[Pollinator] Native Pollinators in California
Ladadams at aol.com
Ladadams at aol.com
Tue Oct 6 11:28:35 PDT 2009
From:Lawrence R. Stritch, Ph.D.
National Botanist
USDA Forest Service - WO
Range Staff, 3S
201 14th Street, SW
Washington DC 20250
Phone 202-205-1279
Scroll down!
----- Forwarded by Larry Stritch/WO/USDAFS on 10/06/2009 09:34 AM -----
Julie K Nelson/R5/USDAFS
09/24/2009 04:08 PM
To
lstritch at fs.fed.us
cc
Subject
Fw: CNPS eNews -- September 2009
Just FYI
Julie Kierstead Nelson
Forest Botanist, Shasta-Trinity National Forest
3644 Avtech Parkway, Redding CA 96002
530 226 2426 direct
530-226-2485 fax
jknelson at fs.fed.us
Age does not always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone.
***Garrison Keillor
----- Forwarded by Julie K Nelson/R5/USDAFS on 09/24/2009 01:08 PM -----
"Jack Tracey" <jtracey at cnps.org>
09/24/2009 11:34 AM
To
jknelson at fs.fed.us
cc
Subject
CNPS eNews -- September 2009
(http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8416767&msgid=151350&act=9JUR&c=441809&admin=0&destination=http://cnps.org/)
CNPS eNewsletter, Volume 1, Number 8: September 2009
“The mission of the California Native Plant Society is to increase
understanding and appreciation of California 's native plants and to conserve them
and their natural habitats through education, science, advocacy,
horticulture and land stewardship.”
"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I
would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." ~George Eliot
In this issue: Horticulture Focus!
* Growing Native: Be a Pollinator Promoter
* Pruning Tips for California Native Plants
* Gardening for Birds
* Conservation Plant Science Action Items
* Desert Solar Update
* Bond-Funded Projects/ReSeed California
* Fall Plant Sales -- THIS WEEKEND and thru 11/14/09
* Other Chapter Events
* Thursday 10/24 in Saratoga and this weekend in Sacramento
* Save the Date! Celebration for Vernal Pools, Friday, November 6,
2009, Splash Center, Mather, CA
* Education Program: Vegetation Mapping Workshop
* JiJi Foundation Funds Capacity-Building/Strategic Planning
* 2010 Program Calendar Coming Soon!
* Still Time to Register: Vegetation Mapping 10/13-15
* Links to: Manage Your Subscription; Forward this Newsletter;
Donate Now, Join CNPS and CNPS' Facebook Group
* Photo Credits
* bumble bee on Eriogonum latifolium (Coast Buckwheat). Photo used
with permission of _www.laspilitas.com_
(http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8416767&msgid=151350&act=9JUR&c=441809&admin=0&destination=http://www.l
aspilitas.com/)
* Finch on Elderberry Photo: Steve Rosenthal
* CNPS Plant Sale Photo: Arvind Kumar
* CNPS Education Program Photo: Josie Crawford
* Acorns and Gardening Tools: _Free-Website-Pictures.com_
(http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8416767&msgid=151350&act=9JUR&c=441809&admin
=0&destination=http://free-website-pictures.com/)
Growing Native: Be a Pollinator Promoter
Ellen Zagory, The UC Davis Arboretum
Gardening with California native plants requires an appreciation of
California ’s Mediterranean climate. Long, cloudless summer days can seem
relentless, especially in hot, interior regions. Hills and plains turn golden
with dried grasses and wildfires become a concern. The outdoor-minded learn
to appreciate the long dry season, the ease and opportunity for irrigated
gardening, and easy access to hiking and enjoying the astonishing diversity
of California ’s terrain and flora. Visiting California native landscapes
provides inspiration for native plant gardening. Growing native plants
lets us bring a little of the wild home.
When we incorporate native plants in our landscapes we create gardens that
are more than just objects of beauty—they become expressions of our
environmental values; respect for the need for plant conservation, water
conservation and habitat restoration. Many natives are useful in water-conserving
gardens because they are naturally drought-tolerant, but they do more,
they enhance local biological diversity and support native pollinating
insects.
European honeybee colonies are disappearing, and their decreasing numbers
have farmers and scientists concerned. European honeybees are important
pollinators—insects that transfer pollen, the package of male DNA, to female
parts of flowers, resulting in seeds and fruits, which then end up on our
dinner table. Pollinators are critical for many agricultural crops like
squash, watermelon, almonds, apples, onions, broccoli, carrots, sunflower,
cantaloupe and honeydews, and others too numerous to mention. Insect
pollinators are like truckers on an invisible web of highways between flowery
restaurants. The beautiful petals and markings of flowers advertise that they
hold food, in the form of nectar and pollen, which provide proteins and
sugars that insects need to survive. In the midst of dining, insects
accidentally transfer pollen between plants and initiate fertilization—creating
seeds for the next generation of plants. If there are not enough
pollinators, fruit and vegetable crops will be reduced but what of our native
landscapes?
Native plants have evolved with native pollinators. In addition to crops,
many native plants in our gardens, parks, forests and grasslands depend
upon native insects to reproduce. California ’s natural beauty would not
survive without native pollinators. Construction of homes, shopping centers,
roads and industry has brought our gardens to the environmental edge where
urban meets wild. New developments may have an oak forest in the backyard
or a wildflower preserve as a neighbor. Gardens need to do more than just
provide pleasure. We need to fill them with plants that provide year-round
food and habitat for native pollinators, especially California native
plants.
