The Cypress Cone California Native Plant Society Santa Cruz County Chapter
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Volume 38, No 3 www.cruzcnps.org May - June 2013 The Cypress Cone California Native Plant Society Santa Cruz County Chapter Plant lovers visited a flowery mountain meadow on a recent outing in the Randall Morgan Natural History Field Trip series. Several visitors from the East Bay joined local plant lovers. Gold Fields and Lupines were in full bloom along with local rarities. Photo: Suzanne Schettler Suzanne Photo: “Dam the Luck!” How the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Has Led to New new population of this plant. Janell Hillman, a botanist at the Insights into the Ecology, Evolution and Conservation of Santa Clara Valley Water District, will tell us more. the Coyote Ceanothus A talk by Janell HIllman Keying Club What: Chapter General Meeting Come early to the general meeting. From 5-7pm, you can join Where: UCSC Arboretum Horticulture the popular Keying Club. Given the topic of the May general Building meeting, the first hour will focus on ceanothus. The second When: Monday May 13, 2013 hour activity depends on what material is to hand. No expe- Keying Club 5:00 pm rience needed — it’s a great way to find out what keying is all Mystery Plant ID 7:00 pm Ceanothus ferrisiae about, or to practice your skills, aided by the very able Deanna Presentation 7:30 pm Giuliano. If you have them, bring a hand lens or microscope, The largest reservoir in Santa Clara County was in danger due and Jepson (2nd Ed) or Flora of the Santa Cruz Mountains. to earthquakes! A refit is underway — but it will impact a rare From 7-7:30 pm anyone can bring in their “Mystery Plants” for plant, the Coyote Ceanothus. To mitigate the damage, bota- the keying group to ID. nists and other specialists are now planning how to establish a 1 Rare Plant Treasure Hunt at Ano Nuevo Central Coast Rare Plant Treasure Hunt! Daniel Slakey, Project Coordinator Daniel Slakey for the CNPS Rare Plant Treasure Hunt, and Deanna Giuliano, our The CNPS State Office is happy to announce the start of the chapter president, led an intrepid Central Coast Rare Plant Treasure Hunt (RPTH)! In this band of treasure hungers on a program, CNPS staff and volunteers work in groups to search trip to Ano Nuevo on April 6th. for new and historical locations of rare plants, document them, They found (possibly) Plagioboth- and submit the data to the California Natural Diversity Data- rys diffusus; hopefully Dylan can base (CNDDB). The data are used to update the CNPS Rare check on the population when it Plant Inventory, helping to ensure the conservation of Califor- is fruiting to confirm the ID. They nia’s rarest plants. While the RPTH has been going on since also thoroughly documented the 2010, it has never had a focus on the Central Coast until this population of Plagiobothrys chori- year. We are also pleased to announce that Deanna Giuliano, sianus var. chorisianus, the Santa Cruz Chapter and some volunteers President, will be help- later also found harle- ing us out this season! quin lotus, Hosackia gracilis — a state rarity that oc- Please consider joining curs near the Fritillaria — as well as more P. diffusus, us for one or a few of and a rare Erysimum! these trips. Whether you prefer an easy to moder- Some controversy arose about the identification of ate day hike or a strenu- the Fritillaria - was it F. agrestis or F. lilacea? ous 3-day backpacking Aaron Schusteff had trip, there is something a hunch that the for you! If you can observed population make it out to one of our had more in common camping trips for just a with F. lilacea, seen in day or two, let us know; Marin and San Mateo we will likely be able to counties, especially Fritillaria agrestis? accommodate you. Join at Edgewood Park Photo above taken in Sonoma by Brian Keelan us for one or more of and Natural Preserve. Photos to left taken in Ano Nuevo by these trips this spring or Aaron recalls that Aaron Schusteff. summer! the Edgewood plants have tepals mainly ❒ May 5th — Junipero Serra Peak (Monterey Co.) white inside and out, ❒ May 11th-13th — Pine Ridge / Tassajara Hot Springs with green stripes Backpack (Monterey Co.) within, but little or ❒ May 16th — Sierra Azul Open Space (Santa Clara / Santa no dark brown mot- Cruz Co.) tling within. Brian ❒ May 20th – 22nd — Ventana Wilderness Car Camp (Mon- Keelan at first thought the Fritillaria was likely to be agrestis, terey Co.); dates tentative but after further research was less sure. He later commented, ❒ May 25th – 27th — Cone Peak Car Camp (Monterey Co.) “Nectary length, tepal length, and extent of anthocyanic mark- ❒ June 5th – 7th — Pine Ridge Trail / Sykes Hot Springs ings on the insides of the tepals appear to me to be better for Backpack (Monterey Co.) agrestis, whereas minimal if any unpleasant odor favors liliacea ❒ June 8th — Andrew Molera SP (Monterey Co.) — but this was hard to evaluate under the cold, windy condi- ❒ June 14th — 16th – Alder Creek Bot. Area / South Coast tions. It would be good to check on a warm, calm day.” Daniel Ridge Car Camp (Monterey Co.) is inquiring into the ID of this interesting Fritillary population ❒ June 28th — 30th – Lion’s Den Bot. Area / Cruickshank with the treatment authors from The Jepson Manual. Trail Backpack/Car Camp (Monterey Co.) For more info go to: You can view an album of Aaron’s Fritillary photos here: http:// www.cnps.org/cnps/rareplants/treasurehunt/calendar.php flic.kr/s/aHsjEJu7NT — enjoy! or contact [email protected]. 