Mimulus Memo California Native Plant Society — Kern County Chapter January 2011 President’s Notes Hello, Everyone! 'Hope you all had a great holiday season, a Happy New Year’s Eve, and that your football favorites won. I hope you are looking forward to this new year as much as I am. Our chapter is gearing up for a lot of excitement, and I hope you will come to as many events as you can. I am filled with enthusiasm and exclamation marks. First up are our General Meetings: They are normally scheduled for the third Tuesday of each month, with a couple of exceptions. Traditionally, we meet January thru May or June, then take off a couple of months from the heat, and resume in September, October, and November. We usually have our year-end Pot-Luck in November, and don’t meet in December, because everyone is usually too busy. Our January meeting this month will be the FOURTH Tuesday , due to a schedule conflict with the Superintendent of Schools office. (Apparently, they have the audacity to have a school-district function/meeting on our night, (at all four locations)! (just kidding, :-)) Oh, well.. . Secondly , for those who are interested on that evening ( Jan. 18th. we will have a Board Meeting starting at 6:00 p.m, at my (Dorie’sf house . All members are invited to come and participate in Board Meetings. If you are able to attend, please email me for directions at dorenairagosian@peoplepc.com . Thirdly, the District does have our room available for a General Meeting, on Tuesday. Jan. 25 th . 2011 . Our meeting will be at 6:00 p.m., beginning with a demo and practice of keying-out plants, and learning more about how to use the keys. At 7:00, we will begin our general meeting. Fourthly , the entire State will be celebrating a newly approved Resolution, establishing California Native Plant Week the third week of April, every year ! YEAH ! ! ! See the article later in this newsletter for more information, and check in to the website www.kerncnps.org for continuing updates, and links to other Chapter activities, too. (continued on page 2) California Native Plant Week In case you missed earlier notices, our State has voted, and approved, to celebrate the third week of April as “California Native Plant Week,” continuing in perpetuity! The Chapter Council representatives from the 32 State CNPS chapters have begun to talk about what activities we can do during to week to celebrate, and educate OUR week. This year CA Native Plant Week will be celebrated from April 16 th thru April 24 th . Because Easter falls on the 24 th , we will concentrate most of the activities earlier in the week. Our first endeavor that week will be a Flower Show featuring only California Native Plants. We will collect plants from members’ yards, and with permission, from the “wilder areas.” Some people will go out the week before, to see what they think will be available, and then during the middle of the pre-”CNPW” activities, they will pick representative flowers with some stems and leaves, bring them to town, and Chapter members will help to “key them out” for the show. We will display each of them in small vases, with identification cards telling the Latin names, and co mm on names, along with some information about where they usually grow, and what type of plant (continued on page 2) Also In This Issue Our First Wildflower Show 2 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 3 Panorama Vista Preserve 3 Our Annual Plant Sale 4 Bakersfield Hosts Chapter Council Meeting 5 In Memory of Mary Ellen Warters 5 Long Time Members 5 New Members 5 Contact Info 5 Do You Know This Plant? 6 Kings County Flora 7 Map the Spread 7 Golden Trout Wilderness Workshop 7 Email from Tejon Ranch Conservancy 7 Kern County Rare Plant Report 8 1 President’s Notes (continued from page 1) Fifthly (is there such a thing?), our Chapter will be hosting the quarterly Chapter Council meeting here in Kern County, the first weekend of June. Check below for more info. Mark June 4 th on your calendar now, you don’t want to miss it! Sixth, we will be adding a work-day at the Panorama Vista Preserve to our calendar one day each. Please look further in this newsletter for more information on how to get there, and when it will be. Phew! Lastly . Field Trips are being discussed now, for the spring. There will be weekend day field trips, and also mid- week trips. Let us know if you have any ideas for places to go. There is also a field trip to the Mojave Desert, with hotel stays, for four or five days, with Glenn Keator, noted author, professor, and plant expert. More