Tag: butterflies
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Buckwheat Giveaway in Dana Point
The city of Dana Point is partnering with the Orange County chapter of the California Native Plant Society (OCCNPS) on an ambitious 200-plant Buckwheat in Every Garden giveaway this Friday, November 15 at the Dana Point Community Center. OCCNPS and the city of Dana Point will give away 200 four-inch ‘Dana Point’ buckwheat plants from 9 a.m. to…
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How the Buckwheat Campaign Began
The idea for A Buckwheat in Every Garden was hatched in July 2019 when board members of the California Native Plant Society, Orange County chapter (OCCNPS) met for their annual strategy meeting. The goal of the campaign: To encourage Orange County homeowners to install California native plants in their home landscapes to support healthy urban environments.…
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Buckwheats Buzz
Most people recognize the common honey bee as a social creature that lives in hives and makes honey. However many people don’t know that honey bees are non-native insects, introduced from Europe. There are 1,600 species of native bees in California, ranging in size from one-inch long to less than one-quarter inch long. California native…
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Buckwheat Brings Beauty
Native plant lovers know from experience that California native plants bring beauty into their lives through connections with people, pollinators and wildlife. Do you have questions about California native plants? Tree of Life Nursery is hosting California Native Plant Society experts this Saturday, October 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is your chance to…
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Buckwheat Builds Soil
California buckwheat is an evergreen plant with small leaves that occasionally drop to the ground, forming a natural mulch. The fallen leaves enrich the soil around the plant and allow the plant to grow and spread in its own loamy mulch. If you are an Orange County homeowner who hasn’t picked up your free ‘Dana…
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Birds, Bees and Buckwheat
The California Native Plant Society Orange County (OCCNPS) chapter created A Buckwheat in Every Garden to encourage homeowners to plant California native plants in their home landscape– which in turn supports and increases bird populations. My neighbor recently sent this photo of a swallowtail butterfly laying eggs on the leaves of her kumquat tree. She had…
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Buckwheat Brings a Party
One hundred and fifty ‘Dana Point’ California buckwheats found new homes in Orange County. The first outreach event at Acorn Day at O’Neill Regional Park and the second outreach at Smartscape were very popular, attracting many gardeners eager to install a native California buckwheat in their home landscapes. The Orange County chapter of the California…
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Buckwheat Brings Buckeyes
Autumn has arrived and the creamy white buckwheat flowers are beginning to take on their rich, russet brown color. Can you see the common Buckeye butterfly visiting the buckwheat in the image above? Several native plant gardeners have shared photos of the common Buckeye butterfly visiting buckwheat plants in their home landscapes recently. Doug Tallamy,…
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Buckwheat Builds Habitat
The Orange County chapter of the California Native Plant Society (OCCNPS) has begun to distribute free, four-inch California buckwheat plants to homeowners living in Orange County. OCCNPS hopes to improve habitat for wildlife and butterflies throughout Orange County with this first-ever campaign to distribute 1,500 buckwheats to homeowners who pledge to plant them in their…
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Buckwheat in Bloom
According to the California Native Plant Society’s Calscape.org, there are 251 varieties of buckwheat (Eriogonum) native to California! You can go to Calscape.org and see for yourself all of the beautiful buckwheat varieties that grow in the state. Three different varieties of buckwheat are growing in my home garden currently, and I am looking forward to adding…
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Butterfly Weekend
This weekend was California Biodiversity Day 2019 sponsored by the California Natural Resources Agency. Scientists sought observations by fellow scientists, gardeners and ordinary citizens in mapping plants and animals living in California. In honor of Biodiversity Day, I took a break from my chores and spent some time outside in my backyard with my husband…
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Simple Ways to Make Your Garden Good for Butterflies
Bringing local wild land plants into your garden will increase the number of butterflies inhabiting your airspace. For residents in Southern California, gardening with native California plants can be unfamiliar. Most homeowners appreciate the ease of shopping at their neighborhood Home Depot Garden Center, Lowes, and True Value for plants. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find…