Why You Want Insects

Bringing Nature Home,
How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants


Gardening For Life
"Chances are, you have never thought of your garden - - indeed, of all of the space on your property - - as a wildlife preserve that represents the last chance we have for sustaining plants and animals that were once common throughout the U.S. But that is exactly the role our suburban landscapes are now playing and will play even more in the near future."

So says Douglas W. Tallamy, a professor of entomology at The University of Deleware. His Bringing Nature Home is an excellent book that explains as well as any source why we need to plant and preserve native plants.

He and other researchers have conclusive proof that insects prefer native plants. He has analyzed several species growing in his area with their area of origin. A eucalyptus might have over 175 insects that feed on it in Australia but few to none that feed on it in the United States and that's after being introduced more than 300 years ago.

Nurseries over the decades have encouraged homeowners to choose plants with are "insect free", but Tallamy explains how this is misguided.

Many might say, "But why do I want insects in my garden? Of course I deliberately purchase plants that insects don't like." This has been the view of many gardeners over the years and has resulted in a loss of bird life in our world. Birds need insects to survive, even if not normally insect eaters, they feed them to their young.

Tallamy and other researchers have examined plants for insect biomass on natives, and non-natives to an area. It is clear that insects are much more attracted to native plants - the leaf chemistry is very different from species to species even within the same genus. The plants have evolved this defense to protect themselves, and insects have co-evolved to be able to eat particular plant species because most insects are specialists. This may take hundreds, thousands, or even millions of years however. Many plants have been analyzed for the number of insects that feed on them in their area of origin as opposed to the area of introduction. It is clear in analyzing plants introduced into this country,that it takes more than 300 years for the insects to evolve to the point of being able to eat the new species.¹

At least two studies have been undertaken to determine if in fact the bird populations in native and non-native areas are different. One study showed a lack of bird populations where non-native grasses have been introduced, another showed that nestlings in an area with non-native plants were smaller and grew slower.

Do you worry that insects that might eat your natives, until there are none? If so, consider that all was in balance before we began introducing exotics (too many of which escaped into the wild and became invasives). Insects and plant diseases that go wild sometimes killing valuable plants seem to be always those in introduced (on purpose or accidentally by hitch-hiking on exotics) from other climes.

If you love wildlife, the introduction of native plants, or their preservation, seems very important. As Dr. Tallamy says, "A plant that has fed nothing, hasn't really done its job."

¹Douglas W. Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home, How You can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, (China:Timber Press, 2009).

Urban Bee Gardens

Today's Presentation by Marissa Ponder of UC Berkeley at the SLO Botanical Garden was enjoyed by many native bees enthusiasts. The following is the summary of her presentation.

Native bees are 70% ground nesters, and 30% cavity nesters. There are 1600 different native bees species in California, out of 4000 in the U.S. Bumble bees do live in colonies but the others are solitary bees.

Various species are active at different times of the year, they have shorter life cycles (weeks to months) than European (imported) bees which have more honey than other bees because they store it up for overwintering.

Only female bees have stingers, because they use the same tube to either lay eggs or to sting. The males do little else but wait around to mate with the female bees. The females build the nests for laying their eggs. One type of bees, the leaf cutter bees, cut leaves to surround a cell for each egg.

European (honey) bees are generalists more than the native bees. The research on native bees at UCB began ten years ago. Dr. Gordon Frankie began researching native bees in Berkeley and now has gardens that he and his researchers check periodically to determine how many species are active there.

Two sites in the SLO area are being monitored: The Cal Poly Arborteum and the Emerson Community Gardens at the corner of Nipomo and Pismo
n SLO. They have found 87 species of native bees in our city. At the Emerson Community Gardens, there were orginally hardly any flowers, mostly only vegetables. In the last three years, Franke has supplied 300 California native plants to that garden to encourage native bees. Barb Smith, who has been volunteering as the contact point for him, spoke about how this has been working, and how improved the garden is in both beauty and productivity. It has been written up in the Sunset Magazine blog and other places on-line. She called it "A Pollination Explosion". She noted that the bees are shy, not aggressive. She called Frankie the Johny Appleseed of native bees.

Ms. Ponder, explained many more facts about native bees including how to encourage them in a garden. It is important not to use pesticides, and to leave areas without mulch so the bees have a place to build their nests in the ground. She did explain how to build wooden cavities of differing sizes for cavity nesters also.

She said that native bees may be better pollinators, and they are early risers. Male bees, because their main object is to mate with the females, often sleep in flowers to catch the females. Some males however, are territorial and seem to be offering to protect the territory of female bees.

A good way to encourage bees to come to your yard is to plant natives flowers in patches, with many different flowers together (20 different species). They need both pollen and nectar so flowers should be planned to provide both. At their garden they use non-natives to extend the blooming season in the fall.