information will be available later. Basically, save June for CNPS activities, and start walking if you can, so you will be ready to go on field trips with us. It should be a spectacular plant display. May you health be well, and your New Year great. Hope to see you soon. Conte and visit. Dorie G. California Native Plant Week (continued from page 1) community they can be found among. We are currently looking for a great central Bakersfield location to use when we present the Flower Show. If you would like to learn more and get involved in either the Flower Show committee, or the general “CNPW” committee, please email Dorie at dorengiragosian@peoplepc.com. for information about when the committee meets. We would love hearing your suggestions and having you participate in the discussions about how we can best introduce and celebrate California Native Plant Week. If you are lucky enough to have California Native Plants living in your yard, let us know if you would be willing to share some flowers with us for the show. We are looking forward toward our celebration of Native Plants, and reaching out to give the community a chance to learn about what wonderful, special plants can be found in Kern County. Join us as we CELEBRATE the first annual California Native Plant Week! the complete resolution can be viewed on our website: www.KernCNPS.ora/news/nativeplantweek.pdf At our Holiday Potluck in November, Dorie informed us of the newly enacted California Native Plant Week, April 17-23, 2011. To celebrate the week, she suggested organizing a wildflower show, and the idea was met with much enthusiasm by those who had visited other chapters’ shows. To present a wildflower show, our members will systematically go out to natural areas in Kern County and, with permission, collect native wildflowers. Next, Chapter members, using a Jepson Manual or a Twisselmann and Moe, Flora of Kern County , will identify the plants. We will also need people to make typed labels for each flower, sitting in a jar on the tables. The public will be invited to come and view the beautiful native plants of Kern County. We think it will be a fun outing for families, very educational for us, as well as the viewers, and perhaps we can convince some folks to help conserve our 1713 native species here in Kern County. A search is on for a central Bakersfield location for the show. If you have an idea, please let Lucy know at Iucyg391@gmail.com . Also, please let either Lucy or Dorie know if you want to help with this exciting, fast paced (3 or 4 days), new project. We will discuss this event at our meetings, and more detailed plans will evolve. OUR FIRST EVER WILDFLOWER SHOW APRIL 16, 2011 STAY UP-TO-DATE BY VISITING OUR WEBSITE: K£R/vC/VP8,0/^ Save paper, sign up to receive your newsletter online! email: mimulusmemo@bak.rr.com 2 CALENDAR OF EVENTS JANUARY 25 - Member Meeting and Plant ID www.KernCNPS.ora February 4-6 - California Desert Rare Community Sampling and Mapping Workshop The CNPS Vegetation Program is conducting a field-based sampling/mapping workshop in the California Desert. This workshop focuses on techniques to identify and survey rare natural communities using CNPS protocols. The overall goals of the workshop are to learn about the diversity of desert vegetation, to highlight areas containing rare plant communities, and discuss opportunities for future surveys in priority areas. The workshop will be held on Feb. 4-6 (arriving Friday evening, departing Sunday afternoon). Many more details will be posted on the web. If you are able to attend, please RSVP no later than January 20, 2011, if possible, so that we can arrange travel plans and other specifics. The Vegetation Program staff looks forward to meeting and working with your Chapter members! Deborah Stout, Vegetation Team Leader, California Native Plant Society cell: (916) 801-4539 fax: (916) 324-0475 February 15 - Member Meeting and Plant ID www.KernCNPS.ora March 15 - Member Meeting and Plant ID www.KernCNPS.ora April 2 - Field Trip: Natives of the San Joaquin Valley (The Valley Floora.. . get it?) Visit natives of the San Joaquin Valley you may have never seen, in our vanishing natural world. Stephen Laymon, BLM- Atwell Island Project Manager and Pam Williams, Biologist at the Kern and Pixlev NWR s will be our leaders. This is an exciting three part trip, and you are welcome to start with us, and finish when you need to. We will visit the Pixley NWR’s little explored eastern half. We will meet Pam and Stephen at the Pixley Refuge’s parking lot on Rd 88, 2 miles north of Avenue 56 