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California Native Plant Society
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September 2023 Newsletter
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 Marin Chapter September 2023 Meeting
"The importance of flowering season duration and planting for pollinators”
Guest Speaker: Dr. Rachael L. Olliff-Yang
Monday, September 11 @ 7:30 pm
Flowering time in California follows patterns driven by the cool wet winters and hot dry summers of our Mediterranean-type climate. The rapid life cycles of our native invertebrate pollinators (including bees, flies, and butterflies) are tightly in sync with these rhythms. However, climate change is causing shifts in the timing and abundance of plants and pollinators due to changes in temperature and moisture cues. These shifts can strain mutualistic relationships and lead to population decline. Sufficient flowering resources across the season, as well as extended flowering at the beginning and end of the season, may aid in supporting plant-pollinator mutualisms.
 In this talk, Rachael will discuss the mechanisms that influence the flowering duration, and how strategic planting to extend flowering time—whether in restorations, hedgerows, or your home garden setting—can support both pollinator and plant populations. She will also discuss how to keep California Biodiversity Day (Sept 7th!) going all year long, and extend an invitation to the upcoming 30x30 Partnership Gathering in Riverside CA.
Dr. Rachael Olliff-Yang is a plant ecologist, writer, and educator, and works as technical science support for California’s 30x30 initiative - conserving 30% of California by 2030. Her research focuses on plant flowering time and management strategies to respond to climate change impacts. She is a resident of Novato, where she teaches nature classes for kids and is an enthusiastic volunteer for the Marin CNPS chapter.
Read more. . .
Register for this Zoom meeting here.
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 Marin Chapter Field Trips
Field Trip Guidelines:
- Email Susan Schlosser scschlosser52@gmail.com to sign up for a field trip, as participants are limited.
- Electronically sign the CNPS Liability waiver for the trip (Susan will provide the link.)
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 Mt. Burdell Oaks
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 - 8 am to noon
Leader: Susan Schlosser
We’ll take a winding route through the central area of Mt. Burdell Open Space Preserve to see the acorns of coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia), valley oak (Q. lobata), California black oak (Q. kelloggii), Oregon oak (Q. garryana var. garryana) and blue oak (Q. douglasii). The bark, leaves and next year’s buds are other characteristics that help identify local oaks. If participants are interested we can sample relative abundance of acorns using a method developed by Dr. W. Koenig and used for his many oak studies.
For descriptions and locations of the oaks in Marin County, check out the CNPS Marin webpage "Oaks of Marin" compiled by Doreen and Vernon Smith.
Read more about this field trip. . .
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 Save the Date: Fall Plant Sale is Oct 12-16
The fall plant sale will open for online ordering on Thursday, October 12 at 6 pm and close on Monday, October 16 at 6 pm.
Customers can collect orders on Saturday, October 21 at Bon Air Shopping Center from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm.
The focus in fall is on our beautiful and beneficial shrubs. Check our website for details on plant species, coming soon.
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 California Biodiversity Day is Thursdaay, September 7
Help celebrate California's biodiversity this year during the week of Sept. 2-10, 2023 and learn why biodiversity is so critical.
Events will be held locally as well as statewide; check out the California Biodiversity Day website for full details.
"Preserving biodiversity is a responsibility" By Paul da Silva, published in the Marin Independent Journal 8/18/2023
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 Native Plant Gardening Group
Join the Native Plant Gardening Group in sharing successes and concerns through group emails. You can join the group by answering this short questionnaire.
A native plant seed and plant swap with an informal tour of Mary Kyle's garden is planned for Wednesday, 9/20.
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 Ring Mountain Wildflower Docent Program
Eva Buxton
The Marin CNPS Chapter and Marin County Parks (MCP) recently wrapped up the first year of the Wildflower Docent Program on the Ring Mountain (RM) Open Space parcel. Volunteer docents were trained and available to visitors on the preserve from April to June 2023. They helped visitors view and identify plants without harming them or  their habitats. The Tiburon mariposa lily (Calochortus tiburonensis) is the iconic plant on the preserve, but docents helped visitors identify many other common, uncommon, and rare plants associated with Ring Mountain’s serpentine substrates.
We anticipate that the program will continue next year. If you are interested in becoming a Ring Mountain Docent, please contact Kristin Jakob (vpamarincnps@gmail.com) to receive notification of the next docent training program.
