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Show your love for native plants and pride for Wrigley by downloading our guide to the California natives of the Wrigley Greenbelt. It’s the perfect addition to your classroom or business!
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Show your love for native plants and pride for Wrigley by downloading our guide to the California natives of the Wrigley Greenbelt. It’s the perfect addition to your classroom or business!
Avila Park is nestled between Hill street and 21st street, between San Franciso Ave and the L.A. River. The park’s proximity to the River path makes it a convenient park to get to from north or south Wrigley while limiting your exposure to car traffic!
Once at the park you’ll find playground equipment – including swings, slides and monkey bars – grassy areas, and a walking path flanked by mature and statuesque century agave’s!
Located at the northernmost part of Wrigley near the 405, this Wrigley Heights park is on the smaller side, but the equipment and environment more than make up for its scale.
The park was designed to be a Universally Accessible Playground, and as such boasts an assortment of features for all ages and abilities. It’s semi-secluded location on a street with minimal traffic makes it an ideal place for a picnic, children’s playtime, or a quick cruise around the walking path.
In 1906, as part of the Chandler & Miller Boulevard Tract neighborhood subdivision, a 40-foot wide segment of the former Pacific Electric Railway system was transformed into the Daisy Avenue Greenbelt. The greenbelt has been decorated and transformed into “Christmas Tree Lane” during the holiday season for generations, acting as the main backdrop for the Daisy Lane Christmas parade.
A great way to check out the Greenbelt is with Yoga in the Wrigs. Bring your mat to Daisy Ave and Hill Street every week Monday – Friday at 10 am for a free community yoga class.
The L.A. River Bike Path is not specific to Wrigley. However, the neighborhood is bordered by the bike path on the west. It runs from the City of Vernon to Shoreline Park in Downtown Long Beach.
Fun fact: the Wrigley stretch of the L.A. River path was the first portion built. Hop on the bike path and head north to Los Angeles or south to Belmont Shore and never encounter a car!
The bike path also serves as a main part of the course for the hugely popular annual Wrigley River Run, featuring 5K, 10K, and the 10 Miler races, as well as numerous youth events.
Boasting 14.3 acres of green space, Veterans Memorial Park is Wrigley’s largest outdoor recreation area, and a frequent hosting site for children’s competitive sports. The park includes a softball field, baseball field, soccer field, four basketball courts, a group picnic area, a freestanding restroom and a playground for pre-school and school-aged children and COMING SOON… pickleball courts!
The park also includes a community recreation center with a multi-purpose room which serves as the location for monthly Wrigley Association meetings.
The Wrigley Greenbelt is a linear park that stretches for several blocks and provides a beautiful and natural area for the community to enjoy through the use of open green space, multiple picnic tables and a 1 mile long walking path.
At its midpoint the mile long walking path takes pedestrians through the horse stables of the Wrigley area, where you can often see horses getting a bath, nurturing their young, or being taken out for a trot. Read on below for more information about how the Wrigley Greenbelt boosts biodiversity in the neighborhood.
Grab your pooch and your poop bags and visit the nearly 2 acre dog park of Wrigley Heights! The park is open from 6 am to 10 pm, excluding some Mondays before noon for park maintenance. For up to date information on all Long Beach Dog parks visit the Dog Parks of Long Beach page.
If your dog needs some indoor training or exercise, make sure to check out Zoom Room on Willow!
Fun fact: Wrigley Heights Dog Park is home to a 2022 mural painted by James Brooks, created as part of the “7 for 7” initiative and funded by Council District 7 in partnership with City of Long Beach Parks, Recreation & Marine.
