seeds for birds 2009
DESCRIPTION
This lecture was given in November, 2009 as part of the California native plant gardening series ‘Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden’TRANSCRIPT
© Project SOUND
Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden
Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants Project SOUND - 2009
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Seeds for Birds
C.M. Vadheim and T. Drake
CSUDH & Madrona Marsh Preserve
Madrona Marsh Preserve
November 7 & 10, 2009
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How do birds rate your yard?
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
What makes a garden a good habitat for birds?
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What every bird needs
Food
Shelter
Water http://aquafornia.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/garden-tour-2.jpg
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To attract birds we need to understand
their habits & preferences
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Like butterflies, some birds are ‘picky eaters’
Generalists
Eat many different kinds of food – whatever is available
Well-adapted to different – and changing – environments
Often are common in urban & suburban yards – that’s why many people know them by name
Examples: Crows, Scrub Jays, Robins
http://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/WildlifeSightings/WildlifesightNovember06.htm
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Like butterflies, some birds are ‘picky eaters’
Specialists
Eat selected kinds of foods – at least primarily
Raptors – meat-eaters Insect-eaters Fruit-eaters Seed-eaters
Often very well adapted to a specific environment – have ‘developed together over time’
Often are less common in urban & suburban yards
Examples: Lesser Gold Finch, CA Towhee, Orioles, Tanagers
http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/lounge/?p=624
CA Towhee
Audubon’s Warbler
http://thebirdguide.com/washington/BigDayReport2007.htm
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Form follows function
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/BirdBeaksA.svg/220px-BirdBeaksA.svg.png
http://www.nps.gov/prsf/naturescience/images/black-phoebe.jpg
http://www.nps.gov/prsf/naturescience/images/crow.jpg
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SHAPE TYPE ADAPTATION
Cracker Seed eaters like sparrows and cardinals have
short, thick conical bills for cracking seed.
Shredder Birds of prey like hawks and owls have sharp,
curved bills for tearing meat.
Chisel Woodpeckers have bills that are long and chisel-
like for boring into wood to eat insects.
Probe Hummingbird bills are long and slender for
probing flowers for nectar.
Tweezer Insect eaters like warblers have thin, pointed
bills.
Swiss
Army
Knife
Crows have a multi-purpose bill that allows them
to eat fruit, seeds, insects, fish, and other
animals. http://science.wannajava.net/scienceunits/units/current/01Bird_Feet_and_Beak_Adaptations.pdf
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So how are the seed-eaters different?
Birds generally tend to select the food items they can process faster
Food-selection experiments suggest that the evolution of bird granivory (seed-eating) has been mainly focused on the development of morphologic adaptations for the mechanical digestion of seeds
Seed eating birds have modifications of the skull which allow them to exert lots of pressure on seeds but have a flexible hinge that protects the jaw joint. Some birds are very powerful. The hawfinch, for instance, can crush olive pits. The amazing strength in the upper and lower jaws of these organisms allows the birds to deal with hard pits and seeds by shearing forces.
http://ivytechlibraryftwpuppets.files.wordpress.co
m/2008/06/finch.jpg
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Why eat seeds?
Readily available – formerly in large numbers (plants have to produce many seeds to insure reproduction)
Seeds are ‘super food’ – lots of bang for the buck
The bulk of most seeds consist of stored food – needed by the seedling
That stored food is calorie-dense – fats, oils, starches
Both plants & animals can digest that food – animals share lots of basic enzymes with plants
It’s not surprising that many migratory birds eat seeds
http://asweknowit.net/images_edu/DWA%205%20plant%20seed.jpg
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Many of our key seed sources for birds
are annual wildflowers & grasses
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Seeds that birds eat on the plant
http://www.nps.gov/prsf/naturescience/images/lesser-goldfinch.jpg
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The Lesser Goldfinch can often be seen in the chaparral eating Chamise and Wooley Bluecurls seeds. They also like to feed on Asteraceae (Sunflower family).
