July-August 2004 '"■t" :>• ' y The Bay Leaf California Native Plant Society • East Bay Chapter • Alameda & Contra Costa Counties CALENDAR OF EVENTS Native Here Nursery p. 4 Fridays, July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Native Here Nursery open 9-noon Saturdays, July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, nursery open 10-1 Tuesdays, July 6, 13, 20, 27, Seed forays leave nursery at 9 am. Plant Sale Activities p. 3 Tuesdays, July 6, 13, 20, 27, August 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 Saturdays, July 24, August 28, 9 am to 2 pm, Merritt College, Oakland Plant Sale October 2 & 3 Field Trips p. 2 Saturday, July 10, 9 am, Carson Pass 6 b Winnemucca Lake Trail (Alpine County) Leader: Ted Kipping. Co-sponsored by the Yerba Buena and East Bay Chapters of CNPS. Sunday, July 18, 2:00 pm, Pioneer Tree Trail, Samuel Taylor State Park (on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Marin County, near Olema) Chapter Board meeting Saturday, August 7, 10 am, Merritt College, Oakland Annual Potluck Picnic for the Bast Bay Chapter of CNPS p. 6 Saturday. September 18, 2004, 3:00 pm 2004 SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS The East Bay Chapter’s Grants Committee has de- cided on the recipients of the 2004 scholarships. These scholarships are funded by the Chapter Annual Plant Sale, which owes its success to the hard work of volunteers. The scholarships are given annually to graduate and undergraduate students working in botany, horticulture, conservation, and related fields and whose studies include some aspect of the native flora of California. This year, scholarships of $1,200 each have been awarded to: Shannah Anderson. Ms. Anderson is in the graduate program at UC Berkeley’s Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning Department. She has worked for the Aquatic Outreach Institute and in creek restora- tion. She co-authored The Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants of the East Bay. Laura Garrison. Ms. Garrison is working on her master’s degree at San Francisco State University in the Ecology and Systematic Biology Program. She has worked on the molecular phylogeny of genus Phacelia. She hopes to move on to a Ph.D. in restoration biol- ogy- Allison Green. Ms. Green is in the master’s program in the Department of Environmental Studies at San Jose State University. She is studying rare plants found on serpentine soils and their relationship to exotic spe- cies. She has been working on Streptanthus albidus var. peramoenus, which is found in serpentine areas in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara Counties. Andrew Murdock. Mr. Murdock is in the doctoral pro- gram in the Department of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley. His research focus is botany, particularly the evolution of ferns and fern allies. He is working with California ferns in the genera Polypodium and Aspidotis. Yuri Springer. Mr. Springer is a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Santa Cruz. He has been working on the inter- action between the 13 species of California wild flax ( Hesperolinon ) and a fungal rust. continued on page 2 2004 SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS continued from page 1 The Myrtle Wolf Scholarship, named to honor longtime East Bay Chapter activist Myrtle Wolf, is given to an outstanding candidate. The recipient of the Myrtle Wolf Scholarship receives an additional $750 along with the standard award of $1,200. The 2004 recipient of the Myrtle Wolf Scholarship is Allison Green. The 2004 scholarship candidates were both numer- ous (18!) and extremely strong and well qualified. The Committee would like to thank all the applicants as well as the instructors whose letters of reference sup- ported the applications. Money to Support Projects is Available The East Bay Chapter of CNPS supports scholarly, scientific, and conservation projects involving native plants. Grants in the recent past have been between $500 to $2,000. Preference is given to projects in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, although other applications will be considered. Send your application, preferably by e-mail (please put “EBCNPS Project Sup- port” in the subject line) by October 1, 2004 to: East Bay Chapter CNPS Grants Committee c/o Sandy McCoy 1311 Bay View Place Berkeley, CA 94708 sandymccoy@mindspring. com Fax: 510-848-1789 Time-sensitive