Tag Archives: california native plants

Restored Habitat at Shipley Supports Wildlife

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I took advantage of the break in the rain last weekend to visit Shipley Nature Center for their A Buckwheat in Every Garden giveaway in Huntington Beach.

Sycamore tree overhangs natural pathway.

The 18-acre Shipley Nature Center is a California native botanical area and wetland. The centerpiece of the gardens is a fresh water pond surrounded by various California native habitat gardens, restful seating areas, and natural pathways.

Red toyon berries flank an adirondack chair in autumn.

Shipley offers vermiculture (worm composting) demonstration sites, rain harvesting and storage examples, and a native plant nursery on site. Fallen tree branches are stacked along some of the pathways, providing perfect habitat for California native bees.

An Urbane Digger Bee in flight. Photo by Kris Ethington.

The City of Huntington Beach and the nonprofit Friends of Shipley Nature Center began restoration of the site in 1974. They removed invasive plants such as tamarisk and black mustard, then planted fifty thousand native plants. This site now supports snowy egrets, great blue herons, ducks, turtles, Cooper’s hawks, cedar waxwings, and many other species of birds, and butterflies.

Cooper’s hawk in search of breakfast. Photo by Kris Ethington.

Shipley Nature Center is an oasis in the city of Huntington Beach. Take your family to visit over the holidays and walk along 4,000 feet of trails that wander through oak woodlands, Torrey pines, willows, coastal sage scrub, and butterfly gardens. Admission is free, and visitor hours are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Matilija poppies in full flower at Shipley. Photo by Mary LeBoeuf.

Don’t forget to look for the buckwheats planted near the entrance of the site, and remember to look up! You may be rewarded by the site of a snowy egret near its tangled branch nest in the tree tops.

Do you see the ghostly figure of the snowy egret near the nest built in the sycamore tree at Shipley? Photo by Mary LeBoeuf.

More Buckwheat, More Butterflies

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When you plant California buckwheat in your home landscape, you bring immediate relief to butterflies and other pollinators searching for nectar and shelter.

California native bee, solitary and docile, visits a California Buckwheat. Do you see the bee? Photo by Kris Ethington.

California buckwheats flower for months, enrich the soil with their tiny leaves, are easy to grow, and are evergreen. Buckwheat is a foundation plant for any garden.

Buckwheat graces a suburban garden.

The California Native Plant Society Orange County (OCCNPS) chapter is partnering with the Shipley Nature Center to give away 200 California ‘Dana Point’ buckwheat plants at the Holiday Crafts Faire on Saturday, December 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is free.

Shipley Nature Center in Huntington Beach.

Visit Shipley Nature Center this Saturday to pick up a free California buckwheat, select from 70 California native plants to purchase, and see 18 acres of restored wetlands, woodlands, and pristine coastal sage scrub habitat. Shipley’s address is 17851 Goldenwest Street in Huntington Beach. See you this Saturday!

Bernardino Blue butterfly on California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasiculatum). Photo by Chuck Wright.

Buckwheat Giveaway in Dana Point

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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.

Four-inch ‘Dana Point’ buckwheat plant is ready to be planted in a new Orange County home landscape.

OCCNPS and the city of Dana Point will give away 200 four-inch ‘Dana Point’ buckwheat plants from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot of the Dana Point Community Center at 34052 Del Obispo Street on Friday, November 15.

Buckwheat giveaway earlier this month. Photo by Thea Gavin.

Tree of Life Nursery selected the ‘Dana Point’ California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) from a buckwheat plant growing at the Dana Point Headlands. The ‘Dana Point’ buckwheat is a long-flowering shrub that grows one-foot tall and three-feet wide, making it well-suited to smaller home landscapes and gardens.

‘Dana Point’ buckwheat. Photo by Kris Ethington.

One ‘Dana Point’ buckwheat plant per homeowner will be given in exchange for the homeowner’s street and city. OCCNPS is mapping the buckwheats as they are planted across Orange County home landscapes on the BIEG iNaturalist map. A recent version of the iNaturalist map is shown here with nearly 700 buckwheats planted across Orange County.

A Buckwheat in Every Garden iNaturalist map.

Please join us this Friday and help make Dana Point’s namesake buckwheat giveaway a success. The plants are ready to go into the ground. Get yours this Friday, November 15, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Dana Point Community Center at 34052 Del Obispo Street, Dana Point, California.

Newly installed ‘Dana Point’ buckwheat. Photo by Rob Skinner.

How the Buckwheat Campaign Began

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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.

OCCNPS committee members defined the goals of the campaign: Distribute 1,500 California buckwheat ‘Dana Point’ plants, one plant per Orange County homeowner, from October 2019 through February 29, 2020, or until all plants are distributed. Plants are given in exchange for the homeowner’s street and city address, so the plants can be mapped on A Buckwheat in Every Garden iNaturalist map.