Some other plants used are Miner's lettuce, Red Maids, Fiddle neck, Amsinckia spp. and Dove weed, Eremocarpus setigerus, Night Shades, Solanum spp, Sage Salvia spp, Catch-fly, Silene spp. Tar weed Hemizonia spp.,
Lesser Goldfinch - Carduelis psaltria
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Macoun's Cudweed – Pseudognaphalium macounii
http://www.labunix.uqam.ca/~fg/MyFlora/Asteraceae/Pseudognaphalium/Macounii/macounii.e.shtml
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Remember, Everlastings also make good
cut flowers
http://www.woodherbs.com/gnaphalium.html
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Macoun's Cudweed – Pseudognaphalium macounii
A plant of N. America Grows from Pennsylvania and
Arizona, north to Nova Scotia and British Columbia
In CA, found in many parts of state
Grows in open places - open woods, pastures, roadsides
Named after John Macoun (1831-1920), one of the great Canadian naturalists of the 19th Century. He was a prolific collector and cataloguer of
Canadian flora and fauna.
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?fl
ora_id=1&taxon_id=250067390
http://www.paghat.com/cudweed.html
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The Cudweeds Genera: Gnaphalium;
Pseudognaphalium
Other common names: Rabbit Tobacco – because
rabbits chew it like chewing tobacco
Everlasting – because the flowers (bracts) last a long time
Many uses: Often used as a tobacco
substitute (chewed or smoked)
Often used medicinally
Are great all-round habitat plants – attracting both insects & birds
Pseudognaphalium canescens
Pseudognaphalium californicum
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Characteristics of Macoun’s Cudweed
Size: 1-2 ft tall – perhaps to 3 ft.
1-3 ft wide
Growth form: Herbaceous annual or biennial
Generally erect from a basal rosette of leaves
Foliage: Bright to yellow-green above;
wooly-white below
Leaf bases are wide, extend down the stem
Plant is sweetly fragrant – some say ‘balsam-like’ scent
Roots: taproot
http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=4549
http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=GNAMAC
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Flowers are ‘everlasting’
Blooms summer/fall: usually July to Sept-Oct in our area
Flowers: Sunflower heads – without the
ray flowers
On rather tall, many-branched flowering stalks
One of the showier everlastings
Sweet-scented
Seeds: Small, with fluffy wings – wind
dispersed
http://saratogawoodswaters.blogspot.com/2009/09/rocky-outcrops-colorful-moss.html
http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=2297
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Everlastings = habitat
Foliage
Provide cover for ground-dwellers and foragers
Provide larval food for Lady butterflies & for other insects
Flowers
Nectar attracts a whole host of insects
Seeds are relished by seed eating birds in summer & fall
http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=2297
http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabambc/construct-species-
page.asp?sp=Vanessa-virginiensis
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Everlasting are easy Soils: Texture: just about any; not
particular
pH: any local
Light: full sun
Water: Winter/spring: like any
annual wildflower – needs good winter/spring rain
Summer: no water after flowering – needed for proper seed development
Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
Other: may reseed itself on bare soil; might want to save some seeds
http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=GNAMAC
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Garden uses for native
annual Everlastings
Make interesting, fragrant pot plants – in general do fine in containers
Look nice mixed with other native wildflowers, flowering perennials & grasses
Fall-dry areas of the yard – may be out-of-the-way places
In a ‘cut-flower’ garden or herb garden
Dry spots near the vegetable garden – attracts pollinators
http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=GNAMAC
http://www.paghat.com/cudweed.html
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Medicinal uses of native Everlastings
Teas & infusions of leaves
Gastrointestinal upsets Respiratory illness; colds As a gargle for sore throats
Poultice of crushed or heated/boiled leaves Externally, to relieve swelling Placed on cotton bandages and
then applied to wounds as a compress
Sometimes smoked or smudged for ceremonial purposes
Resinous exudates have
been shown indeed to have
antimicrobial or fungicidal
properties
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Southern Goldenrod – Solidago spectabilis var. confinis
http://www.jcsemple.uwaterloo.ca/goldenrod_figs.htm
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Southern Goldenrod – Solidago spectabilis var. confinis
Mostly a CA native goldenrod Mostly west of Sierras Also down into N. Baja
Usually found on wet streambanks, springs and marshes to 7500' in coastal sage scrub, chaparral and yellow pine forest
Locally, found near seeps and marshes
Still called Solidago confinis in Jepson’s Manual – and may be sold under this name
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?609,1838,1842
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The genus Solidago: the Goldenrods
~ 100 perennial species
Most grow in meadows, pastures, along roads & ditches in North America
Unfairly blamed for hay fever in late summer/fall - Ragweed (Ambrosia sp.), blooming at the same time but wind-pollinated, is the usual culprit.
Easily recognized by their golden flowering stalks with hundreds of small flowers.