between Earlimart and Alpaugh at 9am. We hope to see, among others, Collinsia bartsiifolia (White Blue-Eyed Mary), Eremalche parryi (Parry’s Mallow), and 6 species of Trifolium (Clover). Lunch will be at Alpaugh’s finest, Ceci’s Mexican Restaurant, and recommended by Steve and Pam, then on to Atwell Island, and its sand ridge area, never farmed. There we may see Castilleja brevistyla (Short-style Owl’s Clover), Linanthus liniflorus (Flax- flowered Linanthus), and Eriastrum hooveri (Hoover’s Woolystar). We will conclude with stops at the Semitropic Preserve , west of the Wasco-Delano area, hoping to see Delphinium recurvatum (Recurved Larkspur - see page 8), Salvia carduacea (Thistle Sage), and Sporobolus airoiodes (Alkali Sacaton). Meet at 8:00 am on the outer edge of the Denny’s parking lot, at the comer of HWY 65 and Merle Haggard/7th Standard for carpooling. Bring water, your flora, snacks if you wish, and dress in layers. Please join us for this opportunity to see listed plants, with two excellent Botanists (and Birders)! Please contact Lucy Clark at Iucyg391 @gmail.com if you plan to attend, so we know how many to expect, and so we don't have to wait unnecessarily at the carpooling site. April 4 - Mimulus Memo Deadline for Next Issue Submit anything you think appropriate for our members to Stephen Cooley mimulusmemo@bak.rr.com April 16 - Kern CNPS 1 st Annual Wildflower Show (see page 2) ??? - Carrizo Plain Field Trip Due to the unpredictability of the weather, we are unable to plan a precise date for a field trip to the Carrizo Plain. Denis Kearns, CNPS member and Botanist on the Carrizo, is willing to lead a trip when the flowers are in bloom. Please email Lucy at Iucyg391 @gmail.com to have your name listed for contacting when he determines a date. June 3-5 Chapter Council Meeting, Bakersfield, CA (see page 5) July 3-9 Golden Trout Wilderness Botanical Workshop (see page 7) Panorama Vista Preserve The first Saturday of the month is normally the volunteer work day sponsored by Kem Audubon at the Panorama Vista Preserve. Many CNPS members are also Audubon members and have already volunteered, but everybody is invited to participate. The volunteer hours through April are 9 a. m. to 11 a.m. Febmary 5, March 5 and April 2 are the upcoming volunteer days. Those wishing more information and/or directions should contact Harry Love ( 3ove3@bak.rr.com I or Andy Honig f andym5@bak.rr.com f. In addition to the regularly scheduled volunteer days there will be other (continued on next page) 3 times we will be seeking volunteers. About 3,000 more cuttings and seedlings will need to be planted into the 30 acre grove that we started last winter. The time for that planting is between now and mid spring. Additionally, we will be needing help transplanting seedlings that will be germinating in flats. We also have an endless need for weeders. Exotic mustards are already vigorously growing and competing for water and nutrients. In March and April tumbleweeds will be germinating. What is a real pain to eradicate as the year progresses is a cinch to take care of when small and green. Tumbleweeds, when small, can even make a nice contribution to a salad. Bring gloves and, if possible, a hoe or shovel. Bottled water will be supplied. Contact Harry or Andy if you’re free to help on the first Saturday. If you’d like to help at other times, contact Andy. We can always use you. You also can get a great deal of information on the Panorama Vista Preserve by going to the website panoramavista.org . Check out the blog (Look at the menu line at the top of the home page) where current information is regularly posted. Andy Honlg^ OUR ANNUAL I am sure that if you weren’t able to attend our Annual Fall Plant Sale that you are curious how it went. We had a great variety of plants chosen by Debby PLANT SALE || Kroeger and her Committee including Yvonne and Don Turkal. We had a group of members on Friday to greet the plants as they arrived from the Nursery and we placed them by what type of habitat they “liked” to live in. When we finished that, we went home to rest for the next day’s Sale. We arrived early Saturday morning to set-up our tables and displays, and to do last minute adjustments of the plants. Chapter began arriving to purchase plants, either pre-ordered, or ones chose after they arrived. From 9:00 until closing, we had a fairly steady stream of guests. Chapter members helped guests make decisions about what plants would suit their needs and . We got several visitors signing up to become members, and we sold many plants. It