Other techniques that are useful in encouraging bee activity is to dead head flowers, and even leave hollow stems for a whole year and some may use these as nests.

One person asked how far native bees can fly, the answer was that larger bees can fly further some as far as 5 km. She showed photos and listed several plants that are especially sought out by native bees:

ceanothus, black sage, seaside daisy, chinese houses, blue headed gilia, gumplant, tuckseed (coreopsis grandiflora), california poppy, tansy leaf phacelia, sunflowers (non-native), and cosmos (non-native).

A person who provides habitat for wildlife can apply to have their garden
certified as Wildlife Habitat by The National Wildlife Federation.

coreopsis grandiflora

In Praise of Local

A Deeper Knowledge of the Place One Calls Home


In SLO, I really discovered my love for local, for delving into local history; buying local vegetables, fruit, eggs, cheese, and hormone and antibiotic free meat at farmer's markets; meeting local Native Americans - I discovered a couple with an herb and honey (home grown business); shopping local businesses; volunteering in local non-profits; working to keep the local environment clean and healthy for all; and getting involved in local issues.

My love of local native plants and wildlife are very much a part of my love of my locale and my desire to become as much as possible a part of the local ecosystem.

Discovered recently a website which says very well the part about living in the locale in which you reside. The author, Arvind Kumar, titles many of his articles A Sense of Place.

" On the East Coast, in winter, plants are dormant, leafless, or dead. In California’s winter, plants get plenty of rain, and their root systems grow like crazy.

"In summer on the East Coast, plants grow lush green, helped along by periodic showers, high humidity, and sunshine. In California’s desert-like summer, there is sun all right, but not a drop of rain. Plants that do best in California know how to survive six months or more without water.

"This simple but subtle fact is lost on many gardeners, especially those accustomed to the East Coast climate. They go nuts trying to make sense of California’s seasons, wondering why a California garden needs so much water in summer. Gardening books are of little help, most having been written by and for East Coast gardeners.

"Happy are those who grasp the essential facts about California’s unique climate, and who learn to adapt to California instead of forcing California to adapt to their ideas.

“ 'Being from New York I always used to say that I missed the seasons back East,” recalls Barbara Springer of San Jose. 'What I didn't realize was that I was overlooking the seasons of California and trying to make them fit into the East Coast model. I now have a new perspective where I look forward to each new ‘season’ of rains, germination and growth, blooms, seed collecting, and dormancy.'

"Gardening with nature brings great rewards, not the least of which is a deeper knowledge of the place one calls home. Anyone can create a lush summer garden by watering, watering, watering.The real challenge lies in creating a garden that is appropriate to its environment, to its soil and its climate. Such a garden thrives without consuming large quantities of scarce natural resources.

"The secret to keeping a California garden looking beautiful through summer lies in picking plants appropriate to the site. You can’t go wrong by choosing locally native plants, which are naturally adapted to your soil and climate. California is blessed with a great diversity of native plants, which have unique evolutionary mechanisms for staying alive during the long dry summer. "

Source: www.gardeningwithnatives.com

Lupines @ Shell Creek

Lupinus bicolor (Minature Lupine)
with a Lupinus nanus (Sky Lupine)
to the right

The SLO Chapter of the California Native Plant Society drove in caravan to Shell Creek for a wonderful display of wildflowers. Not one of the experts along on this trip, I mostly photographed, besides enjoying the flowers and the company. Here are three of the four lupines we found.

Do keep clicking on the images to see them up close.

Lupinus nanus (Sky Lupine)


Lupinus albifrons (Bush Lupine)

Ceanothus in Bloom

California Liluc


March is usually the prime month for Ceanothus blooms, and this year is no exception.

There are a lot of varieties from trees down to ground covers,evergreen or deciduous, medium to tiny leaves, blue flowers or white. Most all of them are perfect for an area with a long dry summer, but will likely die if given summer water when it's hot. It's especially a good idea to start these to take advantage of the rainy season's water then pretty much leave them alone during the summer. Maybe if they begin getting a few yellow leaves give them some water at night or on a cooler day. If the soil is well-drained they may tolerate bit more water. From personal experience I'd advise not to plant in April or May and expect to keep them alive unless you plant in the shade and water only a very little bit.

Some think of Ceanothus as short-lived, but this is likely only true if they are given summer water or soil amendments, otherwise they should live 20-25 years.¹

Pruning is an issue you will need to consider early on, unless you plant the ground cover or shrub varieties far away from anything else. If you leave pruning them too long, you will find that the underneath branches have died back and will not regrow leaves or flowers. So, if you do want to keep the plant from getting overgrown keep an eye on it. Or, plan your plantings so that everything is far enough apart that pruning isn't necessary. Ceanothus is fast growing.