Their alternate leaves are linear to lanceolate. Their margins are usually finely to sharply serrated.
CA Goldenrod - Solidago californica
Goldenrods have been used in British gardens for > 200 years
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the genus Solidago: the Goldenrods
Propagation by wind-disseminated seed or underground rhizomes (form patches that are vegetative clones of a single plant).
Goldenrod is a companion plant, playing host to beneficial insects, repelling some pests
Goldenrods are also important habitat plants for a wide range of native insects, butterflies, birds, etc.
CA Goldenrod - Solidago californica
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Little known fact: Goldenrod tires
Inventor Thomas Edison experimented with goldenrod to produce rubber, which it contains naturally.
His experiments produced a 12 foot tall plant that yielded as much as 12 percent rubber.
The tires on the Model T given to him by his friend Henry Ford were made from goldenrod.
Examples of the rubber can still be found in his laboratory, elastic and rot free after more than 50 years.
http://www.speedace.info/automotive_directory/car_images/ford_mod
el_t_henry.jpg
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In nature, always in
winter-wet areas
Suggests possible places for Southern Goldenrod in the home garden
http://www.jcsemple.uwaterloo.ca/goldenrod_figs.htm
http://www.basinandrangewatch.org/OasisHabitats.html
Mojave Desert
Central CA Coast
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Southern Goldenrod is an herbaceous perennial
Size: 2-3 ft tall
2+ ft wide, spreading
Growth form: Stout looking herbaceous
perennial
Fall/winter deciduous; dies back to basal rosette
Foliage: Leaves lance-shaped – mostly
basal
Leaves fleshy, bright to pale green
Roots: spreads via rhizomes
© 2003 Christopher L. Christie
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Probably our showiest
Goldenrod
Blooms: summer/fall - usually in July or Aug. to Oct. in western L.A. County
Flowers: Typical for Goldenrods;
showy flowering stalks above the leaves
Flower heads are small – but there are LOTS of them – spectacular
Among our better fall-bloomers
Seeds: small, ‘sunflower’ seeds with a bristle
© 2003 Christopher L. Christie
© Project SOUND
Propagating
Goldenrods is easy
From seed: Use fresh, dry seed (fall
collected) Plant in spring – when
weather warms up Just barely cover seeds
From divisions: Very easy In winter/early spring You can just spade up new
plantlets – with a section of root containing at least one plantlet - and repot
© 2006 Adonis (Don) Tate
© 2006 Adonis (Don) Tate http://www.jcsemple.uwaterloo.ca/goldenrod_figs.htm
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Goldenrods thrive in moist spots in the garden
Soils: Texture: any local – sandy to heavy
clay
pH: any local
Light: full sun to light shade
Water: Winter: fine with plenty of water –
takes winter flooding
Summer: needs some water for good blooming – Zone 2-3 or even 3 is fine
Fertilizer: none needed – but won’t kill it either.
Other: easy to grow with adequate water; just dig it up if it spreads too far
© 2003 Christopher L. Christie
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Use Goldenrods for habitat and fall color
Great in areas bordering the lawn – can take the extra water
Nice addition to the perennial bed
As an attractive container plant
Nice around ponds
A must for bird and butterfly gardens
Makes a nice cut flower
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/solidago-confinis
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Goldenrods (and others in the Sunflower
family) make great natural dyes
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/solidago-confinis
http://www.jennydean.co.uk/wordpress/?cat=15 http://www.fieryfelts.co.uk/index.php
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Why ‘sunflowers’
are such good food
Healthy unsaturated fats, protein and fiber
important nutrients like vitamin E, selenium, copper, zinc, folate, iron
Other phytochemicals
All of this in a neat little package – the sunflower seed.
© 2006 Adonis (Don) Tate
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Other good native Goldenrods
Solidago californica Euthamia (Solidago) occidentalis
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Other plants to attract ‘on the plant’ seed eaters
Encelias
Helianthus annuus
Heterotheca grandiflora
Cirsium occidentale
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Think about adding a birdbath
http://www.laspilitas.com/California_birds/Finches/Lesser_Goldfinch/Lesser_Goldfinch.html
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Seeds for ground-foraging birds
http://www.birdseek.com/bird/tag/mourning-dove/
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To attract Mourning Doves
Diet is typically 95% seeds or plant parts.
Eat a wide variety of seeds, waste grain, fruit, and insects.
They prefer seeds that rest on the ground. Occasionally they eat in trees and bushes when ground foods are scarce.