would have been a perfect day, IF the weather-man hadn’t predicted rain, and IF we hadn’t received “hurricane” strength winds blowing the sand from the empty lot on the south of the sale. The plants didn’t seem to mind the sandblasting as much as the pretty greeting cards that Eve Lager makes from photos that she, or her dad takes, and some that she paints from the photos. Her leftover cards went home with about a pound of sand that somehow got inside of their envelopes. The only thing the rest of us could do was pick up flyers that blew off the tables, and hang on to the sales ticket books long enough write up purchases, and hang on to dollar bills until we could stuff them into the cash box. (It would have made a interesting “I Love Lucy” episode.) If we had been compensation, it would have been “hazardous duty pay”, but I think most of us had a pretty good time, in spite of the weather. I want to personally thank all who worked on the sale, checking in plants, and working all the different tasks that arose on the day of the sale. In addition, I want 'to thank those who braved the weather to come and plants from us, visited with us, or signed up to us. It was fun talking with everyone who attended. [thanks to Don & Yvonne Turkal for supplying the photos] 4 It is a chance to show off our Kern local plants and diverse field trips, as well as letting the State representatives know that we are more than just a hot spot on the freeway, with lots of oil wells. Chapter Council is made up of the Presidents or Chapter Representatives for the thirty-plus different State Chapters. There will be a banquet, with guest speaker, as well as awards and great food. The whole community is welcome to attend the banquet, (as well as Chapter Members are welcome to sit-in on the meetings) and I hope we can use the event to celebrate together our Kern Chapter. Please mark the dates on your calendars. The meeting is June 3 rd thru 5 th , with the banquet on June 4 th . Field trips will also be scheduled around that time, and all are welcome to attend those, too. The only event which has a cost will be the banquet, and the cost has not yet been established, but we will work hard to make if affordable. We accepted the responsibility for hosting this event last June, and have begun the planning process. If you are interested in working on one of the many committees needed for this to turn out a great event, please email me (Done, again). Hours and depth of participation are flexible. Please give it a try! Chapter Council Meeting June 3-5, 2011 Bakersfield, CA In Memory of Mary Ellen Warters Mary Ellen Warters died of COPD in the care of hospice on the Friday before our plant sale. She was 84 years old. A graduate of the U of Minnesota, she had a PhD in Entomology. She taught natural sciences at Oberlin College, and had graduate students working with her. After she came to Bakersfield in the late 70's, Mary Ellen worked as a computer programmer for Tenneco. She was an avid birder in Iowa and member of Audubon and kept birds at her home in many outdoor aviaries. Mary Ellen was most passionate about pigeons, but was always ready to rescue and care for any wild bird. She had been an active member of Kern CNPS from our founding. Mary Ellen was involved in many aspects of our plant sales for many years. She raised plants for the sale, stored our left over plants in her lath house, and kept the lists of plants to purchase year after year. She served on our Board for 5 years as Plant Community Chair, and attended meetings regularly, courtesy of Laura. Her garden was the first visited on our Tour of Native Gardens. Those of us who have known Mary Ellen for years will miss her sharp mind, quick smile, and eagerness to help. Are You A Long Time Member? Stacey Flowerdew, Membership & Development Coordinator for CNPS, would like to fill in some missing information in the State's database. The 'join date' is missing from some of the long-time members (20+ years). If you are a long-time member and remember when you joined (or can make a good guess) please send me the info so I can pass it along. Stephen Cooley mimulusmemo@bak.rr.com CONTACT INFO president: Dorie Giragosian dorenairaaosian@peoplepc.conn past-president: Lucy Clark Iucyg391 @gmail.com newsletter/website: Stephen Cooley mimulusmemo@bak.rr.com WELCOME NEW MEMBERS! David Woolard Joanne Hamilton Sharon Ithurralde Amy Kuritsubo Ginger Moorhouse Martina Pernicano Liliana Rosendo Matthew Woodman Chelsea Keith William Moffat Billie Dreyfuss Erin Tennant Erin Whitfield Sandra Soles Lisa