‘There are tract homes all over and then you have grass and trees . . . ‘

The Friends of Madrona Marsh has about 6,000 seedlings beginning to sprout in long yellow and white tubes. And that’s where South Bay gardeners, conservationists and all-around lovers of the outdoors come in.

The group, which looks after Torrance’s 42.9-acre nature preserve, is inviting people to turn out Saturday at 9 a.m. for the first of two “Big Planting Days.” The second one is Aug. 17.

“Why stay at home and do housework when you can be in this beautiful area?” asked volunteer Shirley Turner. “We need many people to plant, and to weed later.”

Those who show up will be asked to dig into the clay-like soil of the Madrona dunes and plant such drought-tolerant varieties as lupines, the yellow-blossomed beach primrose and buckwheat, which provides food for the delicate El Segundo Blue butterfly.

Although some tools will be supplied, people are asked to bring their own shovels, hoes, rakes and posthole diggers, if they have them.

Aside from working at planting, some of Saturday’s horticulturists for a day will clear away thistles and tumbleweeds.

“This is a way to make the world a little better,” Turner said.

It promises to be a hot day, and people are advised to wear old clothes and a hat, and to bring suntan lotion, gloves and a lunch.

It’s not going to be all work. The marsh group will provide cold drinks, and there will be time for socializing and exploring the nature preserve.

Turner said: “We’ll go to about 3 p.m., or until people get too tired to go any further. We may take people on a nature walk after the planting, or they can go on their own.”

The marsh, with its combination of wetlands and sandy dunes, has trees, bull rushes, cattails, sunflowers and just plain weeds. And as people tramp over the land--which bears such marks of man as working oil wells and an abandoned railroad bed--they may encounter some of the herons and egrets that live there.

The elusive Madrona foxes may even be seen. Turner said there are five of them living in the large sump at the Sepulveda Boulevard-Maple Avenue corner of the marsh.

Acquired by the city of Torrance and opened to the public as a nature preserve in 1983, the marsh is part of a system of lakes, wetlands and dunes that once stretched from Wilmington to Marina del Rey, according to Torrance city naturalist Walt Wright.

He said that with urban development, few of these areas retain anything of their once-natural state. “Come 50 or 100 years from now, there’ll be a lot less if we don’t do something now to start enhancing and preserving what is here,” he said.

The Friends of the Madrona Marsh and other volunteers plant and care for the nature preserve regularly, striving to restore it to what it was before settlers arrived.

Scout and ecology groups sometimes put in plantings, but asking the public to turn out for a day is unusual. And there’s more involved than planting new growth.

“We’re trying to raise the image of Madrona Marsh in our community. We’re giving the community a chance to know what’s going on,” Turner said.

Gwen King and her 18-year-old daughter, Carrie, are among those who recently discovered the marsh and spent time this week helping prepare seeds for planting.

“I’m glad this is here,” Carrie said. “There are tract homes all over and then you have grass and trees and don’t feel you’re in the city. You can hear the birds and have a frog pop out on your feet.”

What: Big Planting Days

When: Saturday, 9 a.m.; also Aug. 17.

Where: Madrona Marsh; entrance off Maple Avenue between Sepulveda Boulevard and Plaza del Amo, Torrance.

Admission: Free.

Information: 326-2774 or 618-2936.