The committee worked with Tree of Life Nursery to support the cultivation of 1,500 ‘Dana Point’ buckwheat plants in decorative four-inch containers. The committee also worked with Roger’s Gardens to help distribute and promote the buckwheat campaign.

California buckwheat ‘Dana Point’ variety. Photo by Laura Camp.

OCCNPS committee members created a blog and a web page and began an Instagram and Twitter account. A new iNaturalist mapping program was created specifically for the campaign and added to the OCCNPS web site.

A Buckwheat in Every Garden is funded by OCCNPS’ small treasury and is operated with all volunteer labor. OCCNPS is a 501(c)(3) California non-profit organization. Upcoming buckwheat give-away outreach events are listed below (while supplies last):

OCCNPS gives away California buckwheat ‘Dana Point’ at Acorn Day in O’Neill Regional Park. Photo by Ian Morrell.

  1. San Clemente Garden Club,  Wednesday, November 6 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., San Clemente.
  2. Laguna Beach Garden Club, Friday, November 8 from 9:30 a.m. to noon, Laguna Beach.
  3. Sherman Library and Gardens, Friday, November 8 from 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., Corona del Mar.
  4. The city of Dana Point, Dana Point Community Center, 34052 Del Obispo, Dana Point, Friday, November 15 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. This event is ambitious: We hope to distribute 200 buckwheats in four hours. Help us make that happen. We will see you there.

Fullerton Arboretum event on November 1st. Photo by Maryanne Mayeda.

If you haven’t had a chance to pick up your free buckwheat yet, join us at one of the four events listed above, and share your address with us so we can plot your new buckwheat on the iNaturalist map. The plants go quickly, so arrive early.

Fairy bee visits buckwheat. Photo by Kris Ethington.

 

Buckwheat Brings Beauty

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Native plant lovers know from experience that California native plants bring beauty into their lives through connections with people, pollinators and wildlife.

Lizard sunning on autumn buckwheat blossoms. Photo by Kris Ethington.

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 visit with CNPS experts at four tables featuring these topics: California Native Plant Care, California Native Plant Pollinators, California Native Evergreen Foundation Plants, and A Buckwheat in Every Garden.

Bob Allen, author of Wildflowers of Orange County and the Santa Ana Mountains will be hosting the pollinator table this Saturday.

At Tree of Life Nursery, you can shop the most extensive native plant selection in California. CNPS members will receive 10 percent off every purchase.

Tree of Life Nursery, San Juan Capistrano. Photo by Tree of Life Nursery.

And if you haven’t picked up your free, four-inch California buckwheat yet, you can pick it up this Saturday at the nursery at 33201 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano. A Mexican food truck will be on site from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Pollinator visits buckwheat. Photo by Kris Ethington.

Buckwheat Builds Soil

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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.

California buckwheat leaves and stem. Photo by Ron Vanderhoff.

If you are an Orange County homeowner who hasn’t picked up your free ‘Dana Point’ buckwheat yet, stop by Roger’s Gardens at 2301 San Joaquin Hills Rd., Corona del Mar on Tuesday, October 22 through Thursday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is the only three-day giveaway we have planned, so take advantage of it if you can.

Rogers Gardens is participating in the A Buckwheat in Every Garden campaign.

 

Buckwheat Brings a Party

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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.

California buckwheats are in high demand at Acorn Day in O’Neill Park. Photo by Laura Camp.

The Orange County chapter of the California Native Plant Society (OCCNPS) has created an interactive iNaturalist map that shows the distribution of the 1,500 buckwheat plants as they are given away and planted throughout the OC. You can follow along as the new buckwheat plants are being installed in Orange County by clicking on the link here.

Four-inch California buckwheats ready for distribution. Photo by Ian Morrell.

If you didn’t have a chance to pick up your free California buckwheat plant last weekend, OCCNPS will be hosting more events throughout October and November.

One of many clusters of blossoms on California Buckwheat. Photo by Ron Vanderhoff

Go to www.OCCNPS.org for more information about upcoming buckwheat distribution events, buckwheat care, planting information, and more. We look forward to seeing you soon.

California buckwheat

California buckwheat in full bloom.

 

 

Buckwheat in Bloom

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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.

Buckwheat “Dana Point.’ Photo by Kris Ethington.

Three different varieties of buckwheat are growing in my home garden currently, and I am looking forward to adding the ‘Dana Point’ selection being offered to homeowners through A Buckwheat in Every Garden this October.

After I pick up my free ‘Dana Point’ buckwheat in October, I will install it in my garden near the sidewalk leading to the front door.

Dana Point buckwheat provides seeds for the birds, habitat for lizards, and nectar for many varieties of tiny California native bees and butterflies.

Buckwheats are hardy and easy to establish. Plant them in a sunny place in the garden without amendments or fertilizers and they will thrive. California buckwheats rarely need pruning–once a year in December at most. After the plant is established, rainfall is all of the water a buckwheat will need, but watering the plant once a month will keep it green longer.

