Foraging Native Plants: Look to Your Own Backyard

Native plants play an important role in living sustainably.  They furnish habitat, create shade, improve the soil and provide edible and craft materials.   To put it simply, California natives are remarkable additions to the garden ecosystem. But it’s important to remember that these plants are also critical components of natural ecosystems.

The increased interest in edible and medicinal native plants creates several unintended consequences.   Most important is the overuse of natural stands of native plants growing in the wild.   This is not just a problem in California; over-collecting of native plants is a critical issue world-wide, leading to the extinction of entire plant species.

While some California native plants are still common, others are rare – even endangered - in the wild.  Humans have played a key role, primarily by destroying habitat (building houses, roads, etc.).  Global climate change is putting further pressures on wild plants and animal populations. 

To stress wild populations further by wild foraging is unsound.  In fact, there are legal, health/safety, practical and ethical/stewardship reasons to limit wildland foraging.  For more see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2016/06/sustainable-living-foraging-for-native.html

Surviving the Drought

Plenty of summer flowers, seeds and fruits for bird & pollinator habitat:
 Garden of Dreams, CSUDH, in July, 2015 (after 4 years of drought)

The past four years of drought have been tough on gardens and gardeners.  Even water-wise native plants are showing signs of stress.  For some practical ideas on surviving the drought see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2015/07/surviving-drought.html




Water-wise native plants from the Channel Islands stand up well to the drought. St. Catherine's Lace (Eriogonum giganteum) and Catalina silverlace (Constancea nevinii) with background of Mulefat (Baccharis salicifolia) and Southern Island mallow (Lavatera assurgentiflora)



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.