That California wildrose shrub you just passed? Its shoots can be fashioned into arrows. The Cedar tree you just ducked under? Its leaves can be steeped to make an anti-inflammatory tea. 

The Chico State campus is dotted with native plants, and the Creekside Roots Walk offers campus community members a chance to learn about them firsthand. 

The hour-long tours are led by Damaris Griego and Kyle Mason, both of whom are environmental science alumni and are now working as California Climate Action Corps fellows. For each of the 14 native plants that were observed and discussed on the walk, Griego explained how local tribes used the plants for food, medicine, or tools. 

Tours were led each Friday in April, and requests for future Creekside Roots Walks can be made at the Office of Tribal Relations.

Gallery // 10 Photos

A close-up of the California mugwort seen during a Creekside Roots Walk, at Chico State, on April 24, 2026. The mugwort attracts “good bugs” such as butterflies and ladybugs, Damaris Griego said, and bundles of the plant are burned in ceremonies to ward off bad energy. Photo by Raquel G. Frohlich.

Raquel Frohlich can be reached at [email protected]