December 2009 r The Bay Leaf California Native Plant Society • East Bay Chapter Alameda & Contra Costa Counties www.ebcnps.org J Don't forget to contribute to the Conservation Analyst Fund in Time for a 2009 Tax Deduction We have collected just under 2/3 of our $30,000 goal for the EBCNPS Conservation Ana- lyst Fund. Remember that contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Contributions made by 12/31/ 09 can be deducted on your 2009 return. Lech Naumovich, our Conservation Analyst, has done invaluable work over the past years monitoring conservation issues and working with interested parties to further our conservation goals. Because he is paid, he can attend meetings during business hours when our volunteers are not always available. If you have not already done so, please contribute so Lech can continue with this work. Laura Baker PUMICE GRAPE FERN REDISCOVERED IN CALIFORNIA On July 13th this year, Mellon Colberg, Eric White and others found three plants of pumice grape fern (Botrychium pumicola) on Shastina, the 12,000 foot peak that forms the northwest flank of Mount Shasta. The plants were near tree-line at the place where William Bridge Cooke back in 1941 made the only other Californian find of this rare fern. This is an exciting re-discovery for fern enthusiasts, and I was fortunate to see the plants myself on August 4th. In last year's October Bay Leaf, I described how a group of us had traveled from Berkeley to search for this plant in an area near Diller Canyon on Shastina in August 2008. We were joined then by Eric White, who had previously searched the same area himself. We were not successful last year, but all of us were convinced that the remote, little explored area was large enough that this small fern was probably still there somewhere. So, given that 2009 had more snow on the Mountain than the very dry 2008, we planned another ex- pedition with Eric and others, hoping that extra people and extra moisture would improve our chances of success. Noted Botrychium expert Don Farrar, from the Iowa State University, traveled west to join us, and to visit well-known populations of this fern at Crater Lake and elsewhere in Oregon. Eric also led a smaller group of botanists up Diller Canyon to assess the site on July 13th, and after a long search, forest service bota- nist Mellon Colberg spotted three small plants of B. pumicola shortly before the group was due to head back down. Their exciting find meant that the larger group, including Don and me, got taken right to the plants by Mellon, Eric and others after the long up-hill hike on August 4th. Our whole group found just four more plants, very close to the initial find, but we are hopeful that many more plants may emerge from underground after one or two truly wet years. It was thrilling to see and photograph these plants, my first encounter with a famous fern that I had heard about for many years. Later, Don and I traveled to Oregon and saw other populations of B. pumicola with larger and more numerous plants at the type locality near Crater Lake and elsewhere. Having got a feel for the unusual barren, rocky microhabitat for this fern, I hope we can find further populations of it in California. Botrychium is a remarkable genus with a complex biology, known in Califor- nia mostly as rare plants on mountains away from the coast. Despite this rarity, there have been several other recent new Botrychium finds here, and no other fern genus has so many species native to California. John Game See photos on page 2. Botrychium pumicola on Broken Top Mountain, Oregon. Photo Botrychium pumicola on Shastina. Photo by John Game by John Game Lunch at 9,000 feet on Shastina. Photo by John Game 2 THE BAY LEAF December 2009 RESTORATION Planting at Pt. Isabel Twenty volunteers showed up on November 7 to continue removing invasives at Pt. Isabel and to participate in the team's very first planting of California native plants at the site. As usual, we were supported by the fantastic staff of the EBRPD who brought us all the tools and wheelbarrows that we needed. Kudos to Kevin Takei and Bruce Adams for their unfailing and ever cheerful assistance in these efforts. Volunteers included Girl Scouts from Troop 30771 of San Ra- mon (led by Victoria Szabo) who are working towards their silver badges. The Scouts tackled the fennel while the adults removed two more large infestations of ice plant