Yankee Point is one of the most commonly used in the garden, and easiest to find. Dark star is an especially lovely dark blue/purple color. Snowy flurry is white, but there are 50 Ceanothus species in North America, 41 in California. They have adapted to various soils, climates, and elevations, since California has much climatic and geological variety to which they have adapted. In this diverse landscape several endemics have evolved that only grow wild in very limited locales. ²

The flowers, which bloom for about a month, attract bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. They also have the reputation of being attractive food for deer. However, this is less likely to be true of local species (small leaves especially), and when they are not watered or fertilized. Some native Americans used the blossoms as soap or shampoo - when wet the flowers do create a kind of lather when rubbed between the hands and are apparently cleansing.

The Chumash, one of the native societies that lived in what is now San Luis Obispo County and as far south as present-day Malibu, were more interested in the wood of the Ceanothus plant. In spite of all the varieties they must have encountered, they only distinguished the white blossom varieties from the blue blossomed varieties. The blue-flowered (washiko) lasted a long time in the ground so they used it in building fences, corals, and for poles used in sacred ceremonies. Washiko was often used to make digging sticks. They would choose a stick about four feet long and a little less than two inches in diameter. After the point was shaped, it was then hardened in alternating fire and water until it was sufficiently hard. Then it was often weighted with a stone with a central hole which was twisted up at least a foot from the bottom.³

Ceanothus is a lovely and easy plant for a drought tolerant garden.


¹Carol Bornstein, David Fross, and Bart O'Brien, Californa Native Plants for
the Garden, (Cachuma Press, Singapore,2005).

²David Fross and Dieter Wilkin, Ceanothus, (TimberPress, Inc. Portland, OR,
2006).

³Jan Timbrook, Chumash Ethnobotany, Plant Knowledge Among the Chumash People of Southern California, (Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2007).

Wildflowers

Interesting lecture(as usual) by our own Matt Ritter, Botany Professor at Cal Poly on Wildflowers of San Luis Obispo County. He told us that our county includes 3,616 square miles of land but 1,850 different species in that area.

He quoted David Orr who said, "By the time young people enter college they’ve seen thousands of hours of television, four hours and some minutes per day on average. As a result, one study has shown that college students could identify a thousand corporate logos but fewer than 10 plants and animals native to their own place. So we’ve become not only consumers, but hugely ignorant of the terms by which we live on the Earth." New Perspectives Quarterly

Dr. Ritter showed photos of various wildflowers and also told stories about many of them. An interesting one is Goldfields (Lasthenia california, L. gracilis). There are two distinct species that botanists cannot tell apart morphologically (physical form and structure), but the pollinators do, because they each have their own. I guess their DNA is different hence two different species.

David Douglas tramped through San Luis Obispo County in 1830 gathering plants, seeds, and information. He began his plant exploration in what is now Monterey County down into what is now Santa Barbara County. Along the way, he discovered Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophilia menziesii), which soon became a favorite in English gardens. Peak at Book about Douglas

A unusual native wildflower is the Beach Primrose (Camissonia cheiranthifolia). It only releases it's pollen when the flower is vibrated at a certain frequency by a certain bee.

Native Sons just sent out email that their open house for the year will be April 17, 8am - 3pm. They suggest people bring carts or something for the plants they might wish to purchase.

A Keystone Species

The Kangaroo Rat - A Keystone Species


What is a Keystone Species? It is a species that plays a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community and whose impact on the community is greater than would be expected based on its relative abundance or total biomass. source

The native Kangaroo Rat, a keystone species, was described today by Dr. Francis Villablanca, Associate Professor of Biology at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, spoke at the Morro Bay Natural History Museum.

The Kangaroo Rat(Dipodomys heermanni)is found throughout California and the local subspecies commonly called the Morro Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys heermanni morroensis), is on the endangered species list and hasn't been seen in decades. It was native to the Los Osos area.

Several other subspecies are also endangered. They are very amazing and interesting both in their abilties and in their impact on the ecosystem. They are solitary, build tunnels in sandy areas, and have the ability to jump up and while in the air use their tail to turn their body so they are moving in a completely different direction. This technique makes them very difficult for raptors to capture them, especially since their hearing is very acute. If they hear a raptor overhead, they leap up change direction, and keep this up moving in a very unpredictable way as they change direction with each leap.

The Kangeroo Rat is considered a keystone species because when their numbers decrease or increase all kinds of other species (who are dependent on them) decrease or increase too.

A long term study of Kangeroo Rats in Arizona show how dramatic are the effects of this rodent. A fence was built some twenty years ago to prevent the kangeroo rat from crossing the barrier. The desert shrub land became grassland as the tunneling and seed gathering of the kangaroo rat was prevented. Six species of mice increased in the arid grassland, and seed-eating bird populations that need bare places for foraging were reduced.

They are also the primary prey of the also endangered Kit Fox(Vulpes macrotis).