projects will be considered on an ad hoc basis. Proposals should be concise but should contain basic technical information (perhaps five pages, but not 25 pages). Letters of support and auxiliary materials of limited length may also be helpful. Also, please provide a budget for the whole project. Applicants may find it useful to indicate to the Committee a particular por- tion of the project for which they seek funding. Please be aware that that there are no other guidelines in addition to this announcement. Sandy McCoy FIELD TRIPS Saturday, July 10, 9 am, Carson Pass 6 b Winnemucca Lake Trail (Alpine County) Leader: Ted Kipping. Co-sponsored by the Yerba Buena and East Bay Chapters of CNPS. Those who had the opportunity to attend our May pro- gram, hear Ted’s introductory talk, and see his glorious slides of one of California’s most spectacular wildflower areas know what an exceptional experience is in store. The main event on Saturday will be a leisurely hike from the Carson Pass summit parking lot (Highway 88) to Winnemucca Lake. The gentle trail will pass through open forest, subalpine, alpine, and aquatic environs, an interesting mosaic that allows a rich variety of species to exist in close proximity. The sub-irrigated meadows midway between Frog and Winnemucca Lakes comprise some of the most colorful and pho- togenic natural perennial assemblages you will ever experience. After stopping for lunch by Winnemucca Lake, it’s possible that our timing will coincide with the blooming of the Sierra primrose (Primula suffrutescens ) , a few hundred yards farther up to trail. We strongly recommend that you make this a weekend trip, and in this spirit we offer some suggestions regarding a variety of accommodations. The closest campground west of the pass is at Woods Lake, and there are also nearby campgrounds at Caples Lake, Silver Lake, and Kirkwood. These are all first-come, first-served. East of the pass there are individual and group camps at Hope Valley which take advance reservations. Caples Lake offers lodge and cabin accommodations, and a variety of indoor lodging is also available at Kirkwood and Hope Valley. A couple of websites that will probably prove helpful are www.geocities.com/leesvec/, which gives additional information about National Forest camp- grounds, as well as concessionaire campgrounds, in the area. The Alpine County Chamber of Commerce website www.alpinecounty.com/ also provides lots of information on lodging, campgrounds, and other matters of interest. The hiking group will meet at the visitor center by the Carson Pass parking lot at 9 am. After some introductory information, we will be on the trail by 9:30. Bring lunch, plenty of water, hat, protective clothing, and sunscreen. Remember that you will be at much higher elevations than those to which you are accustomed. For additional information, contact Field Trip Chair Karl Young (415-750-9463 or kyoung@itsa.ucsf.edu) . Sunday, July 18, 2:00 pm, Pioneer Tree Trail, Samuel Taylor State Park (on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Marin County, near Olema) 2 THE BAY LEAF July-August 2004 FIELD TRIPS Directions: from San Francisco, cross the Golden Gate Bridge and continue on 101 North to the San Anselmo/ Richmond Bridge exit (well past Sausalito). Take that exit staying to the left and turn onto Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. From the East Bay, get on the Richmond- San Rafael Bridge, and take the second exit after reaching Marin County, onto Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Stay on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard nearly across the county (the only even slightly confusing intersection is with Red Hill Road - Sir Francis Drake bends to the left immediately after the intersection) . You enter Samuel Taylor State Park soon after passing through the town of Laganitas (and soon after you enter redwood groves). Look for the park headquarters and main picnic area on the left, after a mile or two. Enter the headquarters area (there is a parking fee that must be paid whether or not the booth is staffed). Park in a space in the Picnic Area and walk across the bridge, taking a left past the group picnic area to the group picnic area parking lot, where we will meet. The Pioneer Tree Trail is about two miles, with several hundred feet of elevation change. There are old growth redwoods (as well as logged groves). We will see what mid-summer