Ashyleaf Buckwheat newly installed in landscape.

At right is a photo of Ashyleaf Buckwheat (Eriogonum cinereum) that I planted in my garden three weeks ago. This wild buckwheat grows on beaches and bluffs in California. Ashyleaf buckwheat is the food plant for the Euphilotes bernardino, the Bernardino dotted blue butterfly.

Acmon Blue butterfly visits a California buckwheat.

The next post will talk about the Orange County chapter of the California Native Plant Society’s buckwheat giveaway in more detail, providing specific dates and places where you can get your free, four-inch ‘Dana Point’ California buckwheat plant in October and November while supplies last.

California Buckwheat is a Pollinator Magnet

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The Orange County chapter of the California Native Plant Society (OCCNPS) will be giving a free four-inch California buckwheat plant to local residents this October to introduce homeowners to the beauty of California native plants in the garden.

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Bernardino Blue butterfly on California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasiculatum). Photo by Chuck Wright.

Why buckwheat? According to the native plant experts at Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano, “In the garden, few plants can equal Eriogonum–or buckwheat–for sheer habitat value. Eriogonums are host plants and nectar plants for butterflies and moths, and are a bonanza for bees and other pollinators looking for summer food. The dried seeds provide abundant food for seed-eating birds, and the shrubby structures shelter lizards and other wildlife.”

Buckwheat growing under fruit trees

Buckwheat blossoms in late summer.

Buckwheat plants look great in a corner of a garden, as a centerpiece, and spilling over slopes. They are easy to care for and stay green with just a little supplemental water.  Two California buckwheat plants planted twenty years ago near my fruit trees have blossomed for months, and hundreds of tiny pollinators are feasting on buckwheat nectar. These pollinators increase the productivity of my fruit trees and support bird life.

Acmon Blue butterfly visits a California buckwheat. Photo by Kris Ethington.

Lady beetle visits a buckwheat blossom. Photo by Kris Ethington.

If you would like to add a California buckwheat to your garden, the OCCNPS chapter buckwheat give-away begins October 5 at Acorn Day in O’Neill Park.  One four-inch Dana Point buckwheat will be given for free to Orange County homeowners while supplies last this fall.

More details with dates and places for the buckwheat give-away will be provided in future posts. In the meantime, stay cool and enjoy the waning days of summer.

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Pool with blue-eyed grass, purple three awn, and concha ceanothus.

More Butterflies in Your Garden

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Southern California is home to people and plants from around the world.  Plants from far away lands have been introduced in California and have become so common that many people believe that most ornamental plants are native.

Examples of introduced species include Eucalyptus trees from Australia, ice plant from Africa, and bougainvillea from Brazil. These plants (and many others) are seen commonly in home and commercial landscapes in Southern California.

Ice Plant

Invasive ice plant surrounds a native Coast Live Oak, robbing it of rainfall.

What is a California native plant and why should we care?

Scientists tell us that plants that are native to our community provide a richer abundance of life than plants introduced from other countries. Local pollinators like bumblebees and monarch butterflies rely on specific local plants to survive.

Narrow Leaf Milkweed

Western Monarch caterpillars feeding on native narrow-leaf milkweed. Photo by Cynthia Grilli.

Pictured above is a narrow-leaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis) loaded with Western Monarch caterpillars. The narrow-leaf milkweed grows in the wild lands of Southern California.

The California Native Plant Society Orange County (OCCNPS) wants to help Californians plant more native plants in their yards and gardens. Even a small corner of your lawn devoted to native plants will help bird and butterfly populations recover and become more abundant.

Bees Bliss Sage and Vanessa butterfly

Vanessa butterfly nectars on a Bees Bliss sage.

Beginning October 5 of this year, OCCNPS will give away one free California Buckwheat plant (while supplies last) to residents living in Orange County. The California buckwheat that OCCNPS is giving away grows wild in Dana Point, California.  The Dana Point buckwheat blooms 10 months of the year with creamy white blossoms that turn a russet red in the late fall.

Buckwheat blossoms. Photo by Ron Vanderhoff
Close-up of a Dana Point Buckwheat. Photo by Ron Vanderhoff
One of many clusters of blossoms on California Buckwheat. Photo by Ron Vanderhoff

“If you’ve only space for one native habitat plant, let it be a buckwheat,” said Dr. Constance M. Vadheim of Mother Nature’s Backyard where she included tips on how to grow buckwheat in a home garden, as well as a list of traditional native uses of the plant.

California buckwheat

Field of buckwheat in the wild. Photo by Ron Vanderhoff.

Natural open space and parks are not enough to support bird and wildlife populations. Each of us can make a difference by installing California native plants in our yards. OCCNPS will begin distribution of free California buckwheat plants at Acorn Day in O’Neill Park on October 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We will map the plants as they head to their new homes. More information to come!

Buckwheat lines roadside

Buckwheat lines the road like summer snowdrifts. Photo by Ron Vanderhoff