DAVIS BOTANICAL SOCIETY LASTHENIA

LASTHENIA, the Newsletter of the Davis Botanical Society, is published in collaboration with the staff of the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory UPCOMING SPRING EVENTS! and Center for Diversity. Editor: Kate Mawdsley Issue Contributors: E. Dean, K. Mawdsley, E. Sandoval, A. Latimer, C. Sat. April 11 Arboretum/Conservatory Plant Sale Thomsen, M. Starbuck, D. Brandon, S. Wright Design: Susan Gloystein Sun. April 19 Napa County Palisades Field Trip Layout: Ellen Dean DBS OFFICERS, 2014-2015 Sat. April 25 Bear Creek Ranch Field Trip President: Brenda Grewell President-elect: Andrew Latimer Membership Vice President: Sat. April 25 Arboretum/Conservatory Plant Sale Patrick McGuire & Kate Mawdsley Secretary: Marlene Simon Thu. May 7 Spring Meeting and Speaker, Rick Treasurer: Robert Rhode Past President: Marie Jasieniuk Karban, “Volatile Communication Members at Large: Susan Harrison, Between ” Craig Thomsen Student Member at Large: Allyson Ayalon Ex officio: Dan Potter, Ernesto

Sandoval, Ellen Dean

UC Davis Mail ID: BTNY BTNY ID: Mail Davis UC

Davis, CA 95616 95616 CA Davis,

University of California California of University

One Shields Avenue Avenue Shields One

Plant Sciences Mail Stop #7 Stop Mail Sciences Plant Center for Plant Diversity Diversity Plant for Center

8 No. 43 Winter 2015 LASTHENIA NEWSLETTER OF THE DAVIS BOTANICAL SOCIETY

SAY YOUR FOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

It’s about time Aloes have their day architecturally interesting foliage with in the horticultural sun! Thanks to minimal prickles. That they are natural the need and yes, even demand, from hummingbird feeders as well is an municipalities for more efficient water added bonus. Actually the genus use, these plants are taking root in the is native to Africa, and hummingbirds gardens of Northern California. Perhaps only occur in the Americas! But rest their appeal lies in their medicinal assured these sugar-hungry birds properties, at least for the two main perform the needed pollination services medicinal species: Aloe vera, which is quite well. Hummers do this with gusto too tender to grow here without frost and perhaps much faster than their non- and cold protection, and bitter aloe hovering African counterparts that must (Aloe ferox), which is very suitable for perch on the rigid floral stalks to gain growing in the Sacramento Valley. access to the nectar. Spiral Aloe (Aloe polyphylla). I suspect that it’s more likely the Whatever their appeal, one thing Photo: E. Sandoval appeal lies in their brightly blooming is for sure, these drought-tolerant inflorescences, which begin their plants are becoming a mainstay of California. This means that more and show in late winter, as well as their Mediterranean gardening throughout more species are being documented as being able to withstand NorCal’s cool NEW ONLINE HERBARIUM TOOLS wet winters, with most of them being in their element during our warm dry A major emphasis in the botanical summers. Spiral aloe (Aloe polyphylla), world over the past decade has been one of the most cold tolerant species, is the effort to drag herbaria (some kick- hardy to USDA zones 7b (5-10° F); but ing and screaming) into the digital since it originates from 6,500-8,000 ft. in age. This has taken two roads: the the mountains of Lesotho, first road has been to just make her- this one needs protection from the high barium specimen label data available summer heat/sun combination here in online; the second has also made im- the Sacramento Valley. ages of specimens (virtual herbaria) The Aloe plantings on the south side available. Some websites are so grand of the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory that they provide both images and label data! The expectation of what continued on page 2 we can achieve has evolved rapidly as methods for imaging specimens have become cheaper and easier. Due IN THIS ISSUE to a crazy quilt of state, national, and Aloes for Northern California...... 1 international digitization projects, the Center for Plant Diversity herbarium New Online Herbarium Tools...... 1 now has several new outreach tools at Ellen and Ernesto Receive Awards ��3 our website. Image of an herbarium specimen of redbud After the Fire...... 4 One quiet change that we made (Cercis occidentalis) from the new UC within the past year was to upgrade Natural Reserve Virtual Herbarium. Bear Creek Ranch Restoration...... 6 our specimen search page, work done Napa County Palisades...... 7 continued on page 5 1 ALOES (CONT. FROM PAGE 1)

even resulted in their being featured on the campus’ Sustainability Page for campus landscaping water use. A hybrid, Aloe x spinosissima, made it onto the UC Davis Arboretum’s All Stars list of plants perfectly suited for the Sacramento region’s combination of