In May of 2023 Wrigley’s Greenbelt project was officially opened after being conceptualized decades ago in 1993. The 8 acres that make up the Wrigley Greenbelt were populated with 15,000 native plants, and 200 trees, chosen to create an ecologically friendly environment that supports local biodiversity and attracts native pollinators. Native plants were also chosen for their ability to thrive in the local climate, reduce the need for chemical inputs and conserve water. Additional water conservation features in the greenbelt include bioswales, rain gardens, and permeable paving to help capture and filter stormwater, improving water quality, and recharging groundwater. Find our guide to the CA natives of the greenbelt below, as well as details on how to create your own pollinator friendly landscape!
3 -5 ft woody shrub with a pleasant fragrance often described as a mix of sage, pine, and resin. Its nectar-rich flowers attract pollinators, including bees and butterflies.
A shrubby plant that typically grows in a mounding or spreading form of 1-3 ft with a similar spread. The flowers are attractive to pollinators, especially bees and butterflies, for whom they provide a valuable source of nectar.
Typically grows 1-3 ft tall and thrives in dry conditions. The plant’s nectar-rich blooms provide an important food source for hummingbirds during late summer and early fall when other nectar sources may be scarce.
Grows 3-6 ft tall, but can sometimes reach heights of up to 10 feet. The flowers provide a valuable nectar source for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
3-5 ft flowering shrub blooming from late winter through spring, attracting pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and birds. After pollination, the flowers give way to small, dry fruits that contain seeds to be consumed by birds and small mammals. The Coast Sunflower is also a larval host plant for some butterfly species!
3-6 ft shrub valued for its slender, graceful form and abundant clusters of fragrant yellow flowers that bloom in spring, attracting hummingbirds, monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Later in the year small edible berries provide food for birds and small mammals.
6-12 ft evergreen shrub with berries that are an important food source for various bird species, such as thrushes, mockingbirds, and quail. The dense foliage of the shrub provides cover and nesting sites for birds and other small animals. Don’t eat the berries!
A valuable plant in both ornamental and ecological contexts. Its striking flowers and aromatic fruity smelling spring blooms make it an attractive addition to gardens, while its ability to thrive in dry conditions contributes to water conservation efforts in California’s native plant landscapes.
1-3 ft shrub with showy flowers that provide a source of nectar for pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. This plant has the ability to fix nitrogen in the soil through its root nodules, which host nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This trait helps enrich the soil with nitrogen, benefitting other nearby plants and contributing to the overall health of the ecosystem!
This plant is characterized by fuzzy gray-green leaves and showy, saucer-shaped flowers. The flowers are usually orange to apricot in color and are perfectly sized for the bees they attract in droves, who enter the saucer like bloom and circle within to get their fill of pollen.
This aromatic evergreen shrub is notable for its attractive gray-green foliage and striking lavender flowers. Like other sages, Salvia leucophylla has a history of traditional medicinal and culinary uses among indigenous peoples of California and is popular with hummingbirds and various bee species.
1-3 ft stems with lance-shaped leaves and large, bell-shaped flowers that bloom in late spring to early summer, adding a burst of color and attracting pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, which play a crucial role in the plant’s reproduction.
Transform your water-thirsty lawn into a low-water garden using California native or California friendly plants, and get paid to do it by taking advantage of Long Beach’s famous Lawn-To-Garden program!
The Long Beach Office of Sustainability offers a free tree planting program for Long Beach residents hoping for a tree to be planted in the parkway in front of their home.
Bring your tools and containers to this self-service mulch yard from Monday – Sunday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM at the Willow Springs Park parking lot, Located at Orange Ave. between Willow St. and Spring St.
Nurture your yard while processing your waste and boost community health by paying a visit to the Long Beach Community Compost. Don’t forget to pick up some compost for the yard when you drop off your scraps!
See weeds encroaching on a pedestrian path or litter in our parks? Keep Wrigley beautiful by reporting it in the Go Long Beach app. Worried about a neighbors yard? Consider checking in on them and lending a hand!
California Native Plant Society’s Calscape website is a valuable resource for those interested in California native plants and their conservation. Enter your address to learn about the plants native to our region and suited to our zone!
