spot Cindy! How lucky you are to have it nearby. Can’t help but think of the native Americans and how they must have felt when one person was allowed to own it.
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Oh these are my thoughts always. I drop in a sentence or three about places all over the west, “this place was home to the (fill in the blank) Native Americans for thousands of years.” I can’t even imagine the despair at losing your ancestral home that your people protected for thousands of years to people who squander and wreck it. Terrible.
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Wonderful images Cindy. That white iris is exquisite. 🙂
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So typical of me. I originally put in the wrong photo! Only changed it way after the fact, so you are one of the very few who saw the right photo! Laughing. So happy you noticed it!!
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😀
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What a calm and serene scene – I wish I were there!
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Well for heavens sakes, come on over! I’ll put on the kettle~
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The way I feel…packing my bags now!
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Hope all is okay with your hubby’s surgery?????
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Aw! Repurposing civilization with nature. I LOVE that!
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Nature so kicks butt over civilization anyday. Now when my husband and I actually drive to town, we refer to it as “going to civilization,” not in a happy way! Laughing!
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How peaceful and beautiful, it is the perfect place to get lost in nature for an afternoon.
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That is exactly what we do! Hard to beat the natural world! Cheers to you and glad you stopped by~
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There is something indescribably beautiful about wilderness.
Could you tag the flower plants with their names? Especially the last one is so lovely.
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Well I can partially answer, the last is an African Iris, the blue is lavendar and the pink I have no idea!! Laughing. Hopefully another blogger will see this and tell us. So happy you love the wild places too! Cheers to you~
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You’ve got me feeling quite serene, Cindy 🙂 (and that’s not easy to do!)
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Woo Hoo! My work here is done!! Laughing~
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This is so beautiful, Cindy! It is a true paradise to see through your photography! I think it is a place of blessings, nature, feelings of tranquility and peacefulness. You imparted these blessings to us today! Thank you so much! Sincerely, Robin
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Awwww, this touched my heart and is so very thoughtful! You rock ma deah’ and your comments are so motivating! Cheers to you~
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So wonderful to see this heavenly place has returned mostly to it’s natural state. All photos are exquisite! Love the Iris. Thank you, Cindy!
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Anything for your ma deah! Cheers to you~
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Sorta makes me feel like I want to go for a long quiet walk in the sunshine there, Cuz. Thanks for sharing the beauty. Hugs!
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It is just that kinda place, so come on over!!!
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The tree trunk and grist mill are my favorites but the images are all beautiful.
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I am happy you think so and glad you stopped by! Cheers to you & have a great weekend~
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Looks like a very interesting place to visit – your well shot photos certainly bring out all the different facets of the place
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Just happy you enjoyed & thank you for stopping by~
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Thank you for the utterly gorgeous images of nature you share here Cindy! Absolutely spectacular. All are lovely, but I especially love that close up of a white bird. Other than the color it looks like a heron (having seen many Great Blue’s). Whatever it is, that photo is wonderful. Thanks again for sharing your talented eye with us here. Cheers, Gina
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Visa versa 2 U x 2! I love your blog and value it’s importance greatly. Your comments are very kind and very appreciated! Cheers to you~
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I live pretty close to the Wilderness Gardens. Such a great place! Beautiful photos.
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We are neighbors! How cool is that!
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