Read more about Keystone Studies in Arizona

More about Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat

Falling Floods

"Falling floods cascade to carpet the already wet ..."



A poem I wrote decades ago seems in order in the City of San Luis Obispo which has now received over 30 inches of rain since July 1, 2009.

The hills are all a stunning green, and most everything is growing at a stupendous rate, or to great heights (weeds and annuals). However, some plants may not be faring so well. If you planted unwisely or too optimistically with regard to drainage, your plants may have suffered.

Salvias (sages) may have suffered. As Bornstein, Fross and O'Brien say in California Native Plants for the Garden, "Our native sages, without exception, are plants of dry places." My one year old Salvia Pozo Blue is reputed by Las Pilitas Nursery, to survive 7-35" of rain. However, it did not in my garden. Even the Celestial Blue, which was 2-3 years established looks in shock, though it may recover.



Eriogonum giganteum are reported to be adaptable but prefer well-drained soil. A somewhat established one planted in sand and behind a retaining wall near a drop of three feet, bringing gravity to bear, fared well. A new one planted four months ago in clay where there is not much of a slope died quickly.

Another buckwheat, Eriogonum crocatum, about which sources disagree on how adaptable it is, was planted in both sand and clay. One was planted in sand, three in clay. Only the one planted in clay closest to the water valve on the rain barrel died. The others are delightfully coming into their lime green flowers (top photo).

Bottled Water

Why it's not a good idea

If you read none of this article, do watch the trailer for the documentary Flow. Please!



Water is big business in the U.S., in fact in the world. It is not a surprise that bottled water is omnipresent. Don't worry, the first four links that come up in a search for bottled water are sites that are sponsored by the bottled water industry. But that doesn't make it a good idea.

In 1998 it was a 4 Billion Dollar industry, now in 2010 it is a $425 Billion Dollar a year industry. If you buy it, you are paying between 240 and 10,000 times more than you would be paying for tap water. If you pay $2.50 for a liter, you are paying more for water than for gasoline. Some of the bottled water contains contaminants, some of them dangerous. Bottled water regulation has gaping holes and oversight is severely underfunded both nationally and in most states.

Culligan filters tap water and resells it according to this article.

On the other hand, tap water is quite well monitored throughout the U.S. Although there is a great deal more data on tap water, it does not follow that all of it is good drinking water. But nevertheless, since there is so little oversight of bottled water, there is no reason to believe that bottled water is safer just because it comes in a bottle. In fact FDA rules for bottled water are more lenient than rules in the European Union.

Read the summary of a study about bottled water vs. tap water. A lot of my facts are from this article from the Natural Resources Defense League.

Commercial water is becoming a political issue in various locations. The problem is that the commercial ventures collecting and bottling the water are often removing water that should belong to the residents. This has been reported as true of Fuji water for example.

There was a recent article in Mother Jones about Fuji, and the documentary "Flow" ( view trailer) was how people in the U.S. and in third world countries are being cut out of water by huge multinationals who want to privatize (read productize) water.

There are problems with some tap water, but it is much better to get the local water fixed rather than just use bottled water instead. Only those who can afford it can purchase, it is not necessarily safer, environmentally it is a poor answer, and it is expensive.

The manufacture of bottles also can cause release of phthalates, and other byproducts of plastic-making, into water, air, or other parts of the environment. And, ultimately, many bottles will be added to already overflowing landfills or incinerated, potentially adding to our environmental problems.

The following facts were compiled by a site that mostly discusses the disadvantages of plastic bags while shopping.

• Americans will buy an estimated 25 billion single-serving, plastic water bottles this year. Eight out of 10 (22 billion) will end up in a landfill.
  -- Container Recycling Institute


• Bottled water is a rip off - consumers spend an estimate $7 billion on bottled water in US each year.


• Worldwide 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water each year.
  -- OneWorld


• 1.5 million barrels of oil is used annually to produce plastic water bottles for America alone - enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year.

-- Earth Policy Institute

• Imagine a water bottle filled a quarter of the way up with oil. That's about how much oil was needed to produce the bottle.
  -- National Geographic

What if you don't like the taste of your local water? Install a filter on your tap, this can be easily installed on your kitchen tap for the cold water, and your bathroom too.

Another idea that I personally have used for about two years is a CO₂ dispenser to make sparkling water. The dispenser costs about $120, and you do have to buy the canisters regularly. The company I use includes the return UPS label, so it's a simple matter to return in the box the new one came in.

We figured out that I save over $300 per year this way, as I would normally have consumed 32 oz. per day. The main reason for doing this however was to save energy - the oil used to transport and to make the plastic bottles.

Design Suggestions

A few more ideas on designing your garden. Many gardeners find plants they like, but don't know how to treat the space so it makes a pleasing whole. A back yard with lots of unrelated plants, all one of a kind, is not that attractive. Similar and contrasting colors, shapes and textures makes a garden interesting. Consider groupings of a plant you like so that you get masses of blooms, for example, at certain times of the years. Groupings of odd numbers are usually preferred in art, and you use this. Rocks, patios, arroyos (dry creeks) can all provide shape and structure to your design.

