The Wild Gardens - A presentation by Ann Baker and Sherrie Smith–Ferri introducing the new Pomo native plant garden project at the Grace Hudson Museum

Our speakers for our November 3 meeting are Sherrie Smith-Ferri and Ann Baker presenting the Grace Hudson Museum Nature Education Project currently under construction called The Wild Gardens. The project is reconfiguring the existing Museum campus into a series of native plant gardens, with exhibits and artworks aimed at teaching visitors about the local environment and how Pomo Indian people managed the landscape and used many of these native species. In addition, the project will model how to integrate modern environmental values and sustainable technologies in today’s residential landscapes. This type of project has been a long held vision of Smith-Ferri as director of the museum becoming possible through a $3 million Proposition 84 grant from the State of California for Nature Education Facilities. Ann Baker is the project’s landscape architect and works closely with Sherrie Smith-Ferri, Director of the Grace Hudson Museum in the project design and selection of plants.

NOTE: This is a free event open to the public, though, of course, donations are greatly appreciated. The Sanhedrin CNPS board meetings and most public presentations will be held on the first Thursday of the month in the upcoming year. Check the website for details. http://sanhedrin.cnps.org

Other Events October 6 - Sanhedrin Chapter Board Meeting 6:30 PM at the Ukiah Garden Club, 1203 West Clay Street, Ukiah

October 7th & 8th - Mendocino College Fall Plant Sale: from 9am – 5pm on Friday, and 9 am – 3pm on Saturday. This is the 18th annual Fall plant sale at Mendocino College. This sale will offer at least 80 different California native plant species and cultivars. Come to the sale pick up some plants and check out our own CNPS chapter’s table with books and posters for sale and information for the asking.

Coming in November. Ditch Your Lawn. Residential Landscaping for Homeowners. http://sanhedrin.cnps.org

Fieldtrips

October 22 – Geology – Oak Walk in Low Gap Park. This easy walk will explore the plant and habitat diversity found in the park against the geologic setting. The half-dozen or more oak species along with other hardwood trees and broadleaf plants produce fall colors which are good indicators of different geologic types such as the Melange formation and the less broken Graywacke units with specific plant species preferring one over the other. Chuck will have examples of most major rock types in the area, in addition to the only petrified wood found in the county; and its geological significance. Meet at the picnic area next to the tennis courts – 10am to 1pm. Bring water, and if you want to stay past noon, bring a snack or lunch. For more information call Chuck at 462-8984 or Kerry at 489-1500.

California Native Plant Society - Sanhedrin Chapter October 2016 Newsletter

After the Valley Fire: Renewal in Big Canyon Creek by Kerry Heise On April 17, 2016 a couple dozen plant enthusiasts met up in Middletown to spend the day walking through an area that was completely burned over in the 2015 Valley Fire. Once gathered we headed north out of town following Putah Creek which passed through flat pastureland occasionally dotted with hilly mounds of chaparral, mixed scrubby woodland, and serpentine barren. A misnomer, the serpentine areas were not really barren at all, some were covered in brilliant white patches of evening snow (Linanthus dichotomus subsp. meridianus).

As we approached Big Creek Canyon it was evident that barely six months after the fire, natural recovery was in full progress across the landscape. Typical of areas that have been cleared of all vegetation either by fire or flood a diverse flush of species often follows. We quickly logged a cornucopia of annual forbs and herbaceous perennials both native and exotic. More common species included silver European hairgrass (Aira caryophyllea), small-flowered fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii), wild oat (Avena fatua), ripgut brome (Bromus diandrus), soft chess (B. hordeaceus), red brome (B. madritensis subsp. rubens), valley tassels (Castilleja attenuata), woodland star (Lithophragma affine), bur clover (Medicago polymorpha), baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii), rose clover (Trifolium hirtum), and small-headed clover (T. microcephalum).