Book Aloe (Aloe suprafoliata). Photo: E. Sandoval

Transplanting a particularly large Aloe into tall and 4 ft. wide here in the Valley the Ernest Gifford Cycad Garden in front and survived the 1990 freeze with only of Storer Hall in 2007. This Aloe, donated “burnt” tips and “melted” spikes. by Sam Williams of Sacramento, had to be To read more about the natural moved by “crane” into its final position in the history of Aloe plants as well as their bed. Photo: Darrell Brandon Cape Speckled Aloe (Aloe microstigma). horticultural potential in Northern Photo: E. Sandoval California, readers are encouraged to go and adjoining greenhouses along to our very first issue of Botanical Notes, Kleiber Hall Drive have only been winter weather, summer heat, and clay published in 2009 on the topic of Aloes. watered a few times during my 20 plus soils. The parentage is fascinating since http://greenhouse.ucdavis.edu/files/ years at the Conservatory, and they’re it’s a hybrid of the very small spider aloe botnot_01-01.00.pdf. in dense clay soil! In December of 1990 (Aloe humilis) and the large shrubby Behind the scenes work is being a major freeze damaged many of these krantz aloe (Aloe arborescens).The latter done on more of these Botanical Notes plants to one degree or another (no pun has been known to cover whole front that combine the natural history of intended), but many of the plants came yards in the San Francisco Bay Area. particular plants or plant groups in the back from their melted and freezer- Aloe x spinosissima will get up to 2 ft. Conservatory collections with their burned look. horticultural needs and potential. The dense planting of Aloes along Hutchison Drive between the Sciences E. Sandoval Laboratory Building and Sciences Lecture Hall get watered only once during the summer. This is just to keep them from looking too desiccated for some onlookers. Their popularity has

The hybrid Aloe striata x Aloe saponaria Aloe bed along Hutchison Drive at UC Davis. Sand Aloe (Aloe hereoensis). growing along Hutchison Drive at UC Davis. Photo: E. Sandoval Photo: E. Sandoval Photo: E. Sandoval 2 RECENT GIFTS

Herbarium Endowment Conservatory Operations Beth Lowe Corbin San Francisco Succulent and Cactus John Hunter Society Pamela Muick Folsom Garden Club Frederick Ryan Davis Botanical Society Herbarium Operations Student Grants Fund Sacramento Chapter of the Pamela Muick California Native Plant Society Lewis Feldman Jack Major Student Grant Endowment Stephen & Jill Rae Marcel Rejmanek & Eliska Shirley Tucker Rejmankova

Herbarium Gifts in Kind Thank you for John & Lesley Randall Barbara Webster your support!

