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The Wappo people consumed Buckeye nuts when acorns were scarce. Poisonous when raw, the buckeye nuts need to be processed by grinding and extensive leeching before they can be consumed.

Blossoms from the redbud tree, which was highly prized for basket-making. 

The Wappo people used soaproot plant to stun fish. 

The Miwok and Cahuilla people chewed on madrone's leaves in order to alleviate stomach ailments, while others made a concoction using the bark of the madrone as a wash for sores.

Did you know that along with hiking trails adjacent to the creek, camping and seasonal swimming, there is also a Native American Garden to explore at Bothe Napa Valley State Park?

The Native American Garden is 3/4 acre of easy strolling, located next to the Visitor Center. The flora tells a story of plants that are still important today for many indigenous cultures, and they inform us of plant's uses as food, ceremony, basket weaving and medicine.

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The garden was founded years ago by an honored Wappo elder, Laura Fish Somersal and KK Burtis, supported by the dedicated hard work of many, including former Napa Valley State Park Association members, Park Manager Jason Jordan and Park Steward, Jay Jessen.

As you explore the garden, look for the interpretive signs that name some of the plants significant to the Wappo and Patwin people.

California black oak remains an important food source for many. Known as a staple food, acorns were typically harvested each fall when they were left in the sun to dry for several weeks prior to being pounded into flour with a mortar and pestle.

The leaching process was an imperative step prior to consuming the food, as it was vital to remove the bitter tannic acid contained in acorns. Much of the processing took place beside a water source, such as a creek, when a sand basin was prepared to hold the flour as water was poured over the meal.

The acorn meal was quite a versatile food, as it was prepared into little cakes, breads and a kind of mush. It is surprising to know that acorn meal was sometimes cooked inside a woven basket.

Special rocks were heated in a fire, then they were retrieved with a utensil made especially for this purpose. Next, the rocks were placed in the basket of acorn mush and stirred continually, until the meal was cooked so as not to scorch the basket.

Although there were around 20 species of oaks throughout what is now California, the preferred oaks here were black and tanbark oak. Acorn meal provided families with nutrient-rich food, since it contains fat, protein, iron, calcium and other vital minerals.

The Grey pine, or ghost pine, has a lifespan of around 200 years. It was a versatile tree, used for food, medicine, twined baskets and more. Its seeds, or nuts could be consumed both raw or roasted after they were cracked with a special tool known as a hammerstone.

These calorie-rich seeds are full of protein, and, like acorns, can be stored for long periods of time. The massive clawed cones made for a good fuel, and, when the cones were immature they were concocted into a kind of syrup by first roasting for a time.

Grey pine's branches were utilized for cooking utensils, while its needles were sometimes put to use as a type of bedding and floor covering. The tree's roots and sometimes its branches could be twined in basketry.

The madrone tree with its distinctive, naked appearing tan-to-orange smooth bark can be found thriving in northern California, north to British Columbia.

The tree, which grows to heights of 20-50 feet is sometimes confused with the smaller, red manzanita, which also has smooth bark that peels as a protection against harmful insects. The berries produced by madrone trees were both consumed fresh or 'cooked' in a basket before eating.

A type of cider was also enjoyed by not only the local people, but also by the Miwok, Pomo, Salinan and other California tribes. To gather berries, the high branches were given a shake or hit with a special stick, then collected in a basket held below the tree.

Some preferred to chew the tannic berries, but not swallow the astringent delicacy. It was common, when concocting cider to pound the berries before straining into a water-tight basket into which heated rocks were added and continually stirred to cook the berries and release their flavor and nutrients. In other areas of California the berries were fashioned into necklaces, and also used as bait when fishing for steelhead.

Among the 20 specimens thriving in Bothe's native plant garden is hazelnut. These delicate and delicious nuts were enjoyed fresh or roasted, while their study vegetation was included in a variety of baskets such as traps, baby carriers or burden baskets with which many items could easily be carried.

It's hard to believe, but poison oak growing in the garden, which abounded then as now, was utilized as a stain for the bulrush roots that were incorporated into basketry. The plant's roots were also employed as basket material.

Buckeye nuts, those shiny, brown orbs, were consumed when acorns were sparse. Poisonous when consumed raw, they needed to be processed in a similar way to acorns, through leaching for hours after being ground with a mortar and pestle.

Buckeye nuts, like the soap root that grows in the park's garden, were used in lakes and waterways to stun fish. First the buckeye nut or soap root bulb was mashed, then tossed into the water, making the fish easy to harvest.

The redbud tree found in the garden is a fine example of a highly prized plant used for basket making. The redbud, in the legume family has showy pink-magenta flowers in spring and grows up to 20 feet in height.

Around 20 different indigenous groups prized the plant for their baskets. Redbud plants were cut, or coppiced to manage the plant's growth and to aid in providing the strait switches needed for basket making. Redbud was typically harvested in spring or summer, when its bark was removed and utilized as twine.

The branches were split, then coiled and 'cured' for around a year. When it was basket-making time, the redbud coils were soaked for pliability and cleaned prior to weaving. When weaving redbud, the plant was considered an excellent material for the structure and the warp or foundation of a basket, and weft, in coiling and twining methods.

Come see what else is growing in Bothe's native plant garden. By telling their stories in a multidimensional manner, it quietly initiates visitors into the cultures of the Wappo and Patwin peoples who once thrived in this valley. 

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The Wappo people consumed Buckeye nuts when acorns were scarce. Poisonous when raw, the buckeye nuts need to be processed by grinding and extensive leeching before they can be consumed.

Blossoms from the redbud tree, which was highly prized for basket-making. 

The Wappo people used soaproot plant to stun fish. 

The Miwok and Cahuilla people chewed on madrone's leaves in order to alleviate stomach ailments, while others made a concoction using the bark of the madrone as a wash for sores.

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