CALENDAR OF EVENTS Board Meeting Wednesday, September 5, 7:30 pm, home of Barbara Leitner, 2 Parkway Court, Orinda Native Here Nursery p. 4 Tuesdays, September 4, 11, 18, 25: seed collection morn- ings Fridays, September 7, 14, 21, 28: Native Here Nursery open 9 am -noon. Saturdays, September 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Native Here open 10 am - 1 pm. Sunday, September 16, Native Plant Fair preparations 10 am, followed by picnic at 1 pm Field Trips p. 2 September 8, 2007, 10 am, east of Livermore September 22, 2007, 9:30 am at Mount Wanda (part of the John Muir National Historic Site) in Martinez Chapter Picnic p. 7 Native Here Nursery Plant Fair preparation party and annual potluck picnic for the East Bay Chapter of CNPS, Sunday, September 16, 2007, 10 am-3 pm. Native Here Nursery, 101 Golf Course Road (across from the Golf Course entrance) in Tilden Park, Berkeley Membership Meeting (see below) Wednesday, September 26, 2007, Orinda Public Library Native Plant Fair and Silent Auction Fair Saturday, October 20 and Sunday, October 21; auction Sunday, October 21 MEMBERSHIP MEETING Flowering California Native Shrubs for the Garden Speaker: Ted Kipping Wednesday, September 26, 2007 Location: Garden Room, Orinda Public Library (directions below) California is rich with beautiful shrubs that provide structure to our gardens as well as colorful flowers in the spring and summer. Ted Kipping will speak at this month's member- ship meeting about a number of flowering native shrubs that work well in gardens along with some lovely wildflowers that add an extra piquancy to the landscape. Ted's photogra- phy is superb, so this presentation will be not only informa- tive and useful but visually delectable, as well. Ted's interest in the natural world began early and led to studies of natural history and a passion for plants. After working at Strybing Arboretum, Ted founded a tree pruning business and has earned a reputation as one of the most artis- tic of Bay Area arborists. In addition, Ted is an accomplished and widely published plant photographer who is active in a variety of horticultural societies. East Bay CNPS membership meetings are free of charge and open to everyone. This month's meeting will take place in the Garden Room of the Orinda Public Library at 24 Orinda Way (in Orinda Village). The Garden Room is on the second floor of the building, accessible by stairs or an elevator. The Garden Room will open at 7:00 pm. The meet- ing begins at 7:30 pm. Refreshments will be served after the presentation. Please contact Sue Rosenthal, 510-496-6016 or rosacalifornica@earthlink.net, if you have any questions. Directions to Orinda Public Library at 24 Orinda Way: From the west, take Highway 24 to the Orinda/ Moraga exit. At the end of the off ramp, turn left on Camino Pablo (toward Orinda Village), right on Santa Maria Way (the signal after the BART station and freeway entrance), and left on Orinda Way. From the east, take Highway 24 to the Orinda exit. Follow the ramp to Orinda Village. Turn right on Santa Maria way (the first signal) and left on Orinda Way. continued on page 2 MEMBERSHIP MEETING Once on Orinda Way, go 1 short block to the parking lot on the southeast side of the new 2-story building on your right. There is additional free parking beneath the building as well as on the street. From BART (4 blocks): Exit the Orinda station, turn right and cross a pedestrian bridge, then cross a second pedestrian bridge on the left. Go 1 short block on the sidewalk to the third pedestrian bridge. Go 2 blocks on Orinda Way to the Orinda Library. CNPS WINS BAY GUARDIAN AWARD CNPS has been named best perambulating amateur bota- nists by The San Francisco Bay Guardian, Best of the Bay 2007 In the July 25-31, 2007 issue of The San Francisco Bay Guard- ian (page 35, vol. 41, no. 43) there is a great plug for the Society: "If you enjoy experiencing nature as a classroom as well as a play- ground, grab your binos and hand lens and join them by getting involved with the California Native Plant Society. Launched in the East Bay in 1965, the society now has five chapters throughout the Bay Area. So you can hike along no matter where you live. Each chapter offers outings and activities, such as plant identification workshops, invasive species removal, and native species propaga- tion." They also list our website. The title of the award reminds me that CNPS, while we do conservation and horticulture and outreach to kids, has al- ways been a bunch of people who get out and enjoy native continued from