Favorites: native grasses & sedges, Croton species, Sourberry (Rhus trilobata), ‘Sunflowers’ & other wildflowers
Need bare ground for feeding
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Common Eucrypta – Eucrypta chrysanthemifolia var. chrysanthemifolia
http://www.timetotrack.com/jay/eucrypta.htm
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Common Eucrypta – Eucrypta chrysanthemifolia var. chrysanthemifolia
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4518,4538,4539,4541
Central & S. CA (CA Floristic Province) to AZ, NV and Baja
Common on burns and in shaded places like canyon bottoms to 3000', coastal sage scrub, chaparral, oak woodlands, disturbed areas
Dominant fire-follower
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The genus Eucrypta
Only two species, both native to U.S. Southwest.
Name Eucrypta means "well-hidden", which refers to the seeds being "hidden" in the small green bristled fruits.
Known generally as hideseeds.
Are annuals with sticky, aromatic green foliage. The leaves are strongly lobed and look somewhat like fern fronds. Some plants have very few leaves and are mostly stems bearing flowers and fruits.
These are among the first plants to spring up after an area has been cleared by fire.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Eucrypta_chrysanthemifolia
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Eucrypta in the wild
Why do wildflowers thrive after a wildfire?
A few annual wildflowers need heat/smoke to germinate well; this is more common with perennial species, trees, shrubs
More commonly, due to availability of resources: Sunlight
Winter/spring moisture
Nutrients
http://www.lasmmcnps.org/geoffburleigharchive/selection/44.jpg
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Common Eucrypta – pretty little annual
Size:
1-2 ft tall
1-2 ft wide
Growth form: Annual wildflower
Foliage: Pale green to yellow-green
Leaves look almost fern-like
Sticky, with characteristic scent
Often grows with other wildflowers and grasses
© 2004 Michelle Cloud-Hughes
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Flowers are little
Blooms: in spring - usually Mar-May, depending on winter rains
Flowers: Small and dainty looking
Bell-shaped with pale purple markings
Butterflies and bees attracted by nectar
Seeds: Two kinds; round & wrinkled –
different germination times
Both eaten by ground-feeding birds
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/commoneucrypta.html
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1423/1335818709_0f590ac2d2.jpg?v=0
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Eucrypta’s not demanding
Soils: Texture: any, from sandy to
clay
pH: any local
Light: Part-sun to shade
Perhaps more sun on coast
Water: Winter: need good rains for
germination and growth
Summer: treat as Zone 1 (no summer water) after it blooms
Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
http://www.catalinaconservancy.org/ecology/plants/species_detail.cfm?plants_id=99
Pretty easy to grow – like
many native S. CA wildflowers
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Garden uses for
Common Eucrypta
As an attractive pot plant
Under toyon or Elderberry
With common associates: Collinsia heterophylla, Eschscholzia californica, Eremocarpus setigerus, Lomatium utriculatum, Calandrinia ciliata, Solidago californica, Salvia columbariae, Uropappus lindleyi, Plantago erecta http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Eucrypta_chrysanthemifolia
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1259/1336701558_6786b2d742.jpg?v=0
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Dove Plant/Turkey Mullein – Croton setigerus
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Dove Plant/Turkey Mullein – Croton setigerus
A plant of the west:
Drier (eastern) parts of WA/OR to Baja
Much of CA, usually in ocean-influenced areas
< 2500 ft elevation common in coastal sage
scrub, valley grassland and oak woodland
A plant of disturbed places (natural or man-made):
Burned & flooded areas Roadsides, agricultural
lands
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-
bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?3618,3660,
3661
http://www.swsbm.com/Maps/Eremocar
pus_setigerus.gif
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Crotons are Euphorbias (Euphorbiaceae)
CA Croton (Croton californicus)
A sub-shrub of coastal areas
Dove Plant (Croton setigerus)
An annual wildflower CA Spurge - Euphorbia misera
Rattlesnake Plant - Chamaesyce
albomarginata
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Dove Plant is an interesting annual…
Size: < 1 ft tall
2-3 ft wide
Growth form: Herbaceous annual
Rather sprawly, mounded growth habit
Foliage: Leaves heart-shaped, rather
stiff-looking, pale green
Entire plant covered in prickly hairs – need to handle with care
Foliage toxic to animals – if crazy enough to eat it
Unique, sweet scent
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/doveweed.html
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Flowers are weird
Blooms in summer/fall: can range from May to Oct.
