Descanso Gardens will unveil Saturday an oak woodland that provides a glimpse of what Los Angeles might have looked like before 16th-century European settlers and their livestock arrived and forever changed the Southern Californian landscape.
The Oak Woodland and California Meadow Project at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday, November 10, 2014. The 5-acre project officially opens Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 and features the historic Boddy Lodge, native grasses, meadow plants and trees. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
The Oak Woodland and California Meadow Project at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday, November 10, 2014. The 5-acre project officially opens Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 and features the historic Boddy Lodge, native grasses, meadow plants and trees. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
A Mandarin duck, which is less common than most of the ducks at Descanso Gardens, sits on the shore at the Oak Woodland and California Meadow Project at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday, November 10, 2014. The 5-acre project officially opens Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 and features the historic Boddy Lodge, native grasses, meadow plants and trees. -- FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this caption stated the duck was a wood duck. It is a Mandarin duck. -- (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
A California live oak the Oak Woodland and California Meadow Project at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday, November 10, 2014. The 5-acre project officially opens Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 and features the historic Boddy Lodge, native grasses, meadow plants and trees. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
The Oak Woodland and California Meadow Project at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday, November 10, 2014. The 5-acre project officially opens Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 and features the historic Boddy Lodge, native grasses, meadow plants and trees. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
Grasses at the Oak Woodland and California Meadow Project at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday, November 10, 2014. The 5-acre project officially opens Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 and features the historic Boddy Lodge, native grasses, meadow plants and trees. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
California scrub oak leaves on a trail at the Oak Woodland and California Meadow Project at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday, November 10, 2014. The 5-acre project officially opens Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 and features the historic Boddy Lodge, native grasses, meadow plants and trees. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
A Monarch butterfly on a daisy at the Oak Woodland and California Meadow Project at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday, November 10, 2014. The 5-acre project officially opens Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 and features the historic Boddy Lodge, native grasses, meadow plants and trees. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
California scrub oak leaves on a trail at the Oak Woodland and California Meadow Project at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday, November 10, 2014. The 5-acre project officially opens Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 and features the historic Boddy Lodge, native grasses, meadow plants and trees. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
The Oak Woodland and California Meadow Project at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday, November 10, 2014. The 5-acre project officially opens Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 and features the historic Boddy Lodge, native grasses, meadow plants and trees. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
Fall colors intermix in the trees beside a small lake at the Oak Woodland and California Meadow Project at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday, November 10, 2014. The 5-acre project officially opens Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 and features the historic Boddy Lodge, native grasses, meadow plants and trees. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
A majestic California scrub oak at the Oak Woodland and California Meadow Project at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday, November 10, 2014. The 5-acre project officially opens Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 and features the historic Boddy Lodge, native grasses, meadow plants and trees. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
The Oak Woodland and California Meadow Project at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday, November 10, 2014. The 5-acre project officially opens Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 and features the historic Boddy Lodge, native grasses, meadow plants and trees. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
The Boddy Lodge at the Oak Woodland and California Meadow Project at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday, November 10, 2014. The 5-acre project officially opens Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 and features the historic Boddy Lodge, native grasses, meadow plants and trees. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
The Oak Woodland and California Meadow Project at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday, November 10, 2014. The 5-acre project officially opens Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 and features the historic Boddy Lodge, native grasses, meadow plants and trees. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
The Oak Woodland and California Meadow Project at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday, November 10, 2014. The 5-acre project officially opens Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 and features the historic Boddy Lodge, native grasses, meadow plants and trees. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)