Repetitions can be a unifying quality in a garden. You can repeat the same color multiple times throughout the garden, and also repeat the same plant species several times. An artist will often draw the eye to a focal point, and repeat colors and shapes to make a pleasing whole. Your garden can be your canvass.

Think of the ocean or a fire: two of the most fascinating things in nature because of the endless repetition and infinite variation. You can use this concept in your garden.

One local person who can help with both landscape design and take you out for a garden wholesale shopping experience is GoodEarth Plantscapes owned by Janet Swanson. Contact her at 805-534-9586. Even if you just want to go to Native Sons (almost entirely a wholesale nursery) she can take you there.

Dudleya britonnii pictured above is one of those plants you aren't likely to be able to buy any place else in Central California except Native Sons. It is native to San Diego and Baja but grows well in sand or clay and needs no summer water. Those flower stems will tower over the plant 3 feet with hundreds (?) of little tube flowers that are very attractive to hummingbirds. The plant, especially the flower stems will take on an increasingly pink or even red color as the days get hotter and dryer. After it stops blooming a few months later, cut off the stems and let the rosette shrink back to a smaller size. It will expand again after the winter rains begin. It sometimes even sprouts a side rosette or two. The above Dudleya split in two last year. This year each of those split in two again. Snails and slugs may eat it in damp weather, so keep an eye out. They are easy to find with a flash light after dark after the first sign of a nibble.

Edible Annual

Claytonia perfoliata
Miner's Lettace


The forty-niner's added the "Miner's Lettace" common name to this tasty and attractive little (usually) annual in the area about Sutter's Creek. It kept them from scurvy the stories say.

It can be used in salads and reseeds well (too well?), but is easy to pull up if it begins to take over. It can be a few inches tall before it blooms, or a foot or more tall.

As the weather gets warmer, an attractive pinkish color begins at the lowest part of the stems. While they are still young the color is a very fresh green.

It will last longer in moist conditions, with some sun. It contains Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and is a good antioxident. It can be eaten raw, in stir-fry, or prepared anyway you would spinach. All that, and it's pretty too. Plant it or pick it out in the wild. If you plan to harvest in the wild, pick of just the tops, to avoid pulling the whole plant out of the ground.

Don't know where to buy seeds? Larner Seeds is the answer.

Flash: Miner's Lettace even makes the grade in Sunset Magazine's March 2010 issues just out. (Not online yet.) Pages 63-5. Likely place to find it when March begins, article is called"Vegtable King".

Amazing Annuals

Easy Reseeding

Annuals are an easy way to fill-in a garden while the slower growing shrubs and trees work their way slowly out of the ground. The latter plants put down tap roots during the first two years and often don't grow nearly as fast as some hybrids during that time. They will payoff later in their extreme drought tolerance (assuming you have picked the drought tolerant kind of natives).

Sowing seeds in the fall, or winter will repay you year after year. Lupines, in particular, will require some preparation scarifying or something. They are harder to get established. The photo is Lupinus succuluntus which is a huge lupine, two to three feet high when in bloom. The first year only about one plant survived to bloom, now in the third year seventeen plants were weeded down by (slugs?) to leave eleven plants beginning to bloom.

Annuals in my garden tend to be much more giant than I see out in the wild. I have no explanation for this unless I have more clay than is available on Cerro San Luis, Irish Hills, or the residential area closer to where SLO Weather is located. This year with it's above average rainfall has had an impact but previous years the California poppies and miner's lettace have also been very large.

One warning: the weeds love to hide in annuals. It almost seems to me that the weeds figure out how high to grow so they are not discovered too soon. Some might say it's just the amount of water every plant in the same area, but maybe it's more like growing up to find the sun since some grow higher around manzanitas.

Wildlife Babies

How You Can Help. What to do, and when to leave them alone.



The following are tips from Pacific Wildlife Care which provides rehabilitation to sick and injured wildlife of San Luis Obispo County. You might encounter babies this spring who are hurt or appear to be abandoned, these suggestions appear in the spring 2010 newsletter of the organization.