We hopped across the boulder-strewn creek which was thickly lined with regenerating Fremont’s cottonwood (Populus fremontii), white alder (Alnus rhombifolia), red willow (Salix laevigata) and arroyo willow (S. lasiolepis) and slowly climbed the steep south and west facing slopes beyond. Apparently the slopes before the fire were covered in a mosaic of serpentine barren, grassland, chamise/oak chaparral, and open blue oak/foothill pine/manzanita woodland. Oaks, toyon, buckeye, and chamise showed signs of regeneration, some sprouting from the base, others with new shoots and leaves sprouting from epicormic buds. None of the manzanitas showed signs of life, perhaps a follow up visit would prove otherwise. We strolled through an ever-changing landscape shaped by fuel size. In the grasslands and serpentine barrens recovery following fire was immediate, the land full of new plant life. We saw patches of native serpentine grassland, dense with big squirreltail grass (Elymus multisetus), California melic (Melica californica), purple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra), and small fescue (Festuca microstachys), growing among a diverse suite of native annual forbs and herbaceous perennials. Then, in stark contrast, we would happen upon a sullen bed of ashes and charcoaled fallen branches where an old growth manzanita once stood.

Moving in scattered groups we continued uphill passing through a tangle of rocks reddened like kiln-fired pottery which had fallen from outcrops of meta-basalt far above. The plants were unusually robust here and we supposed this was the result of fire enriching the soil and releasing these species from competition. Diogenes lantern (Calochortus amabilis), Ithuriel's spear (Triteleia laxa), and Wrangel’s lotus (Acmispon wrangelianus) made a magnificent showing here, bejeweling this natural rock garden. This was the finale we thought driving down the canyon at the end of the day, then the crazy pearly white evening snow (Linanthus dichotomus subsp. meridianus) we had seen earlier again caught our attention. Upon closer inspection a community of serpentine loving plants such as Minuartia californica, gold fields (Lasthenia californica), Brewer’s calandrinia (Calandrinia breweri), sickle-leaf onion (Allium falcifolium), California plantain (Plantago erecta), and many more came into view.

Walking through this burned landscape and seeing the process of natural regeneration and recovery was a demonstration of the resiliency of the California flora and its ability to thrive and persist in a Mediterranean climate; one shaped by drought, flood, and fire. Thanks to Tom Moran for graciously hosting the Sanhedrin Chapter, John Nickerson for help organizing the trip and his knowledge of pre-fire forest composition, and Ed Dearing who shared his vast knowledge of the Lake County flora. A plant list from the Big Canyon Creek fieldtrip is available on the Sanhedrin Chapter website: http://sanhedrin.cnps.org

Photos from Big Canyon Creek fieldtrip, April 17, 2016

Snow Mt. Trip? What Snow Mt. Trip? by Don Rowe Despite a profusion of confusion resulting from scheduling conflicts, road closures, and ambiguous information leading to cancellation of the official CNPS Snow Mt. trip, I had July 9-11 scheduled for camping. I gathered plant lists and information from various sources. I also took several maps of Mendocino National Forest and Snow Mt. as they don’t always agree on every road. Creek crossings, slides and erosion made most of the roads around Snow Mt. unsuitable for low-clearance vehicles. Based on the conditions I observed, I recommend at least 8 inches of clearance, and of course remember that road conditions and creek levels change. I didn’t keep a written plant list during the trip and most of the plants I mention below were either known to me or identified from my pictures with help from friends after I got back. After loading up my four-wheel-drive truck, I ventured into new (to me) territory heading north from Upper Lake, then M10 east toward Letts Lake. Along the way the manzanitas (Arctostaphylos) had some beautiful, strikingly red, new growth. The developed campground at Letts Lake was filled with happy families swimming and fishing in the lake. I don’t know about road conditions coming from the east, but judging by the many low-clearance passenger cars at the campground, they probably arrived via M10 from the east. After perusing the crowds, I decided not to stay there, but enjoyed the trail around the lake with a few corn lilies (Veratrum californicum) blooming and a nice assortment of dragonflies.