flowers there are. Please contact David Margolies (510-654-0283, divaricatum@aol.com) if you need further informa- tion. Janet Gawthrop PLANT SALE ACTIVITIES Propagating and Potting Sessions: Tuesdays July 6, 13, 20, 27 August 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 -and- Saturdays July 24 August 28 9 am to 2 pm Merritt College, Oakland Landscape Horticulture Parking fee: 50 cents The summer work sessions are potting free as we prepare plants for the annual October sale. Notice the extra days (Saturdays) necessary to get the job done. Come up and help out for couple of hours - it will make a difference. If you would like directions to the campus or for more information: 925-376-4095. Plant Sale October 2 & 3 Shirley McPheeters We cannot command Nature except by obeying her. Francis Bacon CONSERVATION Applications received by July 1 5 are being considered for the half-time East Bay Conservation Analyst posi- tion. Interviews will begin mid July and we hope to have someone working soon after that. Please advise anyone interested in the position to check our chapter web site, www.ebcnps.org, for the job description and statement of desired qualifica- tions. If you haven’t responded yet to the appeal for funds to help pay for this position, please do so soon. Volunteers will be needed even more once the Analyst is working. As more and more projects are identified, local representation for CNPS will be as important as ever, and information will be available for volunteers to present. Please contact me if interested in joining the conservation volunteers. Charli Danielsen, Conservation Coordinator charlid@pacbell.net How long can men thrive between walls of brick, walking on asphalt pavements, breathing the fumes of coal and of oil, growing, working, dying, with hardly a thought of wind, and sky, and fields of grain, seeing only machine-made beauty, the mineral-like quality of life? Charles A. Lindbergh, Reader’s Digest, November 1939 It is imperative to maintain portions of the wilderness un- touched so that a tree will rot where it falls, a waterfall will pour its curve without generating electricity, a trumpeter swan may float on uncontaminated water - and moderns may at least see what their ancestors knew in their nerves and blood. Bernand De Voto, Fortune, June 1947 THE BAY LEAF July-August 2004 3 GARDENING WITH NATIVES Summertime 2004 the living is easy on my apartment balcony, and there isn’t a painting crew anywhere in the building. Last year at the same time, the manage- ment sent painters to clean and paint the apartment exterior, which sent me scrambling to drag all my plants indoors and under the dining table, for lack of space anywhere else. Some smashed leaves, dehy- drated cuttings, and tipped plants resulted, but I am amazed at how rapidly the survivors recovered, once I returned them to the balcony. My Opuntia littoralis (coastal prickly pear) remained unchanged indoors, and once outside, it grew slowly and undisturbed even as weeds sprouted in the win- ter rains amid the paint chips, which now have faded to a spider web of brown stems around the cactus. As I moved the plants outdoors last July, I dislodged one of the nopals from the cactus, which survived an emergency transfer to a sandy pot and is growing to this day. All other succulents survived their return to the bal- cony wall. Sedum divergens and Sedum spathulifolium both have outgrown their original pots several times, only to be divided, repotted and passed on at plant sales and CNPS tables. Dudley a farinosa has grown more slowly, but rewarded me with two long cande- labras with pale flowers. Thanks to either the pull of sunlight or overcrowding beneath the dining table last year, the Dudleya now leans over the side of the pot, while its flower stalks lean horizontally in the opposite direction. It flowered anyway. Lewisia cotyledon may not be an official succulent, but it has fleshy, basal leaves like succulents, and a comparable toughness in the face of banishment to the dining room and forgetful watering. Back on a sunny balcony this year, it has sent up flower stalks with peppermint-striped petals and yellow anthers— all that on less than a cup of water a day, and used rinse water at that. Then there is the Anna’s hummingbird section; if I’m quiet, they permit this invading giant to water the Salvia leucophylla (purple sage) and Salvia clevelandii (fragrant sage) next to the Lewisia. Both