1. Fawns - If you find an uninjured fawn, do not pick it up! Keep people and dogs away so that the mother can return. Fawns are often left alone for long periods of time while the mother (doe) goes off and forages for food.
2. Baby Birds - If the bird has no feathers, it is a nestling and it needs to be put back in the nest. If you cannot find the nest, you can make one and place it near the original nestsite. If parents do not return after a couple of hours to care for a naked, nestling bird, call the Pacific Wildlife Care.
3. Young Fledgling Birds - Most fledgling birds cannot fly when they leave the nest. They are often found on the ground. Keep pets and children away. The parents will continue to care for the bird. This is an important learning period in the little bird’s life and lasts only a few days. The bird does not need rescuing.
4. Baby Mammals - We gets calls regarding raccoons and opossums whose parents have been trapped, with babies left to die. Do not trap and relocate opossums, raccoons, or skunks. The babies will soon grow up and the family will usually go on its way. If you need help, call Pacific Wildlife Care for solutions. Well- meaning individuals sometimes try to raise orphaned wild animals. It is illegal to do so. Wild babies have specialized dietary needs and can become ill or die from improper diet. Licensed rehabilitators have the skills to feed these animals properly and to keep them wild so they can be returned to their natural habitat. Share this info with friends & neighbors.

If you do find an animal that truly does appear to need help, and you are in San Luis Obispo County, call 805-543-WILD and leave a message for the phone volunteers of Pacific Wildlife Care. Once you make contact, if you can drive your animal to the Morro Bay Rehabilitation Center, that would be much appreciated.

PWC is always looking for more members and volunteers too. Their website is http://www.pacificwildlifecare.org.

Plant Communities

Back in the day, native plants were replaced with exotics by most people, but a few like Lester Rowntree, appreciated how delightful the natives were. Lester Rowntree was a woman who spent thirty years (the 1920's, 30's and 40's) driving all over the state of California saving plants and seeds from development. She traveled mostly alone in her little truck, though sometimes she traveled by mule. When she (and others) began exploring and saving California plants as she decribes in her major works: "Hardy Californians, A Woman's Life with Native Plants" and "Flowering Shrubs of California and Their Value to the Gardener", there was no mention of plant communities. However writers like her would note the other plants growing nearby.

Gradually, it began to become evident that certain plants seemed to be found together in definable micro-climates in the state. I'm not sure that these categories are hard and fast in anyone's mind but there do seem to be several of general acceptance. Since these plants are linked thanks to the mycorrhizal fungi, it makes a lot of sense that certain plants do especially well together because they are connected in a way that these early researchers in California's botany had no idea existed.

A few of these recognized plant communities include Chaparral, Coastal Sage Scrub, Oak Woodland, and Riparian. Some professional designers might wish to stick to one plant community in a household garden, but others like Glenn Keator and Alrie Middlebrok, who wrote "Designing California Native Gardens, The Plant Community Approach to Artful, Ecological Gardens" put one community's plants in one area then transition to another. This follows nature's pattern, of course, since water or other factors may bring these communities into quite close contact.

There is also the succession factor at work too. A chaparral community may be moving toward an oak woodland as acorns are planted by jays or squirrels.

Mycorrhizal Fungi

What is it, and Why should I care?




I mentioned that in planting it's a good idea not to disturb the soil unduly. The reason for this, is that it is best not to disturb the Mycorrhizal Fungi in the soil.

The network that probably connects 90% of the earth's plants has existed for 460,000,000 year but it is only in about the last thirty years that it has become somewhat understood by scientists. They believe that it was the mycorrhizal fungi that enabled plants to adapt to land, and that this relationship began before there were any plants outside the oceans.

We do know that this fungi filaments attach to the roots of plants in a symboitic relationship providing access to additional water and nutrients. The network can connect one plant to another thus forming a network.¹ Scientists first discovered mycorrhizae observing plants grown in glass boxes. However, the strands of fungi are small and delicate and easily destroyed, and thus it was difficult to study in the wild. They have used core samples near plants and have used DNA testing to study plants in the same area, to determine if they are connected.²

It appears that the mycorrhizae function a bit like having an extra set of roots which are even more porous, and that also provide immune protection against airborne pathogens. New plants once they have been tapped into get extra help in getting established in the new location. In exchange for all the benefits to the plants, the fungi obtain glucose and sucrose. Mycorrhizal fungi can be either ecto- (that that contact the root system and keep an external link to the plant), and endo-mycorrhizal fungi (that actually enter the cell walls and form an internal link). Both kinds use the plant's sucrose to create an enzyme that breaks down minerals in the soil which are useful to both the fungi and the plant.

It's a wonderful relationship in nature, and one that is easy to promote, but also easy to disrupt. The fungi are very easily damaged by disruption of the soil, but also by the addition of fertilizer. The fertilizer overwhelms the fungi and in a sense gives it no reason to exist. Ironic isn't it? We added fertilizer to plants to make them grow better, not realizing that we were killing the very thing that could make them the strongest and healthiest. In fact, fertilizer while it greatly increases growth rate the cells in the stems, roots, and leaves are weaker and thus not as healthy.

What else happens when the soil is disturbed? In a native ecosystem the ratio of bacteria to fungi is about 1:10, when the network is broken the ratio changes in favor of bacteria, the water and minerals in the network is released and alien species such as weeds and rodents thrive.