Lily Pond, just before Letts Lake on 17N02 was actually more puddles and squishy spots than pond, but was still quite interesting. There were more dragonflies, and blooming plants included California pink (Silene laciniata subsp. californica) and American corn mint (Mentha canadensis). Next destination was St John Mt. At 6,749 feet high it’s not quite as high as Snow Mt (7,055 feet) but some maps show a road to the top. I decided to see for myself. Road 18N06 (high clearance vehicles only) does go to the top, but the last half-mile gets steeper and more rugged, and was the only section where I used four-wheel-drive. I

suspect that officially 18N06 ends before the top with the last section being service road to the transmitters at the top with spectacular views in all directions. The lower part of 18N02 is chaparral, predominantly chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) and yerba santa (Eriodictyon californicum) with some birchleaf mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides), manzanita (Arctostaphylos) and scrub oak (Quercus berberidifolia). The remains of the chamise blooms were a beautiful golden-brown and the mountain mahogany fluff was at its peak.

Lily Pond

Unusual form of California pink

(Silene laciniata subsp. californica)

Stony Creek waterfall

Some of the Scrub oaks were entwined with Virgins bower (Clematis sp.) and many prickly poppies (Argemone munita) bloomed along the road. Toward the top the chaparral gave way to pines, with blooming naked buckwheat (Eriogonum nudum), Lobb’s buckwheat (Eriogonum lobbii), Monardella, Torrey’s cryptantha (Cryptantha torreyana), gooseberry (Ribes), Serpentine phacelia (Phacelia corymbosa), snow mountain beardtongue (Penstemon purpusii) and Cycladenia humilis among others. There are several open, reasonably level areas along the road suitable for camping including a large area about a half-mile from the top which could be reachable by most high-clearance vehicles. The next day, I continued my circumnavigation of Snow Mt. along 18N03, 18N02, and M3 (all high-clearance vehicles only) to West Crockett Trailhead which goes up Snow Mt from the north. The trail from Crockett to the top of Snow Mt. is several miles longer than the originally discussed trail from the south which was closed by a landslide. I never made it to the top as I spent the better part of a day (with frequent stops) just getting to the waterfall and back. The waterfall is a worthy destination in itself, and although there’s no trail along the creek downstream from the waterfall, it’s worth exploring to see the blooming scarlet monkeyflowers (Mimulus cardinalis) and seep monkeyflowers (Mimulus guttatus).

The trail to the waterfall along Stony Creek had abundant flowers including diamond clarkia (Clarkia rhomboidea), tiger lilies (Lilium pardalinum), western wallflower (Erysimum capitatum), yampah (Perideridia), white- veined wintergreen (Pyrola Picta), harebell (Asyneuma prenanthoide), pine drops (Pterospora andromedea), Sedum sp., and prince's pine (Chimaphila). The biggest curiosities of the trip were several de-laciniated Silene laciniata (hybrids, rebellious teenagers, chem-trail mutants?) happily living among their frilly siblings. Perhaps those more knowledgeable can offer some insight into this variant. The free Crockett campground is a circular, open area with one table, room for several vehicles and tents, and an outhouse at the trailhead. The next day, I completed the loop along M3 back to M10, and

home. I’d wanted to explore this area for some time and would happily revisit any of these places. Maybe next time, I’ll make it to the top of Snow Mountain.

