Though identified nearly 20 years ago as a probable new species, the "Pinnacles Jewelflower" has languished undescribed. At last, this species is in the process of being described. As an extremely rare endemic species, describing it is the first step to making sure it is preserved. Pinnacles has also been allocated funding to begin systematic surveys of this rare species. As of yet, however, we have only casual observations about the species and no idea of the sizes, number, and extent of populations. In this "preview" talk, we will look at what we know so far about this species, its characteristics, and its preferred habitat, and discuss the distribution and status of other similar species in the area.
Amelia Ryan developed a love of wildflowers growing up on 40 acres in western Sonoma County. This love of plants led her to study botany at UC Davis and later acquire a MS in Ecology from San Francisco State. She has been working in habitat restoration and resource management for over 20 years, having started at Armstrong Redwoods in the late 90s, then worked at Point Reyes National Seashore on several restoration and endangered plant projects for nearly 14 years before moving to Pinnacles National Park where she has been the Vegetation Ecologist for 4 years. She is a long-time member of CNPS and served on the Marin Chapter Board for 6 years.
Contact info: amelia_ryan@nps.gov
Speaker
Calendar 2021
April: Lorraine
Parsons, Microbial Communities in Dune
Restoration
May: Trish Tatarian,
Ecology of California Tiger Salamander
June: Shane Hanofee,
Botanizing Nevada and Placer Counties
September: Cynthia
Powell, ED, Calflora.org, Entering Sonoma County
Plants
For
futher information, contactLeia
Giambastiani,Interim
Programs and Lectures Chair, Milo Baker CNPS
Your Milo Baker Board has expanded once more! In
January we added Rosaleen Murphy as a new
Member-at-Large. Rosaleen is looking forward to
helping with the volunteer efforts on our
Preserves. In February, Erika Erzberger became
our 5th Member-at-Large. Erika is a previous
scholarship recipient and is interested in rare
plants among other things. Also, Ruthie
introduced us to Lynnette Brown who is helping her
in planning for future field trips and ways to
organize the registration for trips. She is a
student at the Santa Rosa Junior College and will be
our SRJC Student representative. Welcome to one and
all, hopefully we will get to meet you in person
soon.
Another Member-at-Large this term is Jim
Piercy. Many of you know him as the Treasurer.
You may not know that while Treasurer he filled in
with many tasks, taking on jobs when we had openings
unfilled. At one point he was doing the
membership job, and often filled in to do Preserve
work. Jim has been Treasurer at the Milo Baker
chapter since October of 2005! He has a B.A.
in Business Management and Economics from Sonoma
State University. His career has taken him to
new heights. After 10 years at Hewlett Packard and
Agilent, he went to work at Sonoma County
Government. He has worked various accounting
positions there including at the Sheriff’s
Department and now at Regional Parks.
Jim is the kind of person who pitches in no matter
what the challenge. He has been invaluable to
our operation and to our future planning. Jim is
helping our new Treasurer, Karen Thompson make the
transition and has promised to help when questions
come up. We are so lucky to have him continue on as
a Member-at-Large where he will be assisting with
the Preserves. Jim told me that he was
attracted to the Native Plant Society because he
looked forward to working with plants. Now he
will have a fantastic opportunity to leave the
spreadsheets behind, and do just that. Thank you,
Jim for all you do and have done for our chapter.
Toxicoscordion
fremontii. Fremont’s deathcamas
As March begins we are hopeful that chapter
activities will return to normal. I hope that
you are all well and getting your vaccine
appointments. Maybe in the fall we will be
able to join together at meetings and enjoy the
Speaker Series in person. Happy spring plant
walking to all!
Wendy Smit,
Chapter President
Member
Spotlight: Caprice Disbrow
What’s your favorite CA native plant?
Calycanthus
occidentalis, California spicebush. It's an
ancient plant with gorgeous deep red tepals
(identical petals and sepals); large, entire,
simple, bright green leaves, and wonderful
smelling bark. Every year this deciduous shrub
surprises me with its graceful shape, vivid
colors, and strong aroma.