and yanked and stacked up piles of radish full of seed pods. The planting was done in honor of Corey Largman, our amaz- ing volunteer who died in a recent accident in the Sierras. In Corey's favorite work spot, we planted three Heteromeles arbutifolia, two Scrophularia califomica, and an Oenothera hook- eri. Further along the trail, we added more toyon, evening primrose, and a Juncus patens donated during the work party by Janet Gawthrop. Janet also brought us Mimulus aurantiacus seeds from her potted plant and Wyethia helenioides seeds collected by Friends of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden FIELD TRIP Field trip to Huddart County Park to see Fetid Adder's Tongue Date: Sunday, January 3, 2010 Time: 2:00 pm Location: Huddart County Park, 1100 Kings Mountain Road, Woodside (San Mateo County) California. Meet in the parking lot just past the pay station. Leader: David Margolies (510-654-0283, 510-393-1858 (cell) divaricatum@gmail.net) Walk description: We will hike on the Crystal Springs Trail where Scoliopus bigelovii (fetid adder's tongue, Liliaceae) blooms in early January. (In most locations outside botanicael gardens, it blooms in late January or early February.) This is a gentle trail, losing about 200 feet over about 1/2 mile to the creek. We will walk to the creek and then return the same way. It is unlikely that there will be any other flowers out this early, but the fetid adder's tongue's presence which we will sow at the next event. After a long time of filling 40-ft dumpsters with broom and other invasives that we've removed, it is thrilling to start putting back some of the plants we've propagated from on-site collected seed as well as plants that were grown by others from seed collected close to the site. We are also happy to report that there is barely any broom re- sprouting along the entire stretch of trail from Central Avenue to beyond the dog park. If you recall, you couldn't see the marsh along that section of the trail due to the density of the broom growing there. We are heartened by the fact that we have been able to eliminate the broom by hand, demonstrat- ing that it is possible to do so without using environmentally harmful herbicides such as Roundup®, which is often touted as the only way to permanently remove invasive plants. Tom and Jane Kelly Editor's note: The opinions expressed in the last sentence of this article are those of the authors, and do not represent the position of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) or of the East Bay Chapter of CNPS. tells us that the new flower season has started. (Other plants out of flower will also be identified.) The area is second growth redwood and mixed evergreen forest. How to get there: Go to Woodside: cross the Bay Bridge, get on 1-280 south and take it to the 84 west/ Woodside Road exit. Go west through the town of Woodside. Soon after the main part of the town, take a right onto Kings Mountain Road. The park entrance is on the right after a few miles. Go past the pay station into the main parking lot. We will meet there. Note that you must pay the parking fee even if the station is not staffed (use the envelopes provided). Note: There is poison oak in the park. Poison oak is dangerous even when it has no leaves. Stay on the trail. It will probably be muddy and may be raining. Be prepared. The walk will take place rain or shine. David Margolies Shakspeare, Homer, Dante, Chaucer, saw the splendor of meaning that plays over the visible world; knew that a tree had another use than for apples, and com another than for meal, and the ball of the earth, than for tillage and roads: that these things bore a second and finer harvest to the mind, being emblems of its thoughts, and conveying in all their natural history a certain mute commentary on human life. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Shakspeare; or, the Poet THE BAY LEAF December 2009 3 California Native Plant Society October 30, 2009 Available Now California Mosses, by Bill and Nancy Malcolm, Jim Shevock, and Dan Norris 430 pages 6 x 8.75 inches. Hardcover Micro-Optics Press, Nelson, New Zealand, 2009 ISBN 978-0-9582224-5-2 Price $68.00 California has one of the most species rich moss floras in North America. During the last 50 years alone the checklist of California mosses has nearly doubled, yet the moss flora is seldom studied by botanists. The California Native Plant Society is proud to offer this color photographic guide as a portal into this truly remarkable group of plants. Designed to encourage both amateur and professional botanists to take up an interest in California's mosses, this guide contains over 2,200 color photographs and 1,100 black and white drawings illustrating all but five of the state's 600+ moss species. Instead of relying on traditional "dichotomous keys" for species identification, this guide is organized by leaf shape and diagnostic traits so species are identified by pictures. Nearly half of the mosses currently documented for the state are presented with a color plate incorporating each of the 176 moss genera occurring in California. Of these genera, 79 are represented in California by a single species easily identified by use of this guide. For larger genera, several additional species plates are added to provide insights into the diversity of that group. Each full colored species plate also contains a text template containing information about the form, habitat, distribution, descriptive cellular features, and comments useful about each species to confirm identification. This indispensable guide not only incorporates the common species likely to be encountered in the field but also includes Pacific Coast endemics and species of conservation concern. Bill and Nancy Malcolm are experienced botanists, photomicrographers, and bryophyte enthusiasts living in New Zealand. Bill trained as a physiological ecologist (Ph.D., Michigan State) and Nancy as a ceramist (M.A., Douglass-Rutgers). They are the authors and photographers of the glossary Mosses and Other Bryophytes, and are currently working on a color atlas of Tasmanian mosses. Jim Shevock is a botanist/ecologist who has spent more than 30 years in public service working for the USDA Forest Service and the National Park Service. He is currently a research associate with the Department of Botany, California Academy of Sciences and the University Herbarium, UC Berkeley. Initially a vascular plant taxonomist and authority of the flora of the southern Sierra Nevada, Jim migrated to the study of bryophytes in the late 1990s and has collaborated with Dan Norris on the California moss catalog and keys. Dan Norris, PhD taught bryology for 24 years at Humboldt State University until his retirement in 1991 and is currently a research botanist at the University of California, Berkeley. His bryophyte collections number over 1 10,000 specimens and have been the basis for numerous publications as well as forming the nucleus of the bryophyte holdings at the University Herbarium, UC Berkeley. Related title also available now: Mosses and Other Bryophytes , By Bill and Nancy Malcolm 336 pages 6 x 8.75 inches. Hardcover Micro-Optics Press, Nelson, New Zealand, 2006 ISBN 978-0-9582224-7-9 Price $68.00 Available for the first time in the Northern Hemisphere from the California Native Plant Society, Mosses and Other Bryophytes is an illustrated glossary of terms that are used to describe mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Written in informal prose, it is intended to be an everyday reference for bryology and botany students, gardeners, and anyone who's interested in plants. The second edition has over 50% more pages and illustrations than the previous edition, illustrating a total of more than 530 species of bryophytes. An appendix explains how to photograph bryophytes without a camera. California Mosses and Mosses and Other Bryophytes are available directly from the California Native Plant Society Sales Department at (916)-447-2677 x. 204 or on the web from www.cnps.org. 4 THE BAY LEAF December 2009 NATIVE HERE Wouldn't a locally native plant make a terrific holiday pres- ent for a family member, a friend or yourself? Check the plant list on line, but we are busily potting up new plants, and things like Chlorogalum, Delphinium, and Lomatium are breaking dormancy and becoming available. Treat yourself to a visit to the nursery to find surprises that haven't made their way onto the list yet. The CD featuring over 300 local native plants is another great gift ($25). Metal plant labels with special markers help interpret your native garden. The price of the Vegetation Management Almanac for the East Bay Hills has been reduced to $20. Other books on native plants and native plant horticulture are also available. When you shop