Flowers: in a word, ‘unique’ Separate male & female
flowers; male clustered above several female flowers
Male flowers rudimentary – no petals
Flowers small, yellow-green, very hairy
Very interesting looking, but not obviously showy
Fruit: a dry capsule containing 1 seed
© 2009 Neal Kramer
© Project SOUND
Two different seed
strategies
Two different seeds: Uniform gray; may be flatter;
produced later in season Mottled; may be larger, rounded
Two different strategies insure survival: Gray seeds germinate under drier
conditions; not eaten by birds due unpalatable taste of seed coat
Mottled seeds germinate under wetter conditions; loved by ground-feeding birds
Common names (Dove Plant; Turkey Mullein) from the affinity of Doves and Wild Turkeys for the seeds.
http://www.ransomseedlab.com/genus/e/eremocarpus_setigerus.htm
Steve Hurst @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
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Plant Requirements Soils:
Texture: likes well-drained soils
pH: any local, incl. alkali
Light: full sun
Water: Winter: like any annual; needs
good winter/spring water
Summer: Dry – Zone 1 or 1-2
Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
Other: will reseed on bare ground – can become weedy in areas with regular irrigation
http://www.coestatepark.com/eremocarpus_setigerus_coe.htm
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Dove Plant is habitat
As an interesting container plant
In dry, out-of-the way spots of the garden
In a habitat garden
With its natural associates: Baby Blue-eyes, Creamcups, Goldfields & others
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http://tiee.ecoed.net/vol/v5/practice/dalgleish/img/konza1-prairie-1600x1200.jpg
One of the main reasons that seed-eaters are
uncommon in urban areas is that there are no seeds
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The importance of wild places in the
garden
It was an old farm practice to plant zero-maintenance medicinal herbs like yarrows & cudweeds at property edges, to harvest for use in home remedies.
‘Wild’ places like that are also important for native creatures
We need to consider bringing some ‘wild’ into our gardens & neighborhoods
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Seed plants for ground-eating birds –
consider them for your ‘wild area’
Native grasses
Native sedges
Native Wildflowers – particularly those wth larger seeds
Any Buckwheat
Any Salvia
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White-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys
Usually nests near the ground in dense cover. In forest areas they will use a willow in a maintain meadow or a low conifer branch near the meadow. In coastal areas they use a shrub for nesting.
Likes brushy habitats. Happy with CSS plants, especially if you supply water for drinking
Eats mainly grass and forb seeds. They will also eat insects and spiders especially in the breading season as these provide more protein.
They feed on or near the ground in open areas near cover.
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*Munz’s Sage – Salvia munzii
J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
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*Munz’s Sage – Salvia munzii
A local endemic – SW San Diego County (western slopes of Otay Mountain) & N. Baja
Founding in lower chaparral/coastal sage scrub communities
Area is very dry
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4745,4865,4882
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Munz’s Sage is appropriate size for the garden
Size: 2-4 ft tall
2-4+ ft wide
Growth form: Woody shrub/sub-shrub
Relatively compact, rounded form
Looks delicate
Foliage: Rather similar to Black Sage
(Salvia mellifera) in looks, but scent is more like Cleveland Sage
Leaves medium green, narrow (wider with more water) & textured
Roots: fibrous
Dr. Dean Wm. Taylor, Jepson Herbarium
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/salvia-munzii
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Flowers: ‘Salvia’ says it all!
Blooms: Spring - usually Feb-Apr
in our area
May bloom again in summer with a little water
Flowers: Typical little Salvia flowers
in ball-like clusters along the flowering stems
Color usually light blue – may be somewhat lavender
Nice aroma !!
Good habitat – attract many pollinators
J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/munzssage.html
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Salvia seeds are small
but tasty!
A veritable feast of little seeds; birds will eat on the plant or on the ground
Songbirds, lizards and other forms of wildlife use it for cover.
http://www.hazmac.biz/090612/090612SalviaMunzii.html
http://www.robinssalvias.com/blue/htms/munzii.htm
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One of our easier
Salvias to grow
Soils: Texture: any local, from
sandy to clay – just water less in clays
pH: any local
Light: best in full sun, but can take a little shade
Water: One of our more tolerant S.