lost limbs in the evacuation to the dining table, but both flowered riotously this year. Salvia leucophylla is now past its best, but Salvia clevelandii continues to bloom profuse- ly on little more water than I provide to the Lewisia. The last, but perhaps most formidable survivor, is an- other mint family species, Satureja douglasii. Not only did it survive the dining table, its cuttings survived smashing, falling out of pots, all to take root and be given away this spring. The original plant sits inside my balcony at a more shaded location, with a few tu- bular white flowers. I am still trying to figure out how California natives got a reputation for weakness or difficulty in horti- culture. Janet Gawthrop NATIVE HERE Fridays, July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Native Here Nursery open 9-noon Saturdays, July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, nursery open 10-1 Tuesdays, July 6, 13, 20, 27, Seed forays leave nursery at 9 am. As I write this, it is a very busy time in the nursery, not selling plants so much as working with the huge numbers of seedlings that resulted from our 2003 seed collection efforts. More volunteers are welcome to help us put those seedlings into pots, and to make places to store and protect them until fall planting season arrives. New seed collecting volunteers are welcomed on Tuesday mornings. Most Tuesdays we just go out for the morning, but occasionally we go further afield and take lunch, returning around 3 pm. If you’d like to know which, send me an e-mail charlid@pacbell.net a few days before. There is a wide array of native grasses available for purchase now. With some watering, it is safe to plant them throughout the summer months. 4 THE BAY LEAF July-August 2004 Volunteers and customers are welcome to stop in whenever the nursery is open: Fridays, 9 to noon, and Saturdays 10 am to 1 pm. No need to phone ahead, just show up at 101 Golf Course Drive in Tilden Park. Charli, Margot or Janice will put you to work or sell you some plants. Books are also available at the nursery: Barbara Ert- ter’s Annotated Checklist of the East Bay Flora is a great help on those spring walks. Vegetation Management Almanac for the East Bay Hills helps you to plan your assault on the weeds that are starting to emerge and to plan your year-round maintenance for fire safety, Dianne Lake’s Rare, Unusual and Significant Plants of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties is available, as is Aquatic Outreach Institute’s Gardener’s Guide. Charli Danielsen ACTIVITIES OF OTHERS Butterfly Gardening for Beginners Butterfly gardening is a delightful pursuit, with many rewards, but where to begin? We will start with an amazing video of the life cycle because understanding the biology is the key to a successful habitat. We will then cover the resources that gardeners, parents and teachers will find useful. We will also talk about plants (choice, exposure, maintenance) and caterpillar rear- ing. Live specimens will be available for viewing. The instructor has been teaching and gardening for more than 20 years. Class meets at 10:30 am on June 19 in Berkeley. $5-10 donation. Please email Sal Levinson, sunsolsal@hotmail.com for more information. Spon- sored by the North American Butterfly Association. Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour The Bringing Back the Natives Garden tour will show- case attractive gardens that require a minimum of wa- ter, don’t need pesticides of fertilizers, and, because they provide habitat for wildlife, are alive with the songs of birds and the fluttering wings of butterflies. The gardens featured in this tour demonstrate that, from postage stamp sized yards to large lots, beautiful Cali- fornia native plant gardens are possible for anyone. Purposes are to: • Provide Alameda and Contra Costa County resi- dents with the opportunity to see first-hand a garden containing 30% or more native plants and that demonstrates the use of natural gar- dening techniques. • Illustrate that healthy, attractive gardens can flourish without the use of chemicals. • Motivate residents to try gardening with native plants, and using natural gardening techniques in their own gardens by providing the opportu- nity to visit a variety of interesting and visually appealing pesticide-free gardens. • Inspire gardeners to provide habitat for wildlife home gardens. To receive a Host Application, please e-mail