page 1 Upcoming Programs Wednesday, October 24, 2007, 7:30 pm (in the Garden Room of the Orinda Library): Dr. Stuart B. Weiss— Human Connections to the Survival of Species: Return of the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly to Edge- wood Park plants outdoors, in the wild. Sometimes we don't even notice that this is one of our major activities! Our field trips are usually free. There is no age limit, although we sometimes publish the difficulty or length of the walks and camping trips planned by the chapters' field trip chairs. East Bay Chapter thanks Janet Gawthrop and her committee, includ- ing frequent field trip leaders David Margolies and Greg Weber. Heath Bartosh, Rare Plant Chair for EB CNPS and Dianne Lake, Unusual Plants Chair also involve volunteers in field trips to botanize for rare and unusual plants. In nearby Bay Area chapters, thanks to Tom Annese who plans Yerba Buena Chapter's trips, Joe Kohn in Marin Chap- ter, Beth Robinson in Milo Baker Chapter, Margaret Barson in Napa Valley Chapter, and Kevin Bryant in Santa Clara Valley Chapter, and the Willis Lynn Jepson Chapter for giv- ing us amateur botanists a chance to perambulate. (Okay, that's seven Bay Area chapters, not five!) Charli Danielsen, President, EBCNPS FIELD TRIPS September 8, 2007, 10 am, east of Livermore. Chris Thayer goes back east (of Livermore) to lead this field trip to view and smell several tarweed species in bloom. On this driv- ing trip with several stops and short walks we will likely envounter Livermore tarplant, Congdon's tar plant, and big tarplant ( Deinandra bacigalupi, Centromadia parryi ssp. Congonii, Blepharizonia plumose). Take this opportunity to see some of what our chapter wants to save in the inland portions of the East Bay. If time allows, we will also look for several other rare species, including the bird's beak spe- cies of Cordylanthus palmatus and C. mollis ssp. hispidus, and perhaps Atriplex. Directions: Go on 580 East and exit north at Vasco Road. Go north from the exit about one mile and then turn left on Dalton. Broadmoor is in a residential area on the left about 1/2 mile west of Vasco Road. Be prepared for punishing heat by bringing adequate water and dressing appropriately. The trip will last a few hours, and we will eat and drink on the fly. If you have any questions, please contact Chris Thayer at 925-279-0265 or chthayer@yahoo.com. September 22, 2007, 9:30 am. Mount Wanda (part of John Muir National Historic Site) in Martinez. Meet at the Mount Wanda parking lot in Martinez. Learn to recognize Coast live, blue, valley, black oaks, and hybrids at Mount Wanda. We will also identify many native plants that are in dormant and fruiting stages in September. We will return to the park- ing lot around 1 pm. Bring water and lunch. The leader is Gregg Weber, call 510-223-3310 if there are any questions about the trip. Directions: Take 80 to Highway 4 east. Take the Alhambra Avenue exit. Turn right on Alhambra Avenue, and then im- mediately right into the parking lot. From Walnut Creek, take 680 to Highway 4 west. Take the Alhambra Avenue exit. Turn left on Alhambra Avenue, go under Highway 4 and turn right into the parking lot. Janet Gawthrop 2 THE BAY LEAF September 2007 EBCNPS SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 2007 Each year, the East Bay Chapter of CNPS awards several scholarships of $1200 to students. The goal of this program is to encourage students to pursue their academic interests in native California plants. The recipients for 2007 are: • Laura Feinstein, UC Davis, working toward her master's degree and interested in cyptic hybrids of Spartina in San Franciso Bay; • Eric Wrubel, SFSU, also working toward his master 's and doing work on northern coastal scrub; • Jesse Hersh, studying horticulture at Merritt Col- lege; • Carol Blair, who is also seeking a degree at Merritt in landscape design. • Laura Feinstein is also the recipient of the Myrtle Wolf Scholarship for an additional $750, given to the outstanding applicant. Many thanks to John Game, Holly Forbes, and Phoebe Watts, all of whom served on the 2007 scholarship committee. Sandy McCoy Dick Vrmeer, Brentwood resident and East Bay Chapter member who participated in finalizing the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservation Plan/ Natural Community Conservation Plan is shown here saying a few words at the July 25 th , 2007 Approval Ceremony and Celebration on top of Kreiger Peak. Kreiger Peak has an elevation of 1,900 feet and is located between Mt. Diablo and Black Diamond