Scarlet Monkey flower – A Magnificent Wild Red by Cathy Monroe As I walk around in the woods, I often find my eyes drawn to the wild reds. Now as fall approaches, the ruby translucent berries of the usually inconspicuous honeysuckle stand out, with a few of the rusty crimson poison oak leaves that have not yet dropped. Spring brings us Indian warrior, scarlet larkspur, columbine, Indian pink, and firecracker flowers and with winter we get the reds of madrone and toyon berries. These I can usually seek out and find in season, but it was such a surprise when I first encountered scarlet monkey flower one summer. There in the blistering heat of a dry creek gravel bar, was this green leafy plant with large brilliant, tubular red flowers. It seemed like magic that such a plant could be thriving among the dry cobbles that had been covered with rushing water only a few months before. Even as I have learned more about them, it seems amazing that they can plant themselves under such conditions, finding the water beneath the surface. The secret seems to be in how eager they are to grow. Scarlet monkey flower (Mimulus cardinalis) was first scientifically reported and named by the renowned plant explorer, David Douglas,when he visited Northern California in 1831. Along with specimens and seeds, he sent a letter to Hooker, his botanist mentor in England, describing it as “magnificent”. To the delight of English botanists they found that the tiny seeds readily germinated into vigorous plants well suited for the garden. By 1837 beautiful colored plates of artists’ renderings were published in many of the leading botanical journals of Europe. See them here with a more extensive history: http://www.ventanawild.org/news/fall10/pdf/mimulus_cardinalis.pdf Once in the figwort family (Scrophulariaceae), Mimulus is now placed in the Lopseed family (Phrymaceae). Native to the western region of North America, as are most Mimulus, scarlet monkey flower can be found in a variety of biomes and soils under 8,000’ elevation from Oregon to Baja California as long as it finds moisture. I have seen it growing happily by a shady stream in the redwoods and out on an open serpentine seep in the

Mayacamas. It is a perennial with evergreen foliage, growing erect or sprawling out a few feet. The slightly notched leaves are covered with downy hairs and unappealing to deer. The plant is not toxic. Tender stalks were eaten raw by the Kawaiisu Indians of Tehachapi. Its 2 inch long tubular flowers grow singly in axils of the leaves. The scarlet flowers have an upper lip that is bent forward with the pistil and pollen packed stamens extending beyond while the lower lip bends backward. This is an attractive and effective design for the pollinating hummingbirds visiting this rich nectar source. Besides feeding hummingbirds, it serves as a larval food for buckeye butterflies.

The Sanhedrin Chapter of the California Native Plant Society opposes Measure AF for the following reasons:

Measure AF, The Mendocino Heritage Initiative, does not allow for public input and modifications. Agricultural practice and habitat conservation are complex issues. We instead support the County ordinance which provides a public comment and review process.

Measure AF bypasses CEQA and other environmental review processes, which are designed to protect our environmental heritage from misuse. The initiative is of serious concern to those of us working toward native plant conservation, since habitat conversion leads to habitat loss, fragmentation, and unmitigated loss of rare, threatened and endangered plants and animals.

Mimulus cardinalis and M. lewisii, whose seeds were also first collected and sent back to England by Douglas, have been studied as models of evolutionary adaptation. Designed to attract different pollinators, they avoid hybridization where their ranges may overlap. M. lewisii has a spreading corolla that provides a perfect landing pad for bees while M.cardinalis is all about hummingbirds. When first introduced, some of the English botanists, including Hooker, raved about M.cardinalis but felt “it is somewhat diminished by the reflexed position of the scarlet lobes of the corolla.” One journal even went so far as to present a color plate showing the species with the preferred spreading corolla lobes, an example of the limitations of botany out of context. I doubt if any had ever seen a hummingbird in action to marvel at the function and beauty of the flower's design.