CA Salvias
In nature, endures hot dry summers – so good for dry gardens, tho’ will lose leaves
Probably looks best with occasional summer water – Zone 1-2, maybe even 2
Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
© 2006 Aaron Schusteff
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Munz’s sage is a
garden winner
One of the best Salvias for pots
Small size makes it appropriate for small yards
Nice for informal hedge or border
Excellent all-round habitat plant – nectar, seeds & cover value
Pair it with Coyote Bush, Sticky Monkeyflower, and native wildflowers & bulbs.
http://calown.com/nativegarden_plants.html
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-
california/plants/salvia-munzii
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Other native Salvias are also good habitat
Annual Salvias - Chia
Purple Sage
Black Sage
White Sage
© Project SOUND http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Gcg6zKY-sww/SAq5aM5qnrI/AAAAAAAACCo/rpFID7U43Zw/DSC01474.JPG
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Managing seed plants for wildlife – be patient…
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Food for all – not just humans…
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Don’t rake up all those leaves – they’re leaf mulch
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California Towhee, Pipilo crissalis
The California Towhee forages in the leaf litter by scratching, with both feet at once, in a fast hopping motion.
They feed on seeds and insects within the leaf litter or occasionally on berries or seeds in bushes.
The California Towhee likes dense cover and leaf litter. Leaf litter is good for many birds as well as most California native plants.
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Some birds use unique native seeds…
http://www.laspilitas.com/California_birds/Jays_and_magpies/scrub_jay/scrub_jay_in_your_garden.htm
Their favorite foods are acorns
and they also enjoy eating the
insects attracted by an oak
tree.
© Project SOUND
Western Scrub Jay - Aphelocoma californica
Scrub Jays are generalists - eat acorns, seeds, fruits and nuts – also insects & eggs.
They like to store acorns in the soil for short-term storage
An important dispersal agent of oaks – think of them as the ‘Johnny Appleseeds’ of oaks
http://www.avesphoto.com/WEBSITE/NA/species/JAYWSC-1.htm
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‘I have no room for a Oak Tree’
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/121/277961690_153fe58532_o.jpg
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Coastal Sage Scrub Oak – Quercus berberidifolia
J. E.(Jed) and Bonnie McClellan © California Academy of Sciences
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Coastal Sage Scrub Oak – Quercus berberidifolia
Coastal CA (mainly) including S. CA to Baja
Sandy soils near coast, coastal chaparral with a relatively open canopy cover, sand-stone, coastal sage scrub below 600‘
AKA ‘Nuttal’s Scrub Oak’
Some debate – is it really just Quercus dumosa (Scrub Oak) or a separate species
Interbreeds with other live oaks including Q. agrifolia
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4316,4326,4332
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In nature, Laguna Coast Wilderness
Preserve
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Scrub oaks are small live oaks
Size: usually 4-10 ft tall; can grow
to 20 ft.
usually 4-8 ft wide
Growth form: Woody shrub/small tree
Usually quite upright
Slow growing; long-lived (100+ years)
Foliage: Leaves dark green – evergreen
and somewhat holly-like
Similar to Coast Liveoak – but leaves may be smaller
Roots: deep taproot – resents moving; shallow feeder roots
http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Quercus+berberidifolia
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Flowers are, frankly,
oak-like
Blooms: in spring - usually Mar-May in our area
Flowers: Separate male & female
flowers on same plant
Male flowers on drooping catkins; female flowers produce the acorns
Not really showy – only an oak lover will notice them!