Kathy Kramer at Kathy@KathyKramerConsulting.net or call 510-236-9558 between 9 am and 9 pm. Giant Sequoia ( Sequoiadendron giganteum), Sequoia National Park. Photo by Joe Willingham THE BAY LEAF July-August 2004 5 ANNUAL POTLUCK PICNIC for the EAST BAY CHAPTER of CNPS Saturday, September 18, 2004, beginning at 3:00 p.m. At the Regional Parks Botanic Garden (Intersection of South Park Drive and Wildcat Canyon Road in Tilden Park, Berkeley) All are welcome — bring your friends and family and a dish to share Enjoy food and drink, a native plant raffle, a garden tour, live music, and more... Details in the September Bay Leaf For more information, call 510-496-6016 6 THE BAY LEAF July-Auguat 2004 Board of Directors Elected Officers President: Joe Willingham, 2512 Etna St., Berkeley 94704, 841-4681, pepel 066@comcast.net Vice President, Administration: Laura Baker, 79 Roble Road, Berkeley, 94705, 849-1409, Lbake66@aol.com Treasurer: Holly Forbes, 7128 Blake St., El Cerrito 94530, 234-2913, w/643-8040 Secretaries: Recording: Barbara Malloch Leitner, 2 Parkway Ct., Orinda 94563, 925-253-8300, bleitner@pacbell.net Corresponding: Nathan Smith, 545 Everett St., El Cerrito, 94530, 559-8286, ncsmith@berkeley.edu Past President Tony Morosco, berkbotanist@onebox.com Bay Leaf Editor Joe Willingham, 2512 Etna St., Berkeley 94704, 841-4681, pepel 066@comcast.net Committee Coordinators Bay Leaf Mailing: Holly Forbes, 7128 Blake St., El Cerrito 94530, 234-2913, w/643-8040, hforbes@uclink4.berkeley.edu Book and Poster Sales: Vacant Bryophytes: Dan Norris, 1549 Beverley Place, Berkeley 94706, 707-839-4261, norris_daniel@hotmail.com Conservation: Charli Danielsen, 101 Golf Course Dr., Berkeley 94708, 549-0211, charlid@pacbell.net East Bay Public Lands: Peter Rauch, 526-8155, peterr@socrates.berkeley.edu Education: Vacant Field Trips: Janet Gawthrop, 360 Monte Vista Ave. #214, Oakland 94611 , 654-3066, Janetg24@excite.com Grants: Sandy McCoy, 1311 Bay View Place, Berkeley 94708, wbmccoy@earthlink.net Committee Coordinators Hospitality: Irene Wilkinson, 440 Camino Sobrante, Orinda 94563, 925-254-3675 Media: Vacant Membership: Delia Taylor, 1851 Catalina Ave., Berkeley 94707, 527-3912, deliataylor@mac.com Native Here Nursery: Charli Danielsen, 101 Golf Course Dr., Berkeley 94708, 549-0211, charlid@pacbell.net Native Plant Restoration Team: Sarah Ginskey, 1096 Miller Avenue, Berkeley 94708, 558-8139 Plant Communities: Susan Bainbridge, 2408 Parker St., Berkeley 94704, 548-2918, suebain@SSCL.Berkeley.EDU Plant Sale: Shirley McPheeters, 104 Ivy Dr., Orinda 94563, 925-376-4095 Phoebe Watts, 1419 Grant St., Berkeley 94703, 525-6614, phwatts@cs.com Plant Sale Publicity: Elaine Jackson, 3311 Estudillo St., Martinez 94553, 925-372-0687, elainejx@mindspring.com Posters: Vacant Programs: Sue Rosenthal, P.O. Box 20489, Oakland 94620, 496-6016, rosacalifornica@earthlink.net Rare Plants: John Game, 1155 Spruce St., Berkeley 94707, 527-7855, jcgame@lbl.gov Regional Parks Botanic Garden Liaison: Sue Rosenthal, P.O. Box 20489, Oakland 94620, 496-6016, rosacalifornica@earthlink.net Unusual Plants: Dianne Lake, 1050 Bayview Farm Rd. #121, Pinole 94564, 741-8066, diannelake@yahoo.com Recorded Chapter Information: 464-4977 CNPS Home Page: www.cnps.org East Bay Chapter CNPS Home Page: www.ebcnps.org Bay Leaf & Board meeting minutes online Membership Application Name Address Zip Telephone I wish to affiliate with: East Bay Chapter (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) Other Mail application and check to: California Native Plant Society, Membership category: Student, Retired, Limited income, $20 Individual, Library, $35 Household, Family, or Group, $45 Supporting, $75 Plant lover, $100 E-mail Patron, $250 (optional) Benefactor, $500 Mariposa Lily, $1000 ' K Street, Suite 1 , Sacramento CA 95816 THE BAY LEAF July-August 2004 7 This summer view of Mount Shasta from Packers Peak in the Trinity Alps shows a yellow buckwheat ( Eriogo - num sp.) in the foreground. The mountains of northwest California and southwest Oregon have some of the highest plant diversity in the nation, and include many endemic species. Packers Peak is a steep hike but is rewarding for views of the Trinities crest to the south as well as Mount Shasta. A fortunate hiker may find the rare Penstemon tracyi in rocks and scree on the way up. Photo and caption by John Game 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 July-August 2004 issue