Finding this monkey flower only occasionally and haphazardly, I was pleased to locate a whole bank of it last year along the Russian River and gathered some seed. I hoped for the best as I planted the tiny dust like seeds, not knowing their cooperative nature, and was rewarded with numerous tiny seedlings which grew readily into flowering plants blooming for weeks this summer. CNPS Calscape lists this as a very easy care plant with moderate water needs. It requires no care except watering though some deadheading will prolong the flowering. It can spread with rhizomes in water and can be started with cuttings as well as seeds. Seeds and plants are readily available in the commercial trade. It is a happy and handsome garden or potted plant – the complementary colors of green and red intensifying the effect. I recommend you bring this magnificent wild red into your garden. Nursery: http://www.calfloranursery.com/plants/mimulus-cardinalis

Calscape: http://calscape.org/Mimulus-cardinalis-(Scarlet-Monkeyflower)?srchcr=sc57dcb4ba443bf

Jepson eFlora: http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=33575

Mendocino County Ballot Measure

What’s Growing at the Ukiah Rail Trail? by Andrea Davis Several of us at Sanhedrin CNPS eyed the open space along the Rail Trail and imagined how it would look if it were landscaped with native plants. We met with the City of Ukiah engineers to discuss our ideas. City staff was supportive of our plan to plant local native plants to create a corridor that will foster pollinators, birds and other small fauna.

On January 30th members of the Sanhedrin chapter of CNPS collaborated with the Ukiah Valley Trail Group to begin a landscaping project along the Rail Trail. 30 enthusiastic volunteers showed up to work, a little surprising since it rained up until just before the work started. Volunteers moved 10 yards of compost and at least 30 yards of mulch. We made 25 wire cages to protect acorn plantings from future mowings. The cages were primarily planted with Valley Oak acorns that came from trees along the trail or nearby. Native wildflower seeds, yarrow plants and brodiaea bulbs were planted, primarily at the Norton Street entrance to the trail. Steve Prochter and Keith Leland spent hours mowing and weed eating. A few weeks later, a smaller team of 8 volunteers planted 400 purple needle grass seedlings just before a series of rain storms.

Charlene Holbrook and Janet McLeod adopted the Rail Trail as their capstone project for California Naturalist certification. They organized volunteers to supply 3 gallons of water per week to each caged oak seedling throughout the summer.

Our goal is to increase the native plantings every year. There are a few natives that are remnant or were previously planted along the corridor: California poppies, lupine, Spanish clover, valley oaks and alkali mallow. Much of the open areas is covered with invasive yellow star thistle, anise and daucus. We are concentrating on the north end of the trail and working south. We plan to have educational signage and nature-themed art along the way. The signage will include information about pollinators, monarch stations, the importance of including native plants in landscaping, drought tolerant landscaping and rain water collection. The City of Ukiah will receive funding to extend the trail from Gobbi Street to Commerce. They are applying for grant funding to extend the trail north.

The gardens look dry and weedy right now, but check out the photos from last spring. When the rains start, the flowers will return.

Here’s how you can help: 1. We need plants propagated. Plants on the wish list include Toyon, Redbud, Madrone, Sticky Monkey

Flower, Milkweed, Iris, and Ceanothus. If you have other great native plants, we are interested. We can use local annual wildflower seeds. We are using plants with very low water needs.

2. Be a plant buddy. The plants will have a better chance of success with a little summer water and some weeding. We can hook you up with a plant friend or two.

3. Donate to the project. We hope to build a rainwater collection system but will need to buy the supplies. The soil along the rail trail is severely compacted and the plants will do better if we can purchase more soil amendments.

4. Volunteer at our next work party. If you are unable to dig, we can always use helpers to support the volunteers by feeding and watering them.

If you would like to help, please contact Andrea Davis 272-8831, tworns@pacific.net or Cathy Monroe 485-8249, cathy.monroe@gmail.com.. Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers and our work day sponsors: Ukiah Valley Medical Center, Hawkes Construction, Pacific Redwood Medical Group, Mendocino College Agriculture Department, Chuck Williams, John Chan Plumbing and Big Daddy Nursery Supply. Thank you to Jarrod Meyer and Cole Gowan from the City of Ukiah for providing mulch and muscle. Thank you to California Naturalists Charlene Holbrook and Janet McLeod.

The Ukiah Rail Trail

All the hard work paid off!

Left: Before planting.

Below: After planting last spring.