Mines Regional Park. Photo and caption by Elaine P. Jackson THE BAY LEAF September 2007 3 NATIVE HERE NURSERY Fridays, September 7, 14, 21, 28: Native Here Nursery open 9 am -noon. Saturdays, September 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Native Here open 10 am - 1 pm. Tuesdays, September 4, 11, 18, 25: seed collection mornings Sunday, September 16, Native Plant Fair preparations 10 am, followed by picnic at 1 pm All chapter members and their friends and families are invited to join us at Native Here Nursery on Sunday, September 16, from 10 am until 3 pm, to work on preparations for the Oc- tober Native Plant Fair and then play at our chapter's annual potluck picnic. From 10:00 until 1:00, we'll be placing price labels in all of the plant pots, doing inventory, and cleaning up the nursery to get ready for the fair. At 1:00, we'll take off our work gloves and enjoy the picnic. Bring gardening tools (gloves, pruners, rakes, hoes) and a dish to share (appetizer, main dish, side dish, or dessert). We'll supply beverages and all the tools for eating and drinking. (See the picnic announce- ment elsewhere in this newsletter for more details). We're still signing up volunteers for the fair. If you'd like to help, contact Elaine Jackson (925-372-0687 or elainejx@mind- spring.com). We'U need volunteers to help with cashiering, tallying, physical handling, selling plants and offering advice, selling books, bulbs, and posters, and more. Plants have fared well over the summer with a combination of attentive watering by volunteers and new umbrellas stra- tegically placed throughout the nursery to provide shade in the heat of the day. Gregg and Mel taking cuttings. Photo by Janice Bray. We have some very nice willows in 1-gallon pots and ma- drones and California fescues in 5-gallon pots and will have more shrubs and trees as fall progresses. At the fair iris will be available for fall planting and bulbs from the Native Here collection will be offered as bulbs, not in pots. Also at the fair a selection of plants selected from habitats outside our two counties will be available in addition to the Native Here selection of local plants. Please be aware that discounts will not be given during the fair. Volunteers are welcome at the nursery during our regular hours every Friday and Saturday as well as Monday or Thursday mornings throughout September (from 10 am). We'U need help preparing for the fair and with propagating for the following year. The week of September 17-23 we'll be sowing this year's seed crop, so if you'd like to get an idea of what plants will be available next year, this is a good time to help out. Tuesday mornings we go on seed collecting walks to gather seed for propagation at the nursery. If you would like to join us, meet at the bottom gate of the nursery at 9 am. To get on the e-mail reminder list, contact nativehere@ebcnps.org. Native Here Nursery is located in Tilden Park at 101 Golf Course Drive, across the street from the entrance to the Tilden Golf Course. Contact info: 510-549-0211, nativehere@ebcnps. org, www.ebcnps.org, click on Native Here link. Margot Cunningham , Native Here Nursery You're never too young to enjoy Native Here, as Kyle discovers. Photo by Janice Bray. 4 THE BAY LEAF September 2007 ITEMS NEEDED FOR SILENT AUCTION AT PLANT FAIR If you have something you'd like to donate for the Silent Auction to be held during the Plant Fair, contact nativehere@ ebcnps.org. Unfortunately plants cannot be accepted at this time due to quarantine regulations, but other botanically related items are welcome. Donations accepted may be brought to Native Here the week before the Fair. The auction will be held at 2:30 pm on Sunday, October 21 just before the Plant Fair ends. Charli Danielsen Fremont's cottonwood ( Populus fremontii) Photo by Gregg Weber. When a really defenceless flower did issue , like a moth-still , ghost- centered mariposa lily , with its inner moth-dust of yellow, it came invisible. There was nothing to be seen , but a hair of greyish grass near the oak scrub. Behold , this invisible long stalk was balancing a white , ghostly three-petalled flower , naked out of nothingness. A mariposa lily! D. H. Lawrence, St. Mawr Calochortus howellii, Photo by John Game. THE BAY LEAF September 2007 5 ACTIVITIES OF OTHERS Directions: From most points in the Bay Area, go east on Highway 4 and exit at A Street/ Lone Tree Way At the traf- fic light at the end of the exit ramp, turn left onto A Street and follow it north through Antioch to the traffic light at the intersection