ELLEN DEAN AND ERNESTO SANDOVAL RECEIVE AWARDS

the past few years, Ellen and her staff performed databasing, georeferencing, and imaging of thousands of specimens related to several projects funded by NSF, NIH, and the UC Natural Reserve System. As a result of these efforts, detailed, accurate data from these specimens with up-to-date , and, in many cases, digital images, are now available to researchers everywhere. Ellen is also an avid plant collector, and her regional floristics projects Ellen Dean and Kate Mawdsley collecting and rare plant mapping have brought Ernesto Sandoval doing outreach in the plants at Grover Hot Springs State Park in funding and prestige to the herbarium Botanical Conservatory with primary school 2010. Photo: Sylvia Wright and the campus. They have also children. Center for Plant Diversity Curator provided opportunities for outreach and has trained hundreds of young Ellen Dean received the UC Davis and education. Within the last year, she horticulturalists through his popular Chancellor’s Staff Appreciation and has conducted projects which involved Conservatory internship. His Recognition (STAR) Award in late Jan- twenty full-day collecting field trips, K-12 outreach tours are regionally uary. In his nominating letter, Center each of which engaged the participation renowned, and most biology students Director Dan Potter wrote of Ellen’s of students and volunteers. In the on campus are introduced to the many contributions to the herbarium; field, her enthusiasm for plants is truly Conservatory early in their careers we paraphrase here. infectious, and she has inspired many through a tour as part of introductory Ellen has made it a priority to UC Davis students to pursue careers in biology. He also continues to make the herbarium a valuable botany and many more to appreciate mentor the students in the campus resource for everyone, including and value floristic biodiversity. Botaniculture Club (previously the students at all levels, researchers Ernesto Sandoval, Botanical Botany Club), including taking and instructors from a broad range Conservatory Director, received the students on popular field trips, of disciplines, extension specialists, Principles of Community Award from especially to Baja California. government agency biologists, and the College of Biological Sciences on Ernesto does everything humanly amateur and professional botanists October 4, 2014. This award recognizes possible to keep the Conservatory with a great diversity of backgrounds individuals who embody the Principles relevant to the campus and the region, and experience. of Community in the College. including beautiful outdoor plantings She has obtained four NSF grants Since he arrived on campus as an used by introductory biology students to support improvements of the undergraduate, Ernesto has tirelessly and making everyone feel included herbarium’s collections and database promoted botany to everyone. He in his botanical world. This award is as well as numerous smaller grants gives dozens of talks each year, shares richly deserved. and gifts to curate collections. Over his beautiful plant photography, K. Mawdsley, D. Potter, E. Dean 3 AFTER THE FIRE: THERMOPHILIZATION OF CALIFORNIA’S FOREST PLANT COMMUNITIES Wildfire can dramatically alter the munity responses to climate change and composition of understory plant com- disturbance have been described this munities in forests. Even in forests with way, terming such shifts “thermophiliza- historically high fire frequencies, like tion” (heat-loving) of the community. the yellow pine (Pinus ponderosa) and In general, one would expect that mixed conifer forests of California’s decreases in canopy cover caused Sierra Nevada, understory plant com- by forest disturbance should lead to munities respond strongly to fire and to increased thermophilization, which other forms of canopy disturbance. By we described in terms of two kinds of killing trees, fire reduces canopy cover, species attributes: biogeographic affinity allowing much more light to reach the and functional traits. The term biogeo- understory, while generally increasing graphic affinity refers to the geographic Sampling post-burn forest communities. soil surface temperatures and plants’ region, and associated environmental given site, the proportion of mesic- demand for water. Fire also reduces conditions, in which a particular taxo- associated species in a community was surface fuels, including litter (by burn- nomic group occurred and diversified much lower in more severely disturbed ing them), exposes bare ground, and for most of its evolutionary history. forests. These results are consistent with induces germination of some ecologi- Biogeographic affinity was developed by our expectation that disturbance should cally important species such as Peter Raven and Daniel Axelrod as a way favor “thermophilization” of the under- whitethorn (Ceanothus) and manzanita to characterize the components of the story flora, regardless of the background (Arctostaphylos). In general, low-intensi- California flora and describe its assem- level of precipitation, and thus baseline ty fire alters environmental characteris- bly and composition. The idea here is “coolness,” of the plant community. tics relatively little, while high-intensity that the relatively recent (~2.5-5 million Overall we identified 334 