Mendocino College Native Plants for Fall 2016

This sale will offer at least 80 different California native plant species and cultivars. Come to the sale pick up some plants and check out our own CNPS chapter’s table with books and posters for sale and information for the asking.

Arbutus menziesii Madrone Acer circinatum Vine Maple Acer macrophyllum Big Leaf Maple Acer negundo Calif. Boxelder Achillea milefolium Common yarrow Aesculus californica Ca buckeye Arctostaphylos canescens Hoary manzanita Arctostaphylos insularis ‘Canyon Sparkles’ Arctostaphylos ‘Emerald Carpet’ Arctostaphylos densiflora ‘Howard McMinn’ Arctostaphylos ‘Lester Rowntree’ Arctostaphylos manzanita Common Manzanita Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Woods Red’ Baccharis pilularis Coyote brush Bouteloua gracilis Eyelash grass Carex pansa Dune sedge Carex barbarae Santa Barbara sedge Ceanothus cuneatus Buck brush Ceanothus foliosus Wavyleaf ceanothus Cercis occidentalis Redbud Cerocarpus betuloides Mountain Mahogany Chilopsis linearis Desert willow Cornus stolonifera Red Twig dogwood Cornus stolonifera ‘Flaviramea’-Yellow Twig dogwood Ephedera viridis Morman Tea Epilobium californicum ‘Select Mattole’ Ca fuschia Epilobium californicum ‘Chaparral Silver’ Ca fuschia Epilobium californicum ‘Calistoga’ Ca fuschia Epilobium californicum ’Evert’s choice’ Ca fuschia Eriogonum fasiculatum California buckwheat Eriogonum giganteum ‘Saint Catherine’s Lace’ buckwheat Eriogonum rubescens Red buckwheat Festuca californica California fescue Frangula californica ‘Mound San Bruno’ Ca coffeeberry Frangula californica ‘Eve Case’ Ca coffeeberry Frangula tomentosa Hoary coffeeberry Fraxinus latifolia Oregon ash Fremontodendron californica Flannel bush ‘Pacific Sunset” Garrya fremontii Fremont silk tassel Garrya elliptica Coast silk tassel Helenium puberulum Rosilla Heteromeles arbutifolia Toyon Hesperocyparis macnabiana MacNab cypress

Hesperocyparis pygmaea Mendocino cypress Hesperocyparis sargentii Sargent cypress Hesperoyucca whipplea Foothill Yucca Isomeris aborea Tree bladderpod Lavatera assurgentiflora Channel Is. lavatera Lepechinia calycina Pitcher sage Lithocarpus densiflorus Tan oak Lonicera hispidula Pink honeysuckle Mimulus cardinalis Scarlet monkey flower Stipa pulchra Purple needle grass Penstemon heterophyllus Foothill penstemon Phacelia californica Philadelphus lewisii Dbl blossom mock orange Pinus coulteri Big cone pine Pinus torreyana Torrey pine Polystichum munitum Western sword fern Prunus ilicifolia Holly leaf cherry Prunus virginiana Choke cherry Phyla nodiflora Lippia Quercus douglasii Blue oak Quercus kelloggii Black oak Quercus lobata Valley oak Quercus wislizenii Interior Live oak Ribes sanguineum Pink flowering currant Ribes viburnifolium Evergreen currant Rosa californica Ca wild rose Salvia clevelandii Fragrant sage Salvia spathacea Hummingbird sage Salvia sonomensis Creeping sage Salvia leucophylla ’Point Sal’ Scrophularia californica Ca. bee plant Solanum xanti Chaparral nightshade Spiraea douglasii Douglas’ spirea Styrax occidentalis Snowdrop Sisyrinchium californicum Yellow-eyed grass Symphoricarpos albus Common snowberry Vaccinium ovatum Evergreen huckleberry Woodwardia fimbriata Giant chain fern

Ookow on left (Dichelostemma congestum) and

firecracker flower (D. ida-maia) on right.

Photo by C. Monroe