Stroud Rob McCarthy David Selzam 5 Do You Know This Plant? Delp hinium purpusii Brandegee by Chelsea Keith Kern County Larkspur, (a.k.a Rose Flowered Larkspur) is an herbaceous .perennial forb that grows from 2.3 to 3.3 feet tall. The light green, 2.75 to |3.5 inch, palmate leaves of this species can be found mostly on the lower half of the plant. In bloom April through May, the inflorescences of this ^species are a loose raceme, with five to twenty flowers. The five, narrow, 1/4 to 3/8 inch, curled, rose pink sepals meet in a 1/2 to 5/8 inch spur at the back iof the flower. The flower has four 1/4 inch petals, the upper being whitish and >the lower matching the rose pink of the sepals. The fruit of this species is k oblong with an upright follicle 3/8 inch to 1 1/8 inches in length. The shiny, ■’black seeds are 1/8" long. This gorgeous plant is endemic to California, and uncommonly occurs in Kern and Inyo counties. It grows in talus and on dry rocky slopes where the Sierra Nevada meets the Mojave Desert, at an elevation of 960 to 4288 feet. This adorable larkspur can be found in the cismontane woodlands, piny on-juniper woodlands, and chaparral plant communities. Kern County Larkspur has been documented in several locations along the Kern River Canyon. It can also be found at Inspiration Point Botanical Area , and Bodfish Piute Cypress Botanical Area . Additional known locations of Rose Flowered Larkspur can be found at www. calflora. com . Rose Flowered Larkspur is included in the CNPS Rare and Endangered list IB. 3. While it is not found outside of its range, it is not currently endangered. Kern County Larkspur is difficult to cultivate, as it has complex needs. This larkspur requires excellent drainage, and rocky soil that may also need amendment with carbon. It should be given an absence of summer water and set away from water loving plants. In addition, it should be placed in a location with full to part shade (some morning and winter sun may be tolerated). Look it up for more pictures, and watch for it on field trips! ©2005 Bren! New Vocabulary: Cismontane Woodland: “Dominated by broad-leaved trees, 7- 20m tall, varying from nearly closed forests on moist and/or fine-textured soils. Valley and Foothill Grassland species predominate in the openings between the trees; other herbaceous species characterize the shaded areas. Open savannas, almost entirely of Quercus garryana, and very similar in aspect to Valley Oak Woodland, may occur in valley bottoms. The dominate trees include evergreen, winter-deciduous and summer- deciduous species, but with fewer scerophyllous trees than Mixed Evergreen Forest. Winter is characterized by germination of annual understory species; flowering of these species and leafing out of most deciduous trees occur in spring. In summer the trees grow at reduce rates and the annual herbs die.” (biogeog.ucsb.edu) Endemic: “restricted or peculiar to a locality or region (Merriam -Webster Online). Follicle: “A dry dehiscent one-celled many-seeded fruit (as of the milkweed) that has a single carpel and opens along one suture” (Merriam -Webster Online). Inflorescence: “1 . a: the mode of development and arrangement of flowers on an axis b : a floral axis with its appendages; also', a flower cluster (Merriam -Webster Online). Raceme: “: a simple inflorescence (as in the lily of the valley) in which the flowers are borne on short stalks of about equal length at equal distances along an elongated axis and open in succession toward the apex” (Merriam -Webster Online). Sepal: Sepals (collectively called the calyx) are modified leaves that encase the developing flower. They are sterile floral parts and may be either green or leaf like or composed of petal like tissue. (Britannica Online). Talus: “1 : a slope formed especially by an accumulation of rock debris 2: rock debris at the base of a cliff “ (Merriam -Webster Online). 