Category: Botany
-
Native Plant of the Month: Bladderpod
Guest author Dan Songster submitted this article featuring an outstanding California native plant for May: This fast growing, densely-branching shrub routinely grows in a mounding habit, becoming about 3-6 feet tall and as wide. It produces abundant bright-yellow flower clusters at the ends of its stem branches. These showy flowers are about a half-inch to…
-
Systems Analyst Weaves Together Nature and Friends
Brad Jenkins, volunteer, webmaster, and part of the treasurer team of the California Native Plant Society Orange County Chapter (OCCNPS), is featured this month, and answers the question: What draws us to our relationships with nature and native plants? “Innate influences, happenstance encounters, analytical purposefulness, and social associations.“ Brad writes: “My first wedding was in…
-
April’s Plant of the Month: Saffron Buckwheat
What: Eriogonum crocatum – Saffron Buckwheat Dan Songster shares his native plant expertise with this article featuring a California Native Plant of the Month. April’s featured plant is Saffron Buckwheat (Eriogonum crocatum). Saffron buckwheat is lovely whether in flower or not. A colorful, compact mounding shrub to 1 1/2 feet tall by 2-3 feet wide…
-
Exploring Native Plant Conservation with Sunny Saroa
Sunny Saroa, a dedicated member of the California Native Plant Society Orange County Chapter, shares his journey in conservation, his current involvement in various projects like vegetation surveys and grant selection, and his aspirations for broader community engagement and multilingual resources. His advice emphasizes the importance of sourcing locally for native plants, encouraging curiosity, and…
-
Plant of the Month: the California Poppy
Guest author Dan Songster of the California Native Plant Society Orange County Chapter (OCCNPS), shares his horticultural expertise with a monthly article featuring an excellent native plant for your garden. This month’s featured plant is the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica). The California Poppy is a perennial wildflower that is often treated as an annual. It…
-
Dreamy Native Plants
Our rain totals in Southern California have already exceeded the average 14 inches per rainy season. As I write, two more inches of rain has fallen with more to come. It is an understatement to say that our native plants are thriving. This is great news for the wildlife, birds, and pollinators that depend on…
-
Ron Vanderhoff Shares Wonders of the Natural World
Thea Gavin presents her monthly feature of a member of the Orange County Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (OCCNPS) Board of Directors. This article features Ron Vanderhoff, OCCNPS Plant Science Chair, and current President of CalFlora. With a career in horticulture that has spanned decades, Ron is also General Manager and Vice President…
-
Native Plant Roots Grow Deep for This Scientist
This column was compiled by guest author Thea Gavin who interviewed OCCNPS Vice President Rebecca Crowe for this month’s feature article. Rebecca Crowe has been a CNPS member since 2007, and an OCCNPS board member since 2019. With a master’s degree (San Francisco State University) in ecology/evolution/conservation biology, she especially enjoys plant identification and propagation,…
-
Find Native Plants that Best Support Butterflies and Moths
Guest author, Chris Cosma, Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at the University of California, Riverside, shared this October 23, 2023 article about his web application called The Butterfly Net that helps gardeners know which native plants are most supportive of butterflies and moths. Which native plants are the best for insects?…
-
Keep Your Eyes Open Even on the Busiest Trails
The Orange County Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (OCCNPS) presents our monthly article featuring OCCNPS Board Member Jonathan Frank, team lead of the field trip committee. Past: Can you share a formative native plant memory from your childhood? Present: What native-plant related ideas/projects are you working on right now? Future: What are your…
-
Board Member Helps Trees, People, and Native Plants
This article was arranged by Thea Gavin with help from Gabe Verduzco and online source material. Meet Gabriel Verduzco, board member of the Orange County Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (OCCNPS), gardener, botanical enthusiast, ISA-certified arborist, plant scientist, and surfer. Past Gabe grew up in Kingsburg, south of Fresno, in the heart of…
-
Botany Blitz Finds Uncommon Plants in Whiting Ranch
Written by Guest Author Ron Vanderhoff On Sunday morning, April 16, a large group of one-hundred enthusiastic OC CNPS [Orange County Chapter of the California Native Plant Society] members and friends joined our second Botany Blitz, this year at Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park. We were nearly overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and number of participants, which…