species fire alters them much more. Corre- years ago (MYA)) onset of warm, dry in our 664 plots. Most prevalent and spondingly, understory communities summers contributed to the speciation abundant in moderate fire areas were exposed to low-intensity fire generally and immigration of lineages associated native species such as groundsmoke respond less than those exposed to with dry (xeric) environments (Raven (Gayophytum diffusum) and squirrel tail intense fire. To study the effects of fire and Axelrod’s “Madrotertiary geoflora”). (Elymus elymoides), as well as many of differing severity levels on understory These xeric-associated lineages mixed shade-associated species. In areas af- plant communities – and also the effects with wet-climate (mesic) lineages fected by high-severity fire, there tended of forest thinning by management agen- (the “Arctotertiary geoflora”) that had to be homogeneous open patches with cies – UC Davis graduate student Jens colonized the region and diversified somewhat lower overall plant diversity, Stevens (now a postdoctoral researcher) earlier during the warm but gener- which were dominated by such led a team of field biologists to study ally wetter Eocene (~38-54 MYA). In as whitethorn (Ceanothus cordulatus). understory plant communities in twelve Mediterranean-type climates with sum- Exotic annual plants occurred widely recently burned forest areas across the mer drought (like much of California), in all disturbance types, with cheatgrass state. In this article, the data from all where water deficit is the main limit on (Bromus tectorum) and prickly lettuce but two of these wildfires were collected productivity, UC Davis professor Susan (Lactuca serriola) particularly wide- three years after the fire. Harrison has previously documented spread, though they rarely occurred at In addition to assessing the effects that species with mesic biogeographic high density in these forests. There was of forest thinning treatments on fire affinities make up a higher proportion of a positive association between higher behavior and forest structure, this study the flora in areas with higher precipita- fire intensity and the proportion of the examined the effects of increasing fire tion; this would be expected if habitat understory flora composed of exotics, disturbance intensity on the understory affiliations are conserved through the but we did not see a strong effect of plant community. Because responses are evolution of a lineage. We similarly ex- disturbance intensity on exotic species highly complex and involve hundreds pected that different forest disturbance abundance and prevalence. of plant species, this study focuses on intensities should affect which species Because moderately-burned stands the larger trends in plant diversity at dif- and biogeographic affinity groups are include some open patches together ferent scales as well as the composition dominant in the understory community. with some patches with relatively of the community in terms of groups of Essentially, greater disturbance in a high canopy cover, these areas tend to species of similar biogeographic origin forest stand means there will be more include greater diversity of understory and morphological characteristics (plant light and warmer and drier growing con- microclimate and contrasting plant spe- form). By simplifying our description ditions for the understory plants. Based cies, resulting in an association between of the plant community in these ways, on surveys of >600 small plots across high diversity levels and an intermedi- we can describe the effects of fire on the 12 sites across the state, we found that ate disturbance intensity. There was plant community in terms of the shift in higher levels of disturbance associated a strongly contrasting effect of fire of overall community composition towards with high-intensity fire favored the more moderate severity, which greatly in- greater representation of species with xeric-associated species at the expense creased heterogeneity of forest structure affinities for hot and/or dry conditions. of mesic-associated species with more and led to higher overall plant diversity. In some recent ecological studies, com- northerly biogeographic affinity. At any A. Latimer 4 ONLINE HERBARIUM TOOLS (CONT. FROM PAGE 1) by Tom Starbuck (my husband and our Environment at UC Davis, is one that herbarium computer programmer). The features specimens from Stebbins Cold search page is accessed at our home Canyon, Quail Ridge, and McLaughlin page (http://herbarium.ucdavis.edu) by UC reserves, all of which are located choosing the Collections tab at the top in the Inner North Coast Ranges to of the home page. This takes you to our the northwest of Davis. These speci- Collections page, where you can click mens were collected by many different on the link for “new online database researchers over the past three decades query system” at the top of the page. and were the basis for additions and This query system searches our database corrections made to the plant lists of the after you have entered search criteria three reserves. I chose one or two speci- into fields; the search retrieves specimen mens for each species present in at least label data for you to browse. This search one of the three reserves. Note that this can retrieve anything that is currently in means that not