at Native Here, the tax is already included in the marked price so there are no surprises when you check out. Sales support the East Bay Chapter, with 5% going to our "landlord". East Bay Regional Parks District. The nursery is staffed by one part time paid person, Margot Cunningham, and about twenty regular volunteers. Five-gallon Quercus lobata, Quercus douglasii, and Quercus agrifolia remain at half price through the winter planting season. If you are interested in volunteering, especially to help fill in for waterers as they take vacations, please contact the nursery by e-mail nativehere@ebcnps.org, or drop by when it is open and talk to Margot or Charli. Charli Danielsen Wayne Roderick Lectures 2009-2010 Regional Parks Botanic Garden Wildcat Canyon Road and South Park Drive (South Park Drive is closed November-March) in Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley, CA (510) 544-3169 E-mail Address: bgarden@ebparks.org www.nativeplants.org Saturday mornings 10:30 Free The Wayne Roderick Lectures winter 2009-2010 are dedicated to the memory of Larry Abers. Notice: Seating is limited. To be sure of a seat, come early and save a chair. 2009 Dec. 5: From Lime Ridge to the Arroyo Bayo, in the footsteps of David Gowen — Steve Edwards Dec. 12: Flowery aftermath of the great Big Sur burn of 2008 — Heath Bartosh Dec. 19: From Jewelflowers of California to the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico — Dick O'Donnell 2010 Jan. 2: East of Eden: images from the flora of the Sierran crest and the arid lands beyond — Aaron Schusteff Jan. 9: Roundabout the Walker Ridge burn of 2008 and sites near Clear Lake in Lake County — Steve Edwards Jan. 16: Natural history of Hokkaido, Japan — Ron Felzer Jan. 23: Flora of the Carquinez Strait — Dean Kelch Jan. 30: Wild Lewisias of California and even wilder hybrids, in stereo. 3D glasses will be provided — Jack Muzatko Feb. 6: Plants of Teddy Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, and the Beartooth Plateau, Montana-Wyoming — Bob Case Feb. 13: Very close to home: wildflower hiking in Del Valle Regional Park, Sunol, and Ohlone Wilderness — Steve Edwards Feb. 20: Some botany and history in coastal Monterey — Steve Edwards Feb. 27: Shifting baselines in Bay Area oak woodlands and savannas: historical patterns and restoratiom potential — Alison Whipple Free tours of the Botanic Garden every Saturday at 2:00 pm and Sunday at 1 1 :00 am & 2:00 pm (when it's not rain- ing). No tours when we conduct our annual plant sale on the third Saturday in April; no tours when the garden is closed (Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day). THE BAY LEAF December 2009 5 MEMBERSHIP NOTES Meet Christina Wistrom I germinated in northern Sonoma County, and was interested in the natural world from an early age, hap- pily following my mom's orders to "go outside and play." Family hikes and backpacking trips were bonding ex- periences. I encountered two life-changing things while in college at UC Davis: my future husband, Jeremy Thorsness, and California floristics class. Jeremy captured my heart, and in California floristics, I learned the names and ecology of the plants I'd grown up with. As a Plant Biology major, I became fascinated with the diversity and beauty of the botanical world; how plants grew and reproduced in their particular niches, how they enticed pollinators, and how they survived stresses and predators. The daughter of a grape grower, I followed family tradition by studying plant pathology in graduate school at Oregon State. My fungal phobias were replaced with a deep appreciation of "the fifth kingdom", adding mushroom hunting to botanizing as favorite pastimes. I returned to Berkeley to be with Jeremy and work as a research associate at UC Berkeley. Currently, I work part-time on mealybug transmission of grapevine leafroll virus, which causes brilliant red grape leaves this time of year, and more importantly, wimpy wines. Jeremy and I are especially proud of our little seedling, Evelyn. She is a dynamic and cheerful 21 -month-old who notices everything: native bees, flowers, a bird eating seeds. Lately, it takes us 20 minutes to get past an oak tree since she has to inspect every acorn on the ground. We give her lots of sunlight, fresh air, and playtime, and so far she has rewarded us with rapid growth and requests to go "outshide". I joined CNPS and began volunteering