To do so, however, required the removal of some introduced trees. For example, the non-native Monterey pine trees that flourish at Inspiration Point have now created their own microclimate, one which conflicts with the needs of the native species. As part of the restoration process, several pines were removed. The Presidio s Natural History Imagine a rough peninsula, bounded on three sides by ocean and bay, full of low hills and wide valleys. San Dunes migrate eastward across much of the landscape, formed and reformed by off-shore winds.
Hardy shrubs cling to the high coastal bluffs, while tule reeds edge the bayshore.
Bands of blue-gray serpentine rock snake across the landscape, carpeted in bunch grasses and wildflowers. Oak trees mark the occasional creek or pool. Such was the northernmost tip of the San Francisco peninsula when Spanish colonizers arrived in 1776 to build a Presidio, or military post. With wonder, Father Pedro Font noted the abundant wildlife and so many lilies that I had them almost inside my tent. The Spanish brought their religious and military traditions, their methods of agriculture and architecture.