Spring in the Native Plant Gardens: Garden of Dreams

Approaching the Garden of Dreams -  CSU Dominguez Hills

Spring is a lovely time in the native plant gardens of CSU Dominguez Hills.  Here are some recent photos from the Garden of Dreams Discovery Garden.

Bush sunflowers (Encelia californica) brighten Garden of Dreams -  CSU Dominguez Hills

Enter the garden through the Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia) entrance
Garden of Dreams -  CSU Dominguez Hills

White and purple from the Purple sage (Salvia leucophylla) 
Garden of Dreams -  CSU Dominguez Hills

Look closely for bulbs like this Mariposa lily
Garden of Dreams -  CSU Dominguez Hills

Medley of green foliage from sages, sagebrush and other local native shrubs
Garden of Dreams -  CSU Dominguez Hills

Looking back towards parking lot - note the range of foliage colors
Garden of Dreams -  CSU Dominguez Hills

Annual sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) have come back despite the fact that this area was scraped bare
 last July - Garden of Dreams -  CSU Dominguez Hills

Purple foothill penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus) and spires of White sage (Salvia apiana)
Garden of Dreams -  CSU Dominguez Hills

Elegant clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata) glow amongst the nodding grasses (Foothill needlegrass - Stipa (Nassella) lepida) - Garden of Dreams -  CSU Dominguez Hills

Spring wildflowers - Garden of Dreams -  CSU Dominguez Hills

A selection of shady groundcovers - Garden of Dreams -  CSU Dominguez Hills

Red Admiral butterfly - Garden of Dreams -  CSU Dominguez Hills

Celebrate National Pollinator Week (June 15-21, 2015)

National Pollinator Week (the 3^rd week in June each year) celebrates the importance of pollinators for all life on earth. Eighty percent of food crops, as well as many ornamental plants, require insect pollinators.    Life without living pollinators would be very different, indeed.

Here are some things you can do to celebrate National Pollinator Week:

 

Learn more about the key role of pollinators: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/06/life-friendly-gardening-planning-for.html.

Learn more about specific S. California pollinators:

·        Metallic Green Bees: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2012/09/metallic-green-bees-genus-agapostemon.html

·        Yellow-faced Bumble Bee: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/06/yellow-faced-bumble-bee-bombus.html

·        Western Tiger Swallowtail: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/07/western-tiger-swallowtail-papilio.html

·        Duskywing Butterflies: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2015/05/duskywing-butterflies-genus-erynnis.html

 

Create pollinator habitat in your garden: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/planning-for-pollinators-brochure-2013

 

Register your garden as part of the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge (MPGC):  http://pollinator.org/MPGC.htm

Participate in National Pollinator Week activities: http://www.pollinator.org/pollinator_week_2015.htm

 

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What's that Silver-White Plant?

Felt-leaf Everlasting (Wright's Cudweed; Pseudognaphalium canescens) provides contrast and habitat
all year long in the Garden of Dreams 

You may have noticed a plant with very white foliage growing in the Garden of Dreams native plant garden.  This is Felt-leaf Everlasting (Wright's Cudweed; Pseudognaphalium canescens) a locally native plant that's not only pretty but is an important habitat plant.   Read more about it at:  

http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/09/plant-of-month-september-wrights.html

Celebrate Butterflies in July

Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae incarnata) feeding
 on Purple Sage (Salvia leucophylla)

July is one of our important butterfly months. That's why the annual butterfly surveys are scheduled for this month.   See our Calendar of Native Plant Events for local butterfly activities. Activities range from classes on butterfly gardening, workshops on butterflies, butterfly walks and participation in local butterfly counts.