In contrast, in the plant community linked by the mycorrhizae, the plants support each other. This is also the reason for learning about plant communities, and planting oaks with members of their plant community (Manzanita, Ceanothus, Ribes, Redberry, Coffeeberrry).³

Later: More about plant communities

¹N.A., "Mycorrhiza", February 11, 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhiza, (12 February 2010)

²Peter Kennedy,November 2005, "Common Mycorrhizal Networks: An Important Ecological Phenomenon",http://www.mykoweb.com/articles/MycorrhizalNetworks.html, (12 February 2010)

³Celeste Wilson, "California Native Oaks and Mycorrhiza", May 13, 1995, http://www.laspilitas.com/classes/mycorrih.htm, (12 February 2010)

Planting Natives

It's not just like mother taught you



OK, you have your plan and the plants. From here it's more than just digging holes - though there's that of course.

Try not to disturb the soil more than you can help. This means, don't rototill only disturb the dirt a little with the aforementioned hole. Also, don't fertilize or amend unless perhaps adding sand in a kind of raised bed to promote drainage. Although it might take some research to find the right kind of plants for your soil, the planting and growing will be easier and the results more predictable. I will discuss mycorrhizal fungi soon, to explain why no fertilizer and why to not disturb the soil.

Begin with a hole bigger than the plant, but check to make sure that the dirt currently around the plant will be just about 1/2 inch higher than the ground around it - when you build a small basin around the plant (noted below) this will help keep the stem dry which many plants prefer.

Once you have the hole ready, fill the hole with water and let it drain twice, before planting. Then put the plant in and and fill with the local soil. If you are likely to need to water before the winter rains, you can make a basin of about an 8" radius around the stem with extra dirt to hold the water. On top put mulch. This is wood chips on all plants except succulents, desert plants, and those needing good drainage. Gravel sized rocks around all the plants is good. One other thing, put a nice sized rock to the west or south of every major plant. This is to both hold moisture and for the thermal mass it provides. Come to the Botanical Garden Tour on the Oak Glen Pavilion (Education Building) to learn more about thermal mass. It's a property of some substances, including rocks, that keeps the temperature from extreme fluctuations. A rock retains heat captured during the day into the night, then keeps the plant cooler into the day following the night's cooling effect on that same rock.

Depending on the rains you might want to water in a few weeks - deep water is usually best. Check the soil an inch down once a week or so, and only water if it's dry. Some California natives, like Dudleya might not ever need summer water - not even the first two years.

Coming soon - What is Mycorrhizal Fungi - and why would I care?

Buy California Natives

There are a lot of local choices for buying California Natives. But if you are not local, and can get your hands on the book I recommended yesterday, in Planning to Plant, there are lots of suggested places to get California natives up and down the state.

You can go just one place and you might find everything you want - most likely place for that locally would be Las Pilitas Nursery. They can certainly advise you very expertly, but you should have given it a lot a thought before you go. Their site will let you know what is available. They open on Saturdays for retail business.

If like me, you have pretty definite ideas from your research about what you want, you might have to shop around at different places to find all your plants.

Native Sons in Arroyo Grande has natives, but also a lot of non-natives and they are only open for retail trade a few times a year. April 17, 2010 (8:00am - 3:00pm) is one of these.

Manzanita Nursery, in Solvang, has some species I have had trouble finding elsewhere. Like most nurseries, their available species are kept up to date on their website. I was given a discount for having driven so far to get there!

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, (in guess where?), has a good selection of plants and might be worth the trip. They have a special spring sale the month of April. I have been unable to find a list of available plants on their website however.

San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden is only staffed by volunteers on Tuesday mornings and every 2nd Saturday of the month (Saturday in the Garden). Go to the Gift Shop, but inquire about whether you can visit the green house too. They do not keep all the available plants for sale at the gift shop. Check their website for the semi-annual sales, I think the next is April 10, 2010.

Other Places: On the web I have purchased seeds from Larner Seeds, and plants by mail from Annie's Annuals. Larner is all native, but Annie's isn't, but they have a list of natives you can peruse. One time I was sent bonus plants, but they weren't natives.

I have also had some luck with other local places which only have a section for natives. Miner's and Farm Supply come to mind. I know that Farm Supply will special order from wholesale growers for you too.

If you have had good luck some other place, do let me know.

Coming Soon: How to Plant Natives (it's not just like you might have learned with traditional gardening)

Sustainable Vineyard

Another SLO treasure discovered yesterday. KCBX, our local NPR gem, hosted an inspiring interview with Jean Pierre Wolff, the owner of Wolff Vineyards, located in Edna Valley outside San Luis Obispo. His work in sustainable agriculture is being featured in two documentaries, and he has been asked by UC Davis to help them develop a program for sustainable vineyards.

You can listen to the podcast, if you are intrigued by the summary below.

