The curious cases of a La Jolla fairy garden and vanishing tee times

La Jolla hearts are tied together by a golden thread: Our love affair with the Fay Avenue Bike Path.

A ribbon of clay dirt and asphalt, framed by shades of sage green coastal habitat, the bike path is a meandering bridge connecting two La Jolla neighborhoods: Windansea and Bird Rock.

The bike path is an urban wildlife sanctuary for rabbits, foxes, coyotes, birds and butterflies. It’s also the home of an enchanting fairy garden.

Whether strolling or biking by, this pop-up patch of magic is easy to miss. But observant passersby will spot it nestled under the graceful boughs of an ancient Eucalyptus tree.

The fairy garden appeared one early summer day, a mosaic of tiny bric-a-brac and shimmering stones. “Fairies Live Here,” declares a small hand-painted sign, tucked among the fallen leaves.

One night, an ill-tempered troll trampled through the fairy garden, leaving a path of destruction in his wake.

“Who would do such a thing?” dismayed neighbors asked one another as children sifted through the rubble.

Hana Landwehr took the fairy garden’s demise to heart. “I was sad,” the 4-year-old told me. “It was so beautiful.”

But miracles come in small packages. Hana returned home from a family vacation in mid-August to the fairy garden’s remnants reassembled. The reimagined fairy garden sparkles again, and a “Be Kind La Jolla” sign stands sentry over the fairy garden. Let’s hope it keeps the angry trolls away.