Calycanthus
occidentalis, Photo credit: Steve Law
What is your favorite place to go to look at
California native plants in Sonoma County?
Foothill Regional
Park in Windsor.
What do you do when you’re not enjoying
California native plants? I have the wonderful privilege of teaching
people about biology, including botany!
What is your favorite memory associated with
CNPS Milo Baker?
A couple years ago (pre-pandemic), the Education and
Outreach Committee was quite active and we had the
opportunity to set up educational displays at the
North Bay Science Discovery Day and the Sonoma
County Children's Museum. We packed as many
hands-on, educational activities as we could in our
designated spaces! I had a wonderful time engaging
not only with youngsters, but with their parents and
caregivers as well.
I love teaching people about native plants, but
these events are special. More often than not, I
become the student. A 5- year-old corrects me on the
topic of ants, an adult shares with me their
experience with a mysterious thing on their tree (a
gall!), a fellow exhibit mate excitedly exchanges
display ideas, the list goes on! Let's all strive to
learn from our community, even if it must be over
Zoom for a little while longer!
***************************************
CNPS Milo Baker Chapter is excited to highlight
active members in our “Member Spotlight”. This short
newsletter feature shares your story with other CNPS
Milo Baker chapter members, inspires future
botanists and plant enthusiasts, and strengthens
awareness of the importance of native flora and the
CNPS Milo Baker chapter activities.
We’ll highlight an individual member in our
newsletter and social media platforms. Nominate
yourself or another member by emailing Caprice,
Newsletter Chair, at cnpsmbnewsletter@gmail.com or
by clicking the link below.
The
California Native Plant Society Milo Baker Chapter
offers two scholarships this spring for students of
SSU or SRJC who are interested in plant science.
One is a $1,000 merit scholarship, which is
needs-based; the other is up to $3500 for a student
who is doing research. Applications are due by March
2, 2021.
If you have any questions, please feel free to
email the Scholarship Committee chairperson:
seanmcneil0@gmail.com
The Sonoma County native garden is in full swing by early March, tempting us outside to enjoy its daily changes. Although it is best to use plants specific to the plant community your garden occurs in, there are some that can do well in any garden. Many California native plants aren’t big fans of summer water or soils with a bunch of amendments. This group of plants can thrive with a little more summer water and aren’t fussy about soils. We call them “garden tolerant natives”. They are great gateway plants to the obsession with California native plants that many of us share.
One of my favorites is Arctostaphylos ‘Howard McMinn’ (see photo below). McMinn Manzanita is a medium size mounding shrub with flowers that are a showpiece of any February to March Garden. Once it’s done blooming, McMinn Manzanita is a bright green specimen with lovely peeling red bark. This plant is easy to find at nurseries too (or wait for our CNPS Milo Baker Fall Plant sale to score a few).
Arctostaphylos (Manzanita) is a Sonoma County garden staple with a bunch of great selections and species to experiment with. I use it as an accent and critical habitat shrub within 30 feet of the home then as a mass (3-10 plants in a group) beyond that. Well tended, meaning clearing the stems below 2’ or so, Manzanitas are a March delight and not the fire risk as many believe.
Some other fun garden tolerant plants to look out for this month are Ceanothus spp. (California Lilac; photo below, left), Salvia spathacea (Hummingbird Sage; photo below, right), and Ribes spp (Flowering Currants and Gooseberries).
April
Owens, Horticulture Chair CNPS Milo Baker
Liz Parsons' Garrya
elliptica
Winter in the garden need not be dull; two species of native plants can add charm and interest. The clusters of bell-like flowers on the manzanitas (Arctostaphylos sp.)are blooming brightly in colors ranging from white to deep pink. This early source
of nectar brings in the bumblebees and hummingbirds. Another shrub of the chaparral, Garrya elliptica, is conspicuous because of the long male catkins which begin to elongate in January and remain attractive through the spring. The common name, coast silk tassel, refers to how these greenish/white staminate flowers show well against the background of the dark evergreen foliage.