with Wilbur Ave. Turn right onto Wilbur Ave. and follow it through town to the intersection with Fulton Shipyard Road. Turn left onto Fulton Shipyard, and follow it to the Stamm Unit gate on the right, past the railroad tracks. Park next to the chain link fence on the right and meet Susan at the gate. should dress for hot weather. Slough sedge ( Carex obnupta) Photo by Gregg Weber. Wednesdays in September at Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge Staff biologist Susan Euing invites CNPS members and other volunteers to count Lange's metalmark butterflies at the two Antioch Dunes units which are ordinarily locked except on official tours. The surveys, which each need 10 volunteers, will start mid-morning at the main gate of the Stamm Unit and will continue through most of the day. Please call 510-521-9624 or e-mail susan_euing@yahoo.com to reserve a spot, and be sure to leave a return phone number. If needed, butterfly surveys will continue into the first two weeks of October. Volunteers 6 THE BAY LEAF September 2007 You/ re/ IrwCted/ ! NATIVE HERE NURSERY PLANT FAIR PREP / NURSERY CLEAN-UP PARTY and ANNUAL POTLUCK PICNIC for the EAST BAY CHAPTER of CNPS SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2007 10:00 am-3:00 pm (picnic begins at 1 :00 p.m.) at NATIVE HERE NURSERY 101 Golf Course Road (across from the Golf Course entrance) in Tilden Park, Berkeley Bring gardening gloves and a dish to share (appetizer, main dish, side dish, or dessert). We’ll supply wine and beer, soft drinks, and all the tools for eating. Spend a few hours in the morning helping prepare the nursery for our October Native Plant Fair and then shift into picnic mode. Along with great food and drink, enjoy the company of fellow native plant enthusiasts and our traditional, everyone-wins native plant raffle. All are welcome — invite your family and friends! For more information: 510-496-6016, rosacalifornica@earthlink.net, or nativehere@ebcnps.org. THE BAY LEAF September 2007 7 Board of Directors Elected Officers 510-841-4681 Membership Stewardship President pepel 066@comcast.net Elaine P. Jackson Native Plant Restoration Members at Larae Charli Danielsen 925-372-0687 Team Gregg Weber 510-549-0211 Bay Leaf Assistant Editor Elainejx@mindspring .com Greg Wolford 510-223-3310 nativehere@ebcnps.org David Margolies 510-848-6489 510-654-0283 Carol Castro californica@mac.com Roy West Vice President divaricatum@comcast.net 510-352-2382 rwest@monocot.com Delia Taylor carollbcastro@hotmail. Native Here Nursery 650-906-1100 510-527-3912 Bay Leaf Mailing com Charli Danielsen Project deliataylor@mac.com Holly Forbes Manager Peter Rauch 510-234-2913 Plant Sale Margot Cunningham Sales peterar@berkeley.edu Treasurer hforbes@berkeley.edu Interim Chair Manager Holly Forbes Sue Rosenthal Janice Bray Liaison to hforbes@berkeley.edu Education 510-496-6016 Board h 510-234-2913 Linda Hill rosacalifornica@earthlink. 510-549-0211 w 510-643-8040 510-849-1624 net nativehere@ebcnps.org FAX 510-642-5045 Lhilllink@aol.com Programs Plant Science Recording Secretary Field Trips Sue Rosenthal Bryophytes Barbara Malloch Leitner Janet Gawthrop 510-496-6016 John Game51 0-527-7855 925-253-8300 Janetg24@excite.com rosacalifornica@earthlink. jcgame@lbl.gov bleitner@pacbell.net Regional Parks Botanic net Rare Plants Corresponding Secretary Garden Liaison Publicity/Media Heath Bartosh Laura Baker Sue Rosenthal open 925-957-0069 510-849-1409 510-496-6016 hbartosh@nomadecology. Lbake66@aol.com rosacalifornica@earthlink. Conservation com net Conservation Committee Past President Chair Unusual Plants Elaine Jackson Grants Laura Baker Dianne Lake 925-372-0687 Sandy McCoy 510-849-1409 510-741-8066 Elainejx@mindspring.com sandymccoy@mindspring. Lbake66@aol.com diannelake@yahoo.com com Conservation Analyst Education/Outreach (Staff) Vegetation Bay Leaf Editor and Web- Hospitality Lech Naumovich Erin McDermott master open 510 734-0335 erinmcd2004@yahoo.com Joe Willingham conservation@ebcnps.org (c) 510-701-2890 Membership Application Name Address Zip Telephone I wish to affiliate with: East Bay Chapter (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) Other Membership category: Student, Limited income, $25 Individual, Library, $45 Household, Family, or Group, $75 Supporting, $75 Plant lover, $100 Patron, $300 E-mail Benefactor, $600 (optional) Mariposa Lily, $1500 Mail application and check to: California Native Plant Society, 2707 K Street, Suite 1 , Sacramento CA 95816 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 September 2007 issue