Seeds: acorns, of course; mature in a single year
© 2002 Charles E. Jones
© Project SOUND
Acorns are wonderful food…and scrub
oaks produce plenty in good years
You can eat acorns too – but it takes quite a bit of preparation
http://www.archives.gov/pacific/education/curricul
um/4th-grade/acorn-photographs.html
http://www.justingee.com/pictures/lg_making-acorn-bread-
1151349431.jpg
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Plant Requirements Soils: Texture: any well-drained
pH: any local
Light: Full sun to part-shade – in
nature may grow on north-facing slopes
Water: Winter: adequate water; no
flooding
Summer: little needed one established – Zone 1 or 1-2
Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
Other: an easy oak to grow
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/inlandscruboak.html
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Scrub oaks are good
for smaller areas
Excellent on dry slopes, for erosion control
Appropriate for parking strips
Can bonsai – or trim as a hedge/screen
Superb habitat plant Butterflies
Other insects
Wide range of birds
Provides food, perches, nesting sites (CA Towhee)
© 2002 Charles E. Jones
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3572/3642572283_1852921712.jpg?v=0
© Project SOUND
Scrub Jays are omnivores
Western Scrub jay is also very fond of Toyon berries
Nest in the dense foliage of a large bush or small tree, usually situated near water
http://research.pomona.edu/bfs/files/2009/06/scrub-jay_053109.jpg
© Project SOUND
* Tecate Cypress – Cupressus forbesii
Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
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* Tecate Cypress – Cupressus forbesii
http://www.conifers.org/cu/cup/forbesii.htm
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?157,160,166
In the Santa Ana Mountains (Orange County); Guatay Mountain and Otay Mountain (San Diego County); Mount Tecate on the U.S.-Mexican boundary. Also in northern Baja
Very rare – 15 U.S. populations; formerly more widespread – in La Brea tar from Pleistocene
Commonly on dry slopes, exposed hillsides, and ridgetops; also along streambanks and arroyos, at elevations from 1,500 to 5,000 feet
© Project SOUND
Tecate Cypress in Cuyumaca Mountains
http://www.conifers.org/cu/cup/forbesii.htm
© Project SOUND
Tecate Cypress is a well-mannered evergreen
Size: to 20+ ft tall; grows
quickly to 12 ft. then slows
6-8 ft wide
Growth form: Woody evergreen tree;
may be shrubby, many-branched with age
Bark lovely; peeling and nice colors
Long-lived (100’s of years)
Foliage: Pretty typical Cypress
Nice looking; neater than Italian Cypress
Roots: taproot and laterals
http://www.conifers.org/cu/cup/forbesii.htm
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/tecatecypress.html
© Project SOUND
Cones are distinctive
Flowers: Separate male & female
flowers
You probably won’t notice it blooming
Cones:
Male cones numerous; unusual looking – on small branches
Female cones are larger and attached to larger branches Start out green – gradually
become dry & hard
Take 2 years to mature; remain on tree for several years
http://www.conifers.org/cu/cup/forbesii.htm
http://www.conifers.org/cu/cup/forbesii.htm
© Project SOUND
Seeds not easily released
The cones of California cypress are closed; they usually persist on the tree until opened by the heat of a fire or from desiccation due to age.
Seeds are shed gradually over several months after the cones open. Seeds shed from detached cones rarely result in seedling establishment, usually due to lack of a suitable seedbed.
Seed dispersal is primarily by wind and rain
http://www.hazmac.biz/050214/050214CupressusForbesii.html
http://www.conifers.org/cu/cup/forbesii.htm
© Project SOUND
Plant Requirements Soils: Texture: best in coarse, well-
drained soils
pH: any local
Light: full sun
Water: Winter: rain usually adequate
Summer: none or very little after established; over watering can make susceptible to blow-down
Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
Other: Easy under proper conditions
© Project SOUND
Uses in the garden
Anywhere you might consider an Italian Cypress
Great on dry hillsides
Excellent as an evergreen hedge or screen
Impressive specimen plant
Is fire-prone; also some insect & fungal pests, but hardier than non-native species http://www.geographylists.com/tecate_cypress.jpg
© Project SOUND
Tecate Cypress as informal screen
http://www.laspilitas.com/garden/pictures/Cupressus_forbesii_tecate_cypress.jpg
© Project SOUND
If you want a really big cypress -
Monterey Cypress
http://www.geographylists.com/monterey_cypress.jpg
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Things you can do to attract more birds
A greater variety of plants will attract a greater diversity of birds, so include a mixture of taller and shorter trees, shrubs, native flowers, and grasses.
Diversify the height, leaf type, and food (fruits, berries, and nuts) provided by the plants in your garden.
Plant shrubs and trees that provide berries well into the winter to attract fruit-eating birds such as waxwings.
© Project SOUND
Things you can do to attract more birds
Plant in groupings to give the edge effect so attractive to birds.
By planting native wildflowers you attract insects which feed insect-eating birds and the young of many seed eaters.
Allowing flowers such as sunflowers, goldenrod, thistles, or daisies to go to seed will attract finches, juncos, sparrows, and other seed-eating birds.
© Project SOUND
Things you can do to attract more birds
Provide clean, safe water
Provide a dusting spot for birds by leaving bare a circle of sandy soil about 20 inches (50 cm) across in a sunny corner of your yard. This will allow birds to clean their feathers and get rid of parasites.
You can supplement your natural food sources by adding some feeders
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Let’s go see some good bird habitat