Read more. . . |
 AB 1573 Moves to CA Senate Floor
CNPS is a proud sponsor of Assemblymember Laura Friedman's (D-Burbank) AB 1573, a transformative bill that would create California's first requirement for the use of native plants in non-residential landscapes.
Passage of this bill would put California's government and commercial landscapes to work on behalf of biodiversity, giving imperiled pollinators a fighting chance.
Please continue to:
- Spread the word. AB 1573 is a nuanced bill. Help us communicate the facts and the importance of this opportunity by sharing CNPS’ AB 1573 landing page.
- Ask your CA State Senator to support AB 1573: look up your legislator here. Then ask a friend to call their legislator to ask them to support it.
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 Novato Seed Library Inaugural Event
Marie Steckmest and Stacey Pogorzelski
On August 5, the Novato Library’s Seed Library, a project initiated by Marie Steckmest, a Marin Master Gardener (MMG) and CNPS member, officially opened with a plant swap, seed donations, and seed giveaway in the atrium of the Novato Library. It was a huge success with an endless stream of more than 80 people exchanging items and getting information from the Novato librarian, Marin Master Gardeners, and members of the California Native Plant Society.
Attendees donated, swapped, and obtained annual flower seeds, seeds from native plants, and vegetable and herb seeds (some collected by volunteers and some from commercial seed packets).
Local nurseries donated plants, and native plant seeds came from Home Ground Habitats and Marin CNPS. Many seeds were packaged to share prior to the swap, but the MMGs and CNPS representatives packaged and labeled even more seeds during the event to fill an enthusiastic demand from attendees.
 Organizers discussed plant issues and informed attendees of the Marin Master Gardeners IPM page, Help Desk, and website. Stacey Pogorzelski and Renee Fittinghoff, of Marin Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, answered questions about gardening with natives, handed out the fire-prone Plant Replacement List and the Bloom!California’s ‘little blue book’ of garden design, as well as complimentary copies of CNPS’ Flora magazine.
Seeds will continue to be available in the front lobby of the Novato Library at 1720 Novato Blvd. Swing by and check out the Seed Library!
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Plant Classification
During the Ages of Discovery, Exploration, and Colonialism, plants and animals from all over the world were brought back to Europe. There was an obvious need to develop some kind of order for all of the material that flooded botanical gardens, universities, and museums. Swedish botanist/zoologist Carolus Linnaeus developed a hierarchical classification system in the mid-1700’s (Systema Naturae 1735) that allowed a better understanding of the relationships and connections among all the plants (and animals).
The Linnaean system is still used today with modifications. However, its classifications are based on physical traits or features (morphology) which may not coincide with the evolutionary (phylogenetic) relationships. Those evolutionary relationships, found using molecular analyses of DNA, are now a goal of systematic research.
Read more. . .
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 Mt. Tam Science Quest Day- Saturday, September 23
Head to Mt. Tam for a multi-event day showcasing the unique sciences of Mt Tam State Park. Experts in Flora, Fauna, Geology, Ecology, and Astronomy will provide in-person experiences to highlight how science can deepen our understanding of our environment.
Marin Chapter will have a table at Rock Spring Trailhead from 3 to 5 pm to answer questions and provide guidance on how we can maintain our natural habitats.
Read more. . . |
 Oak Woodland Ecology Workshop- Saturday, September 9
California’s oak woodlands are a unique ecosystem which provide habitat to a diverse group of plants and animals. Oak woodlands provide shelter and food for wildlife and support pollinators. Join Caprice Disbrow, Instructor of Biology and Botany at Santa Rosa Junior College and Napa Valley College and CNPS Milo Baker board member, to learn about oak woodland ecology at Sonoma State’s Osborn Preserve. Saturday, September 9 from 10 am to 12:30 pm
We will explore a variety of oak species while observing other flora through sight, touch, and smell. Along the way, we’ll learn about the ecology of oak trees that occur at SSU’s Osborn Preserve and what we can do to support oak woodland diversity. This free event is also part of the Osborn Naturalist program. No experience required. Must be age 18 years or older.
Read more. . .
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 Upcoming Marin Chapter Events
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 Other Activities in Marin and Nearby
Be sure to periodically check CNPS.org/events for interesting talks and field trips sponsored by CNPS Chapters and staff throughout the state.
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 Tell us what makes you love our biodiverse county?
Please send your photographs, art, events, and articles. This newsletter informs all of us.
Ann Elliott, Newsletter Editor
annonfire@gmail.com
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