at Native Here last May, and discovered it is a wonderful place to "go outside and play." There is always something new happening: yerba mansa flowering, a hummingbird's nest. My fellow volun- teers are a knowledgeable and enthusiastic bunch. The plant sale was a blast and it was a so fun to be a helper instead of a customer. We moved to El Cerrito in 2003. One of the first things we did was to replace the raggedy junipers in our front yard with California native plants. They thrived in difficult cir- cumstances: deer, rocky soil, afternoon fog and wind. Now established, they are blissfully low-maintenance and a magnet for pollinators and birds. One bird even built a nest above our porch light with Festuca straw. Like any garden, it is a work in progress, and this year's project is to plant self-sowing annuals. In our free time, our family goes outside to play: me at Na- tive Here, Jeremy on his bicycle, riding throughout the hills, and Evelyn to the playground or beach outside, all growing together. Christina Wistrom New Members Please join us in welcoming those who joined in the Septem- ber time frame: Misty Cork, Eric Nicholas, Bob Sikora, Save the Bay. A special thank you to our renewing members. May you enjoy many more years with EBCNPS. Martinez— Native Plant Garden and Strentzel Meadow lo- cated at the John Muir Historical Site in Martinez, ongoing weeding, planting, & learning about our local environment. Contact Elaine Jackson at 925-372-0687 or email elainejx@ att.net. Pleasant Hill— Volunteers are always welcome at the Pleasant Hill Adult Education Center Garden. Contact Monika Olsen at 925-937-1530 or email phecgarden@prodigy.net or go online to http:/ / phig.webs.com. Walnut Creek— Native demonstration garden on The Iron Horse Trail in Walnut Creek near the Walnut Creek Intermedi- ate. Contact Judy Adler, jadlermtnmama@sbcglobal.net. Do you have or know of a local event coming up in your neighborhood that would be a good location for CNPS to have a display table? You can host it. Come on up to our Native Here Nursery (during business hours) and pick up supplies to pass out. Call us with any questions. Chapter Jobs Bulletin East Bay Chapter needs a dedicated Outreach person. Can you help? This person would be in charge of reaching out to our membership for volunteers to cover all of our requested tabling events throughout the year and possibly finding other venues we could share in. All materials, tables, chairs, canopies, flyers etc. are readily available at our Native Here Nursery. A current membership list would be supplied as a re- source for seeking volunteers. Please contact elainejx@att.net or any Board member. Elaine Jackson and Carol Castro Christina, Evelyn and Jeremy 6 THE BAY LEAF December 2009 Chapter Directory Officers President and Chapter Council Delegate Delia Barnes Taylor 510-527-3912 deliataylor@mac.com Vice President Carol Castro 510-352-2382 carollbcastro@hotmail. com Recording Secretary Barbara Leitner 925-253-8300 bleitner@pacbell.net Corresponding Secre- tary Janet Gawthrop janetgawthrop47@gmail. com Treasurer Holly Forbes hforbes@berkeley.edu h 510-234-2913 w 510-643-8040 Assistant Treasurer (not an officer) David Margolies 510-654-0283 dm@franz.com Committees Bayleaf Newsletter Bay Leaf Editor and Web- master Joe Willingham, Chair 510-841-4681 pepel 066@comcast.net Bay Leaf Assistant Editor David Margolies 510-654-0283 dm@franz.com Mailing Holly Forbes Conservation Laura Baker, Chair 510-849-1409 Lbake66@aol.com Conservation analyst Lech Naumovich conservation@ebcnps.org Field Trips Janet Gawthrop, Chair Funds Development Carol Castro, Chair Grant Management Sally de Becker 510-841-6613 sallydebecker@comcast. net Horticulture Planning Sue Rosenthal, Chair 510-496-6016 rosacalifornica@earthlink. net Information Infrastruc- ture Peter Rauch, Chair peterar@berkeley.edu Membership Elaine Jackson, Carol Castro Co-Chairs Volunteer coordinator Delia Taylor volunteer@ebcnps.org Programs Sue Rosenthal, Chair Publicity Dinah Russell, Chair 510-528-0547 maphappy@sonic.net Rare Plants Heath Bartosh, Chair 925-957-0069 hbartosh@nomadecology. com Unusual Plants Dianne Lake, Chair 510-741-8066 diannelake@yahoo.com Vegetation Erin McDermott, Chair erinmcd2004@yahoo.com EBCNPS Sponsored Activities Book & Poster Sales Joanne Orengo greentheglobe@juno.com Grant Awards Sandy McCoy sandymccoy@mindspring. com Native Here