Outdoors: Ernie Cowan

Stop and smell the coyote melons

There was an autumn softness in the air as I day hiked with a friend along a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail near Warner Springs.

“What’s that smell?” he asked as we scuffed along the well-worn path.

When I realized he wasn’t talking about me, I became aware of a pungent odor as we passed a low-growing patch of bright green vegetation that stood out from the surrounding dry grass.

With large green leaves, huge yellow trumpet flowers and melons that looked like softball-sized watermelon, this was a plant that was hard to miss. And don’t forget the smell.

This native plant is known by various names, including desert pumpkin, finger-leafed gourd and coyote melon, a name apparently given by Native Americans because it “was only good enough for coyotes to eat.”

Even though these native plants look like small, round watermelons, this gourd is closely related to pumpkins. The fruit is the largest produced by any California native desert plant. A quick glance around the grasslands, and I quickly realized there was quite a crop.

We had become aware of the plant because it was still blooming and the 4-inch, bright yellow flowers are hard to miss, both visually and with your nose.

The “fragrance” of the flower is more aptly described by some as a powerful stench. You didn’t need to put your nose to the blossom to realize it was very unpleasant.

No doubt this is nature’s way of attracting insects to help with pollination. We did notice large numbers of flies buzzing about the flowers.

Despite the abundance of these melons, they were never considered as a primary food source by Native Americans, explorers or pioneer travelers.

The large fruit melons are shiny green and striped like watermelons when they first develop. They then turn yellow when ripe and eventually a pale brown as they dry out.

The fruit could be eaten if there were no other available food sources, but the seeds are very bitter and foul tasting. However, as is often the case, even though not used for food, the seeds of the gourd were ground into powder and mixed with small bits of the plant’s root to be used as a hand soap.

Another story associated with the name of this plant is from Native Americans in Arizona, who suggested that Indians would never plant such distasteful crops, so they must have been the result of seeds deposited in the scat of coyotes.

Even though humans don’t find much to like about this plant, it is an important food source for local wildlife. Smaller animals will feed on the roots and vines

Local hikes

The San Diego Natural History Museum has launched its season of Canyoneer hikes, offering more than 75 free weekend treks from the coast to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and from the Tijuana Estuary to Palomar Mountain. The series will be offered through June.

Hikes are led by trained citizen scientists and volunteers known as Canyoneers.

Canyoneers are San Diego Natural History Museum volunteers trained to teach appreciation of plants and animals in Southern California. Walks are open to the public; no reservations are required.

Hikes range from easy walks through native chaparral forests or along local rivers, to more challenging trips of 9 miles along a wildlife corridor from Anza-Borrego Desert to Cuyamaca Rancho state parks.

The hike schedule and interactive map are available online at sdnat.org/canyoneers, and printed brochures are available at local outdoor retailers such as REI and Adventure 16 as well as at local Subaru dealerships.

To prepare for the hikes or to discover other hiking opportunities locally, hikers can get a copy of “Coast to Cactus: The Canyoneer Trail Guide to San Diego Outdoors” at the museum store.