Native pollinators need us, but we need them just as much. They are an
important part of the food chain that supports birds, amphibians and mammals,
preserving the natural diversity around us. The role that insects play in
our food production system brings this environmental issue home, right to
our dinner tables. Our gardens, especially our California native plants,
can provide food and habitat for a variety of wild creatures, including
pollinating insects.
Pruning Tips for California Native Plants
Ted Kipping, Certified Arborist
So, it’s been 5-10 years since you filled up your garden space with a
buying spree at your local Native Plant Society Sale. Somehow all those little
gallon-sized plants looked rather lonely when you first set them out. Now
they have all grown bigger than you could have imagined. It’s time either to
remove some (perish the thought!), or to play referee with the pruning
tools. What you need are good muscles, sharp clean tools and most
importantly, a clear idea of what you want to achieve to attain a vegetative truce in
the garden for a year or two.
Click _HERE_
(http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8416767&msgid=151350&act=9JUR&c=441809&admin=0&destination=http://www.cnps.org/cnps/grownative/p
runing-kipping.php) to continue reading this article with information on:
* YOUR GARDEN VISION WITH PROPER TIMING AND TECHNIQUES
* SPECIES-SPECIFIC HINTS
* MORE TECHNIQUES
Gardening for Birds -- If you plant it, they will come
Arvind Kumar, CNPS Board Member
Birds make a garden come alive. They are a source of endless
entertainment, dashing, fluttering, feeding, jumping, scratching, drinking, bathing, and
eventually flying off. These foraging creatures are independent spirits,
wild at heart, but if you provide what they need – food, water, shelter,
and nesting spaces – they will return to your urban garden again and again.
Bird feeders provide instant gratification to bird and human alike, but
they require regular cleaning and refilling, not to mention cleaning of the
mess below. A complementary and sustainable approach is to plant shrubs with
berries that our feathered friends find irresistible. Here is a short list
of shrubs to increase the carrying capacity of your garden naturally:
Blue Elderberry (Sambucus mexicana). I call this plant an avian cafeteria
for the sheer variety and quantity of songbirds that visit it in
July-August to snack on the pale blue berries. (Yes, the berries are edible by
humans, too.) By nature a large shrub, this fast-growing deciduous plant can be
easily pruned and shaped as a multi-trunked tree to 20’.
Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia). An evergreen shrub to 8’ that produces
brilliant red berries in November-December. Flocks of cedar waxwings and
other birds gorge on the berries until they disappear. Attractive in flower as
well as fruit, this native, non-invasive alternative to firethorn or
cotoneaster is a must for bird-friendly gardens.
Holly-leaved Cherry (Prunus ilicifolia). A lush green densely branched
versatile shrub that can be trained as a hedge or allowed to grow to a 20’
tree. Flowers attract insects (therefore birds) in spring; fruit attracts
birds in late summer/fall. Slow growing, drought tolerant.
Coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica). A handsome shrub with dark green
foliage and stems that mature from mahogany to brown. Looks good year round. Tiny
flowers attract hummingbirds and native bees in spring. Berries go from
green to red to chocolate in fall, and are consumed eagerly by birds.
Oregon Grape (Berberis aquifolium). The state shrub of our neighboring
state thrives in part shade. Shiny green leaves and yellow flower clusters
adorn it in spring. By fall, the flowers have turned into purple berries that
the birds love. Cold weather infuses red color to leaves.
In addition to food, birds need a steady source of water, especially
during the dry, hot summer months. Include a water feature in the garden: it may
be a simple fountain or a more elaborate stream or pond, or something as
basic as a bird bath that is cleaned and refilled, often several times a day
in very hot weather. If you provide it, they will find it.
Shelter is a critical component of bird habitat. Densely branching shrubs
thwart larger predators and provide safe haven to small birds. Shrubs that
provide food as well as shelter do double duty, and are preferred choices.
Each species has its own unique nesting requirements, and it is best to
include trees and shrubs of varying sizes in the garden to provide a
diversity of options for nesting sites.
Interest in bird-friendly gardening is growing. For some time now, the
Santa Clara Valley chapters of the Audubon Society and the California Native
Plant Society have been presenting a joint program at local libraries on the
topic of “Attracting Birds to the Garden”. Toby Goldberg of Audubon
explains ecological concepts and the bird species one can expect to see in the
Bay Area; I talk about specific easy-to-grow native plants that will attract
birds to the garden.
The attendance is always good (30-60, sometimes more), the audience
attentive, and there is much Q&A afterwards. Evidently, word travels on the
library grapevine, and invitations to speak have been coming in a steady stream
this year. Toby and I are delighted to speak to the Sierra Club on
September 24, 2009 at the Saratoga Library. Details in the Events Calendar.
Arvind Kumar who serves on the Board of Directors of the California Native
Plant Society and is an active chapter leader, grows native plants in his
San Jose garden. He can be reached at _chhaprahiya at yahoo.com. _
(mailto:chhaprahiya at yahoo.com.)
Laurie Davies Adams
Executive Director
Pollinator Partnership
423 Washington Street, 5th floor
San Francisco, CA 94111
415-362-1137
LDA at pollinator.org
_www.pollinator.org_ (http://www.pollinator.org/)
_www.nappc.org_ (http://www.nappc.org/)
National Pollinator Week is June 21-27, 2010.
Beecome involved at _www.pollinator.org_ (http://www.pollinator.org/)
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