2 Spring Plant Sale Randy Morgan Field Trips We had a glorious day for the plant sale this year and there Randall Morgan Natural History Field Trip Series May - June 2013 were lots of happy smiling shoppers snapping up the healthy young plants that our chapter propagated or received from Come with legendary local naturalist Randall Morgan, accom- Suncrest Nursery, which also very kindly hosts our propa- panied by renowned weed warrior Ken Moore, to selected hot gation group — and its output. There are so many people to spots in the Santa Cruz area and learn about some of nature’s thank: truck loaders, truck driver, truck unloaders, and all who little known wonders. These walks cover all aspects of natural helped during the sale, and after it too. And not least Karen history including botany, birds, bugs, biogeography, general Hildebrand and Linda Lewis, who planned the whole shebang! ecology, conservation, habitat restoration, ethnobotany, wild foods, the native/non-native issue, natural succession, land management/restoration/enhancement, gardening ideas, how Gardening with California Flora to “read” landscapes, and more! April 17 found a sizable group in the Arboretum meeting Reservations are not required. Ending times for trips are an room curious about gardening with our native flora. Brett Hall estimate; they may run longer. Please wear clothing that won’t fed the interest with a one-man show — Deanna had a date attract stickers so we don’t spread weed seeds. conflict, but Brett ably stood in, using her slides. Horticulture leads us to an intimate relationship with native plants. We can support wildlife by gardening with beautiful natives that encourage birds and polli- nators, and enjoy watching the whole cycle of nature unfolding in our gardens. If you would like to register an interest in any future chapter events relating to gardening with native flora, please contact Jackie at [email protected]. Gray’s clover, Randy (with hat) and group, seep monkey flower Restoration and Propagation Teams For any questions, contact Randall Morgan at otbmorgan@ gmail.com or Ken Moore at [email protected]. Our chapter has some active groups you might like to join. This series of field trips is being provided at no cost to you. The propagation group meets on the third Sunday of the However, donations are needed to continue offering this month and enjoys good company and plant propagation in a incomparable opportunity. You can make a cash donation or large nursery setting. No experience is required - and much is a check made out to Randall Morgan on the trip. To make a gained. The plants we grow are sold in our biannual fundrais- separate contribution for the field trip series by check, make ers - such as the wonderful spring plant sale that took place in the check payable to CNPS, and specify it is for the “Morgan April. Contact Mike Luther at 688-3897 for details. Field Trip Series”. Request a receipt for a tax deduction, and send the check to: Suzanne Schettler, Treasurer California Native Plant Society P. O. Box 277 The Propagation Group meets at a nursery on the third Sunday Ben Lomond, CA 95005. of the month. As well as growing plants for the sale, we learn to grow natives! Contact Mike Luther at 688-3897 for details. Sponsoring Organizations We thank the following for their generous sponsorship: Wild- The Habitat Restoration team enjoys cameraderie and health- lands Restoration Team, California Native Plant Society, UCSC ful work, while eradicating nasty invasives from our beautiful Arboretum, Santa Cruz Bird Club, UCSC Natural History Mu- wilderness areas, such as Quail Hollow Ranch County Park. A seum, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz Museum work day is planned for May 11, 10 am to 1 pm, location TBD. of Natural History, Sempervirens Fund Check the web site (cruzcnps.org) for details and other oppor- tunities to weed-whack. 3 Randy Morgan Field Trip Series, Continued... mixed chaparral” (quite different and more diverse than local maritime chaparral). Shrubs should be aswarm with pollinator Saturday May 4, 10 am-12 noon, Zayante School Rd insects.