6 I just finished the first version of the Flora of Kings County, California. It is very short and there are only 350 taxa known to occur in that San Joaquin Valley county. Spread the word, increase the species richness of this depauparate county by botanizing it soon and adding to the botanical knowledge of this poorly collected county. You can download the flora, all 8 pages, from the Sespe Institute's website: http://sespeinstitute.com . along with other interesting stuff, like terrestrial snails. David L. Magney, CEO Sespe Institute, Inc., P.O. Box 1346 Ojai, CA 93024 805/646-6045 FLORA of KINGS COUNTY California Invasive Plant Council: Map the Spread to Stop the Spread In 2006-2008 Cal-IPC mapped the existing distribution of all species in the Cal-IPC Inventory by county and Jepson floristic region. In 2010-2011 we’re continuing to map at a finer resolution (7.5 minute USGS quadrangles). The keystone of this effort is to gather a group of local botanists and land managers and map their expert knowledge. We’re seeking input from CNPS volunteers with strong botanical skills and a regional knowledge of invasive plant distribution. Come participate in our data gathering meetings! Our meetings have been informative and collaborative, with palpable excitement about the final mapping products. The outcomes of this project will enable users to answer questions like: What’s here , What’s on the move , What’s on the way. What s ripe for eradication and What s ripe for containment. To participate, please contact your chapter's invasive species or conservation coordinator (if applicable) or email ma pping@cal-ipc.org visit www.calweedmapper.org for more information. MAP the SPREAD! Flora & Natural History of the Southern Sierra July 3-9, 2011 Don’t miss this amazing botany workshop that will teach us about the flora and natural history of the Golden Trout Wilderness, Cottonwood Lakes rBasin and the John Muir Wilderness. Spend the week exploring high Sierra alpine habitats. I Daily guided hikes and interpretive talks will be led by our experienced trip leaders. Lectures, ▼ slide shows and an opportunity to key plants with dissecting scopes will fill the evenings. We will see an abundance of wildflowers in alpine meadows and encounter endemic plant species while taking in the incredible Sierran vistas. Plant, animal and bird lists will be provided. The camp is at 10,000 ft., three miles from trailhead parking. Pack animals can be arranged to get your gear into the area. Sleeping tent cabins are dormitory style with canvas cots and 4-6 people in each tent. A central cooking and dining log cabin is used for eating and gathering. An outdoor wash stand is available for brushing teeth and washing. Showers with hot water are available at certain times. Meals are provided, but guests must carry in their own sleeping bags and personal belongings. You may also set up your own tent. Instructors: Tim Thomas, Pam McKay and Paul Collins Workshop Organizer: Susan D'Alcamo Registration deadline: March 15, 2011 Cost: $525.00 ( includes meals from Sunday dinner to Saturday lunch ) For more information contact: Susan D’Alcamo: sdalcamo@calacademy.org An Email from The Tejon Ranch Conservancy I know some of you have heard but I wanted to pass along the attached press release announcing the California Wildlife Conservation Board’s decision to fund the conservation easements across the five Acquisition Areas on Tejon Ranch. You all contributed to collecting baseline information that we used to build the case for conserving these lands and that will be incorporated into the Easement Documentation Reports that we are preparing to finalize the transactions. Needless to say we couldn’t have done it without you. We especially would like to thank all of the citizen scientists that volunteered their time. Please pass on our gratitude to the rest of the folks in your organizations that I may have missed on this email. Best regards, Michael White, Ph.D. Conservation Science Director Tejon Ranch Conservancy The press release can be viewed at: www.tejonranchconservancy.org/news/detail/Tejongrant/index.html 7 KERN COUNTY RARE PLANT REPORT Delphinium recurvatum Recurved, Valley, or Alkali Larkspur as Ernest Twisselmann called it, is “occasional, in wet years relatively common, in the alkali sinks and plains in the valley south to Goose lake...” (Our field trip is to the Semitropic Preserve, which surrounds Goose Lake.) The sepals of Recurved Larkspur are light blue and generally reflexed; the lower petals are white. The Jepson Manual reports that it grows in “Poorly drained, fine, alkaline soils in grasslands and Atriplex scrub;” at 30 to 600 m elevation. Jepson calls it RARE; it is listed CNPS 1.B.2, meaning rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere; fairly threatened in CA. It has been harmed by habitat conversion to agriculture and grazing, and is less common than it was in Twisselmann’s day. The mission of the California Native Plant Society is to conserve California native plants and their natural habitats, and increase understanding, appreciation, and horticultural use of native plants. NOlLLICm lLHNHHlLNI 8 moo •jj , 5[nq@omomsqnuiim iojipg 4 Xojoo 3 uoqdois % -raidRio Aiunoo ura>i - s