Nursery 510-549-0211 Manager — Charli Dan- ielsen nativehere@ebcnps.org Sales — Margot Cunning- ham bunchgrassmarg@gmail. com Seed Collection — Gregg Weber 510-223-3310 Plant Fair Gudrun Kleist 510-222-2320 gkleist@sbcglobal.net and Charli Danielsen Coordinators Restoration Projects Leaders: Huckleberry — Janet Gawthrop Point Isabel — Tom and Jane Kelly 510-704-8628 (w) 510-684-6484 (c) kyotousa@sbcglobal.net Strawberry Creek — Tom and Jane Kelly Officers and Committee Chairs serve on the Board. Committees are formed based on chapter needs and the interests of volunteers. Proposals for committees and projects are welcome and will be considered by the Board. Fungus Fair at the Lawrence Hall of Science December 5-6, 2009, 10:00 am-5:00 pm Get up close to hundreds of wild mushrooms at the 40th an- nual Fungus Fair, being held this year at the Lawrence Hall of Science, http: / / lawrencehallofscience.org. Our hallways and classrooms will be filled with wild-mushroom displays. Eat edible mushrooms, meet vendors displaying everything from cultivation kits to T-shirts, and watch culinary demonstrations by mushroom chefs. "Get the dirt" on poisonous mushrooms and check out other wild fungi, from the wonderfully medici- nal to the really, really strange. Mushroom experts will be on hand to answer all your questions and to identify unknown specimens brought in by visitors. Mycologists (mushroom scientists) will present slide shows and talk about foraging for mushrooms. Find out how various mushroom species can be used for treating diseases, dyeing cloth or paper, and flavoring foods. From lectures to microscopes to dining, there's something for everyone at the Fungus Fair. Presented by LHS and the Mycological Society of San Francisco (MSSF), http://www.mssf.org. Fungus Fair activities are included with museum admission. Don't forget to check out the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley, http:/ /botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu, when you visit. They will be leading mushroom walks at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on both days. All walks will leave from the Garden Gift Shop. Tours of the Garden are free with Garden admission and half-price with same-day proof of LHS admission. It is surely a distinct question, what you can persuade people to do by argument and fair discussion, and what you may lawfully compel them to do, when reason and remonstrance fail. . . One individual has no right to interfere with the employment of my muscular powers, or to put violence on my person, to force me to contribute to the most laudable undertaking if I do not approve of it, any more than I have to force him to assist me in the direct contrary. William Hazlitt THE BAY LEAF December 2009 7 California Native Plant Society East Bay Chapter P.O. Box 5597, Elmwood Station Berkeley CA 94705 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Oakland, CA Permit No. 2018 Time Value December 2009 issue CALENDAR OF EVENTS Native Here (See page 5.) Tuesdays, December 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29th from noon to 3 pm, Fridays, December 4, 11, 18, 9 am to noon (closed on the 25th and Jan 1), Saturdays, December 5. 12. 19, 26, 10 am to 2 pm Chapter Council Meeting Saturday, Sunday, December 5-6, the December Chapter Council meeting will be held in Santa Clara this year. All CNPS members are their guests are welcome. You can at- tend the meeting, and/ or the dinner and/ or the field trips. Delia Barnes Taylor, the East Bay Chapter president, will be representing the EBC. Visit the Chapter Council web site for more information: http://sites.google.com/site/cnpschap- tercouncildec2009 / home Board of Directors' Meeting Wednesday, December 9, at 6:30 pm, at the home of Barbara Leitner, 2 Parkway Court, Orinda Field Trip (See page 3.) Sunday, January 3, 2010, 2 pm, field trip to Huddart County Park to see fetid adder's tongue Membership Application Name Address Zip Telephone I wish to affiliate with: East Bay Chapter (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) Other Membership category: Individual, $45 Family, Library, Group or International, $75 Plant Lover, $100.00 Plant lover, $100 Patron, $300 Benefactor, $600 E-mail Mariposa Lily, $1500 Limited Income or student, $25.00 Other Mail application and check to: California Native Plant Society, 2707 K Street, Suite 1 , Sacramento CA 95816