The vineyards contain Steel-head trout habitat. When Wolff purchased the property in 1999, he knew he wanted to preserve that. A major project has now been undertaken to reduce creek erosion, retrace original curves, provide resting pools for the fish, while at the same time conveniently allowing more water to seep into the aquifer.

Wolff vineyards, were planted with native grasses that might seem weedlike, but this was deliberate. Wolff is not interested in the golf course look, but in reducing erosion. He also releases beneficial insects and for fun retains a falconer for discouraging European Starlings.

A Pacific pond turtle refuge has been established on the property, currently providing habitat for twenty-seven orphaned turtles. His property also is inhabited by Red-legged frogs, which he enjoys where other vintners might be dismayed. He knows they are like the canary in the coal mine, since their presence demonstrates the health of the environment at Wolff.

When asked why he has undertaken all of this, he says that he believes in the 3Es of Sustainability: Economics, Environment, and Social Equity - down to the treatment of farm workers. Half the vineyard is dry. But the other half is aquifer dependent; thus the work on the health of the aquifer also aids the vineyard. If he prevents erosion of creeks by preventing sedimentation, the creek will not drive the aquifer deeper underground making the water less accessible to the vineyards.

Wolff Vineyards, a local business worth promoting, and maybe someday the competition will take note too.

Why Native Plants?

And why not native plants?



Since I live in California, my specific interest is in California native plants, but in a not so recent trip made to Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, it was great fun to see both natives we share and find out about ones we don't. I'm still after a friend, who took me on a hike outside Phoenix in the spring, to send me photos we took of the lupines and other flora that took my breath away that morning.

So why native plants? Because they are beautiful, because they are becoming endangered, because they are part of our whole ecosystem and we are only beginning to understand how the whole ecosystem works. If you disrupt it by bringing in exotics (as our ancestors did) you not only run the risk of rampant (though unforseen) invasion of the native beauty. There are records of settlers in wagon trains passing through California's Central Valley being awed by the wild flowers. ¹ Most of these are gone to farms.

I live in Central California where the Chumash Indians lived for thousands of years. It was lush life for them, gathering, hunting, trading, and enjoying the bounty of this land. They never farmed, as some Native American's did because they didn't need to. Once they discovered how to grind Coast Live Oak acorns into a flour (after leaching, this was about 1500 years ago) they had a dependable source of food they could supplement easily. Their numbers increased and their society bloomed with specialization and high achievement unique and unusual in a North American Native society. When the Spanish came with their mission of religion and agriculture and of course exotics, the Chumash men had to be allowed time each fall to hunt - agriculture did not sustain them as hunting and gathering had. So ironic. ²

How about wildlife and their relationship to native plants? We are only beginning to understand how complicated this whole issue is too. However, we do know that the plants that wildlife evolved with seem to be better for them. They know when to find what they need for nest building, habitat, feeding their young, cover, etc. Some species are even dependent upon a particular species for survival, an example is the monarch butterfly which needs milkweed to survive so it's young can obtain the chemical needed for survival. This is cardenolide alkaloid, which is poisonous to predators. As the milkweed removed during development the numbers of monarch butterflies decrease.³

Of course, not all plants have this close a relationship with wildlife, but some have an even closer one where they a mutally dependent. I will talk more about this in days to come.

I love native plants! I'm not even sure why I am so passionate about them as I only discovered them about 4-5 years ago. This was when I still lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and we were contemplating our move to the Central Coast of California - 200 miles south - but a world away. While I was madly overseeing the mechanics of selling the property, disposing of unwanted goods in our downsizing, and staging the house myself; I sought information about my new home from what I could discover on the web.

One of my early discoveries was the Las Pilitas Nursery website: http://www.laspilitas.com. This was, and still is, a fountain of knowledge about California native plants. As of 3 years ago, Burt Wilson, the owner is Santa Margarita,CA told me there were over 200 web pages to the site and it is an incredible reference as well as nursery. At first I was intrigued, then converted, now passionate in my love and dedication to encouraging the preservation and planting of these wonderful survivors of the area.

¹Judith Larner, "The Basics of Sowing Wildflower Seeds", 12 December 2009, http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_annual.html, (3 February 2010)

²Jan Timbrook, Chumash Ethnobotany, Plant Knowledge Among the Chumash People of Southern California, (Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2007).

³ Jim Lovett, "Milkweed", n.d., http://www.monarchwatch.com/milkweed/index.htm, (3 February 2010)

SLO Today Now

Welcome to SLO TODAY!


There is a lot I would like to share about my love of San Luis Obispo County.

I plan to discuss California native plants, sustainability in gardening, buying local especially foods, and of course my favorite local non-profits which are: The San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden and Pacific Wildlife Care. My emphasis though may not be always local as I would like to share what I know and continue to learn about gardening.

I welcome comments if they are civil and thoughtful.

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