every specimen collected our herbarium specimen database (also in each reserve has been scanned. In designed by Tom), but it can’t retrieve Image of herbarium specimen of fact, many of the specimens that are the information on the 60% of our collec- Euphorbia atropurpurea, part of the basis of the Stebbins Cold Canyon Re- tions that are not in our database. As Grady Webster Virtual Herbarium. serve plant list are not at UC Davis; they noted previously, what is retrieved is are at Sacramento State University, the specimen label data, not images. macroalgae specimens, many collected institution of the original author of the Also available on the Collections by Norma Lang, phycology professor Stebbins Cold Canyon list. Before begin- page is a link to a state-wide project, emerita at UC Davis, were also imaged ning to scan specimens for this virtual the Consortium of California Herbaria at UC Berkeley. They are now available herbarium, I spent weeks going through (CCH) search page. The CCH page at the Macroalgal Herbarium Portal, yet the specimens to correct misidentifica- allows you to search over 2 million Cali- another link provided on our Collec- tions, and in the process I made many fornia herbarium specimen records (la- tions page. corrections to the plant lists of the three bel data) provided by over 30 herbaria – We have also created two virtual her- reserves. I have done my best to choose an incredibly powerful data set accessed baria of our own. These are accessed by well-identified specimens, and I think by many agencies and researchers. The clicking on the “Taxonomic Resources/ this virtual herbarium is an excellent data set is also included in CalFlora, Virtual Herbaria” tab at the top of our resource for identifying plants from the which provides photos from CalPhotos. home page. One of our virtual herbaria hills to the west of Davis. The advantage We send our California specimen label is focused on the spurge family (Eu- of herbarium specimens is that, often, data to the CCH about twice a year; phorbiaceae) and was funded by our they show the entire plant. Online plant only label information from specimens NSF grant that focused on the legacy of photographs often zero in on collected in California is served at the Dr. Grady Webster, former Herbarium and fail to show the habit or leaves of CCH site. This means that the only way Director and an expert on the spurge the plant. to browse our non-California speci- family. The virtual herbarium has one or Now that we have all these online men data is to use the search engine at two scanned specimens of each species tools available, the challenge is to keep our own website. The National Science from our holdings of the genera Croton, them up-do-date, with few financial Foundation funded the CCH over the Euphorbia, Dalechampia, and Phyllan- resources to do so (Tom does much of past five years, providing the man- thus. Visitors to our website can browse his work for us for little or no salary). power to add hundreds of thousands of small images of the specimens and then I often “joke” that we could lock the specimen records to the data set and to click on the ones that they want to view herbarium door and refuse to accept any add latitude/longitude coordinates to a in high resolution. In addition to the more specimens, and we would be fully majority of those records. virtual herbarium, we have many of employed just “curating” the 130,000 Another resource that you can ac- Dr. Webster’s publications available for specimen records in our database. In cess via our Collections page is a link download at the same site; we also have addition, we are still curating (labeling to images and information on most of some of his unfinished manuscripts. and mounting) the 100-year backlog our type specimens. Type specimens are Since the specimen images went online, that we inherited in 1995 (reduced from specimens that represent plant names we have received positive comments 90 cases to 20), but now when we make – they are cited at the time a new plant from researchers world-wide who are a label for a California specimen, we species name is published, and they using the images for need to add coordinates to the label, a represent what the author meant by the their research or to identify their own process that increases the time needed name. An international effort to image collections. The advantage of our online to make a label by 100%. We have piled type specimens (and serve those images Euphorbiaceae specimens is that most up more type specimens that need imag- online) provided funding to image our were expertly identified by Dr. Webster; ing and new algae that need to be added type specimens at UC Berkeley, and the those that weren’t identified by him to the Macroalgal Portal. Entering the images are now available at the Global were reviewed prior to scanning by digital age is of great benefit to our us- Plants website. Similarly, we participat- three other spurge experts: Ken Wur- ers, but it presents new financial hurdles ed in a national effort to image mac- dack, Scott Armbruster, and Paul Berry. for herbaria. roalgae herbarium specimens funded by Our second virtual herbarium, fund- E. Dean the National Science Foundation. Our ed by the John Muir Institute for the 5 BEAR CREEK RANCH: LANDFORMS IN RECOVERY, REVEGETATION, AND BOTANICAL EXPLORATION

