Yerba Buena Chapter of the California Native Plant Society

Join J.R. Blair as he discusses mycorrhizal relationships, benefits to plants and their fungal partners, and the various fungal types found in nature.

Ready for Oakapalooza SF? Oaky Dokey, San Francisco. @yerba.buena.cnps & @wildfires2wildflowers are on a mission to plant acres of our native coast live oaks and create a dynamic haven for bugs, butterflies, moths and birds. If all goes well with propagation, we hope to give away hundreds of these majestic pillars of biodiversity to our members to plant in their yards and habitat projects. Bay Nature says, Acorns may be California’s single greatest natural resource. An oa...k tree can bear more than 400 pounds of acorns a year. There are an estimated 1 billion oak trees in California. That’s hundreds of millions of pounds of nutrient that serves as the staple for more kinds of creatures than any other food source in the state. So, is the oak a tree or a buffet? Both. The coast live oak supports more than 300 species of plants, animals, and bugs, making it a keystone species in our landscape. Last week, we set out to make the magic happen. First, we gathered the acorns. Bay Natives Nursery and Heron’s Head Nursery provided us soil, pots and space to help us get off to a good start. ------------ References: From The Essential Tree by Gordy Slack, in Bay Nature, Oct-Dec 2003: Acorns may be California’s single greatest natural resource. An oak tree can bear more than 400 pounds of acorns a year. There are an estimated 1 billion oak trees in California. That’s hundreds of millions of pounds of nutrient that serves as the staple for more kinds of creatures than any other food source in the state. Oak trees form the organizational backbone of numerous habitats from coastal valley bottoms to highland meadows, providing food, shelter, and stability for whole communities of organisms. According to a 1997 University of California study, California’s oak woodlands harbor more biodiversity than any other major habitat type in the state: At least 4,000 kinds of insects inhabit them, along with 2,000 kinds of plants, thousands of fungi and lichens, 170 different birds, 60 amphibians and reptiles, and 100 different mammals. (Link in the bio) Brought to you by Bloom Bay Area, a partnership of @yerba.buena.cnps and @wildfires2wildflowers.

Show your support for native plants wherever you go with our Yerba Buena CNPS hat. We need to sell one more!

We've got something for everyone this week! Wednesday | 6:30 pm Reptiles and Amphibians of Lake & Colusa Counties Walker Ridge If you love herpetology almost a...s much as botany, join us for a night with conservationist and community organizer André Sanchez. Thursday | 6 pm Through the Lens: Backyard Biodiversity If you want to take a wildlife journey of surreal beauty and epic encounters without in one back yard The Gottlieb Native Garden. Friday | 5:30 pm Boo-tany Plant Trivia If you dare to test your knowledge about California's spookiest plants and habitats! Or if you just really needed somewhere to wear your Halloween costume. Register in advance! cnps.org/events

Lonicera hispidula, California Honeysuckle, Pink Honeysuckle, or Hairy Honeysuckle A climbing deciduous shrub with charming pink trumpet-shaped flowers and bitter edible berries that reaches heights of 4-6 feet, perfect for trellises. California Honeysuckle blossoms attract hummingbirds while its crimson berries are relished by other birds. Companion plants include Hummingbird Sage, Redberry or Elderberry. Sun: Full sun to full shade, does best in part shade... Water: Low, moderate, heavy in summer Soil: Various, including clay Other: Drought tolerant and flood tolerant, hardy up to -10 degrees F Photo credit: Las Pilitas Nursery More info: https://www.watershednursery.com//plan/lonicera-hispidula/

Join us on October 31 to plant wildflower gardens and native coastal scrub.

"What we need is a socio, political and economic landscape atmosphere that takes this issue seriously, says U.S. Forest Service regional ecologist Hugh Safford. The preference for fire exclusion and suppression practices over proactive treatments like controlled burns can have devastating consequences, but what can be done about it?

Tomorrow! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/webinar-gardening-for-biodiver

California Everlasting A biennial or short-lived perennial about 2 tall. A pioneer plant that helps to prepare a site and aid in the establishment of longer-lived plants in the native landscape.... The green foliage has a cumin-like fragrance; creamy-white flowers summer to fall are used in dried and fresh flower arrangements. Attractive companion plants: Sagebrush, Coyote brush, and Buckwheat. Well suited for an informal, cottage style garden. The American Painted Lady Butterfly uses this plant as food for its larvae. Previously named Gnaphalium californicum. Sun: Full Sun Water: Dry, Light, Moderate Soil: Clay, Sand, Rocky Other: Attracts Butterflies, Drought Tolerant https://www.watershednursery.com//pseudognaphalium-califo/

Check out all the great native plant events coming up soon!

Oak Woodlands GGPark - Volunteer Event SATURDAY, October 24th, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. This is the key step for our grant awarded habitat restoration project! We need at least 12 volunteers and your participation is vital to making this a success!... We will meet at 9:30 am at the Horseshoe Courts entrance, up the stone steps from East Conservatory Drive. This is a great opportunity to learn! NRD's great staff will be on hand to help and educate all participants in the installation of erosion control materials on our habitat restoration sites. This is preparation for the planting of 400 shrubs and trees which will start next month! Work for all levels of ability will be available including: Unloading & staging materials at the project site Covering slopes with jute mesh Anchoring straw rolls Mulching And of course, watering! Please bring a mask and your own work gloves. We will supply tools, snacks, water, and sanitizing materials. Use this link sign the online waiver form mandated by SFRPD’ s Volunteer Department: https://bit.ly/sfrpdvolunteerwaiver RSVP to confirm your participation so that we can bring adequate supplies. Rob Bakewell - text/voice 415-710-9617 or email [email protected]

More and more attention is rightfully, and finally, being paid to natural solutions to climate change. We at Bloom Bay Area, advocate for habitat restoration guided by the Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of indigenous peoples. Governor Newsom’s recent Executive Order, N-82-20, mandates the protection of 30% of California’s land by 2030 and creates an interagency collaboration to implement land based solutions to carbon sequestration and climate change. The Executive O...rder recognizes the power of TEK. California’s ecosystems evolved with stewardship by Native people, therefore, our ecosystems need this stewardship to stay healthy. We must learn from indigenous tribes how to care for the land that we now inhabit. As we humbly ask for the sharing of this knowledge, we cannot forget, the legacy of genocide and repression that is partly responsible for bringing us to this point of near ecological collapse. Acknowledging this with humility and care, is a crucial step in justice based habitat restoration. As we work to heal the land, we also work to heal ourselves. Brought to you by Bloom Bay Area, a partnership of @yerba.buena.cnps and @wildfires2wildflowers to promote climate resilience, environmental justice and biodiversity restoration in San Francisco. Direct message us if you're interested in joining our coalition. #TEK #habitatrestoration #naturalsolutionstoclimatechange#indigenouscalifornia #climateresilience #culturalburns #plantpeople #californiaplants #californianativeplants #nativeplants #nativegarden #californiaplantsociety #californiawildflowers #growingwild #plantmagic #greensociety #ecosystem #wildfirestowildflowers

The plant could be almost completely gone in the next 50 years due to bluff-top erosion alone, said Cherilyn Burton, a senior environmental scientist in CDFW’s Native Plant Program. Slightly inland from where coast yellow leptosiphon grows is a planned four-unit housing development. The project was approved in March 2019. Although the development project mitigates for direct impacts to the plant, it also eliminates an area that could have been used to help restore the species. https://wildlife.ca.gov//science-spotlight-rare-coastal-sa