The family Garryaceae has the single genus Garrya, which contains 14 species in the western United States and Mexico, 6 of which occur in California. They are dioecious, which means that the male and female flowers appear on different plants. This characteristic is reflected in our gardens in that only the male plants, with their long decorative catkins, are sold in nurseries. Garrya elliptica, native to the chaparral areas of the central and northern Coast Ranges, is the only genus consistently available with two named cultivars, ‘James Roof’ and ‘Evie’. G. e. ‘James Roof’ grows to 15’ and has unusually long catkins. G. e. ‘Evie’ is a smaller plant, to 10’ and the flower tassels are shorter, to 12 inches. It was named after one of the owners of the Heather Farm Nursery that was in business for many years west of Sebastopol.
Plant coast silk tassel in full sun or partial shade, especially inland where high summer temperatures can be a problem. Plant in well-drained soil, where, once established, it will require little supplemental water.
Propagation is done by taking cuttings of vigorous new growth in the late spring. If you don’t care whether you get male or female plants and are able to locate a female plant in the wild, the fleshy seeds, which mature in the summer, should be cold stratified for 3 months before planting out.
Silk tassel is drought tolerant, slow growing, and can take four to five years before flowering. A perfect background plant in the dry shrub border. Garrya requires little pruning to keep a nice shape. The dark rich evergreen leaves recommend the use of Garrya for more formal composition such as a pruned hedge. It can be pruned to a small tree and makes an excellent specimen plant. Pruning should be done in the spring after the flowers fade. Garrya is a delightful genus which is suitable for large or small gardens. The fascinating flowers bring interest to the winter garden.
The Garrya elliptica ‘Evie’ that grew in my Sonoma Creekside garden for over twenty years, burned to the ground in the 2017 Tubbs Fire. It re-sprouted vigorously and is still a prominent part of the dry border, along with western spice bush (Calycanthusoccidentalis), redbud (Cercis occidentalis), Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), pink flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum glutinosum), and fuchsia flowering gooseberry (Ribes speciosum). After four years, it has not bloomed again.
Karen Thompson's Symphyotrichum
chilense
Oh, behold the chilensis
aster
Than mice it doth multiply
faster
It has leaped o’er my path
Incurring my wrath,
And it's rooted itself like
a master.
No, seriously, I love this plant, Symphyotrichum
chilense ‘Point St. George’ which lives on the edge
of the rain garden and spreads its cheery lavender flowers
all around the garden.It’s durable and dependable, not fussy, and keeps
on blooming all spring, summer and fall.So even though my initial thought was, “What are
you doing, Ms. Aster Chilensis, over here in the bulb
bed?” I decided to leave it there.
Volunteer
Opportunities
Sonoma County Living Learning Landscapes first Friday of
the month at 10am meet 1808 Albany Drive Santa Rosa email
or call April Owens 707.331.2070
aprilleeowens@gmail.com.
Bring: hand pruners if you have them and a mask of course.
Invasive Ice Plant Removal Wednesdays 9:30-11:30 at Doran
Beach. Text Invasive Plant Chair Jan 707.569.4724 to find
out where they are working let her know you are coming!
Volunteer Opportunities
We invite you to help us share the CNPS mission.
We have many ways to get involved from helping in the
nursery, on our preserves, with education and outreach and
on our demonstration garden projects. Please contact
Horticulture Chair April Owens, aprilleeowens@gmail.com or
Education and Outreach Chair, Virginia Hotz-Steenhoven,
vsteenhoven@sonic.net (707)528-6030 for more information
Plant Walks/Field Trips
While our Plant Walks and Field Trips are on hold at this
time, we hope to be back in the great outdoors in 2021. Sign
up for Email Alerts for our Plant Walks and Field Trips.
Contact Ruthie Saia: ruthiegardengirl@gmail.com.
Right image: Stump Beach, July 2019, Courtesy of Ruthie
Saia.
Middle image: Piles of ice plant at Doran Beach Park,
Courtesy of Jan Lochner.
Left image:Native plant garden
Volunteer Opportunities