The following article sets the stage Bear Valley), extensive oak cutting, for our upcoming Davis Botanical water diversions, dam construction, Society field trip on April 25, 2015 poor livestock grazing practices, badly with Craig Thomsen, Vic Claassen designed ranch roads, and dryland and Ellen Dean. farming were some of the land uses The Bureau of Land Manage- that degraded creeks, springs, wet ment’s (BLM’s) Bear Creek Ranch is a meadows, oak woodlands, and prairie 13,000-acre parcel within the Cache communities. In some Bear Creek Creek Natural Area in western Colu- Ranch locations, ongoing soil erosion, sa County. The landscape lies at the gully formation, and incised stream junction between the Great Valley channels are textbook examples of Sequence and serpentinite substrates accelerated rangeland deterioration. and harbors a wealth of botanical Additionally, invasive plants gained treasures. In 2006, Dr. Ellen Dean a strong hold on the Ranch, forever and Gordon Harrington initiated a changing the composition of many botanical inventory to document the plant communities and threatening vascular plants there. With the assis- rare plant populations. tance of 80 volunteers, the three-year A nectaring monarch butterfly on narrow-leaf In 2009, UC Davis soil scientist survey revealed nearly 500 species goldenrod (Euthamia occidentalis), one of the Dr. Vic Claassen and I began work of vascular plants, including 19 rare plants used for revegetation in wet sites on within a 150-acre parcel to stabilize the Bear Creek Ranch. Photo: C. Thomsen species and numerous other uncom- eroding landforms, improve riparian mon plants. The relative abundance abundant natural resources. After their areas, restore native vegetation, and of rare plants on the Ranch, includ- forced removal, hundreds of European enhance wildlife habitat. We devel- ing the elusive round-leaf filaree settlers occupied the landscape, where oped gully repair, rangeland soil-water (California macrophylla), prompted they engaged in mining, crop produc- retention, and revegetation projects Ellen to dub the Ranch as “a place tion, ranching, energy exploration, and to improve conditions on degraded where rare plants are common.” development of a hot springs resort. A lands. Among these were earthworks description of Bear Valley by a resident and the installation of unusual rock in 1860 is telling: structures (one rock dams, Zuni bowls, “The soil is of black loamy nature, rock mulch rundowns, baffles, media some of it similar to adobe, and pro- lunas, and headcut check dams), de- duces wheat, oats and barley equal to signed to control soil erosion, retain the best lands in the Sacramento Valley. water, improve stream function, pro- There are now several orchards and tect eroding landforms, and facilitate vineyards doing well in the valley. Vege- revegetation efforts. tables are raised to a considerable extent in portions of the valley where irrigation can be had from mountain streams. The Round-leaved filaree (California population of our valley is about one macrophylla). Photo: E. Dean hundred, counting old and young, great and small....A few years ago those mines Coinciding with this project, I (referring to the nearby Wilbur Hot began work with Dr. James Weigand Springs area) gave employment to some (State Ecologist with the BLM) on three hundred men, which was a great a Bear Creek-Upper Cache Water- help to our locality as a market for our shed Assessment. The purpose of farm and dairy products.” the assessment was to document the Legacy mercury contamination from ecological conditions and economic the early mining activities continues to activities on lands covering Walker impair the region’s watercourses that Ridge, Bear Valley, Bear Creek Ranch drain into Cache Creek from the Sul- and adjacent areas within the water- phur Creek mining district. shed. These activities had long-lasting Although now sparsely popu- effects on the landscape, damaging lated, the area was once home to natural landforms, watershed func- Narrow leaf-milkweed (Asclepias fasciculata), the Hill Patwin people who for tion, and native plant communities. host plant to monarch butterflies. Note the thousands of years relied on its On BLM’s Bear Creek Ranch (south of chrysalis in the center. Photo: C. Thomsen 6 (CONT. FROM PAGE 6) Our efforts to increase native ANTICIPATING THE PALISADES plant abundance in the project area are ongoing, using horticultural FIELD TRIP methods as well as site-specific One of the special rewards of Davis management practices designed to Botanical Society membership is encourage natural plant recruit- the opportunity to see special plant ment. Drawing from 45 species that habitats in our region in the company exist in the watershed, we propa- of experts who interpret them for us. gated plants from seed, divisions, And another such opportunity is almost and cuttings, and out-planted them upon us: Susan Harrison, professor in a variety of sites. Our objectives of Environmental Science and Policy, are to: DBS board member, and serpentine specialist, will lead a spring field trip to 1. increase uncommon native the Napa Palisades on April 19 (NOTE species in the upper watershed DATE CHANGE). that have declined and now have Susan’s description of the destination Kellogg’s mimulus (Mimulus kelloggii). ongoing recruitment barriers; in the flyer sent to members in early Photo: Margaret Starbuck 2. create wildlife habitat by March is enticing: “The Napa Palisades increasing cover, food, and nest- is a rugged region of young volcanic in serpentine, there is an abundance of ing sites, including plants that rocks between Napa Valley and Pope sticky whiteleaf manzanita (A. viscida), support pollinators and are larval Valley. It is one of the wildest and most a regular and important member of the botanically rich landscapes within host plants for butterflies; serpentine community.” 1.5 hours’ drive of Davis. The scenery Of the April to June quarter 3. help manage weeds; includes dramatic pinnacles of andesitic O’Donnell says, “This time of the year 4. augment erosion control efforts, tuff embedded in a near-pristine is the best for flowers.” There are eight by catching sediment, slowing landscape of chaparral and woodland, species of Ceanothus and at least fifteen runoff, and stabilizing soil; with some serpentine exposures along species of butterflies. In the meadows the eastern edge of the area. Botanical are many of the annuals and bulbs that 5. rebuild soil structure and im- riches include a number of rare species make a Northern California spring prove infiltration; restricted to the Sonoma Volcanics as so beautiful: Kellogg’s monkeyflower 6. cover rock structures with well as some serpentine endemics that (Mimulus kelloggii), popcorn flowers vegetation; “stray” onto the volcanic rocks.” (Plagiobothrys spp.), valley tassels 7. answer research questions. The field trip will be co-led by (Castilleja attenuata), blue dicks Richard O’Donnell, who hiked the Oat (Dichelostemma capitata), nodding Although there are many con- Hill Mine Trail (OHMT), part of which harmonia (Harmonia nutans), the last straints to native plant recruitment will be the field trip’s route, repeatedly “common here, but a rare endemic.” on the Ranch, we are using a com- in 2000 and 2001 to photograph the An extensive section headed, bination of methods to overcome flora. O’Donnell wrote a “narrative “A Typical Day in Late April 2001” some of these challenges. Through account” of his experiences on the mentions buckeye (Aesculus californica) soil-hydrology-landform evalua- trail, accompanied by an extensive but preparing to bloom, Indian warrior tions, we identified optimum areas “partial” (his word) plant list for The (Pedicularis densiflora), multiple for plantings that would increase Four Seasons: Journal of the Regional larkspurs (Delphinium spp.) in different their likelihood of success. We are Parks Botanic Garden. The article habitats along the trail, phacelia making use of a diverse native plant recounts the year chronologically, with (Phacelia spp.) and woodland stars palette, herbivore deterrents, inte- digressions for special topics, such as (Lithophragma spp.). Sickle leaf onion grated weed management practices, a “sleepy gray fox” or chaparral lily (Allium falcifolium) is “an instance of and soil improvements to aid plant (Lilium rubescens). The section covering a serpentine “endemic” doing well establishment and survival. spring starts, “Spring comes to the in the Sonoma Volcanics.” A “shady While much more work is OHMT when the common manzanita madrone grove” is rich in chaparral lily, needed, these activities are enhanc- (Arctostaphylos manzanita) sets its but that will provide “a good show of ing upper watershed conditions, buds and blossoms on the lower slopes seven- to eight-foot lilies this summer, restoring native plants, improving of the southern section.” Stanford ….something else to look forward to.” manzanita (A. stanfordiana) “lightens wildlife habitat, and are helping Clearly, there’s a great deal to look the ridges with buds and blossoms forward to. O’Donnell’s complete article BLM achieve their land health in May, too.” In the northern section is available for short-term loan from standards. The upcoming DBS field grows hoary manzanita (A. canescens), the Herbarium library, whether you’re trip will highlight these efforts, and “the most beautiful of all, its pink- coming on the trip or want to enjoy the we will also explore elements of the edged light gray-green leaves tightly region vicariously through his loving rich Bear Creek Ranch flora. packed on the stem, its foliaceous and admiring descriptions. nascent inflorescence giving way to C. Thomsen K. Mawdsley pink panicles of flowers that emerge in April….Finally, on the northern section, 7