DECEMBER 2013 Pipevine Newsletter of the Mount Lassen Chapter CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY General Meeting DECEMBER 4, 2013 Wednesday 7:30 pm Butte County Library, Chico Presented by KRISTINA SCHIERENBECK Professor of Biology California State University, Chico of California’s Unique Plant Landscapes Kristina has been a professor of botany for 20 years and member of CNPS for 33 years. Prior to her academic life she worked for the US Forest Service and in environmental consulting. She is a fifth generation Californian and has spent her child- and adult- hood roaming California and marveling at its many geological and biotic riches. She lives in Chico with her husband Jim and has two children, Angela, in San Francisco and Celia in Chicago. D etailed examination of the evolution of ancient, recent, native, and migrating plants and animals on the landscape, and in total, sheds light on the major and minor evolutionary events that shaped California. This presentation will interpret the evolutionary history of plant and animal life in California in a geological context, along with describing the regional patterns that emerged. Life history (dispersal, reproduction) and ecology (habitat specialization, competition, predation, migra- tion, availability and connectedness of habitat) play important roles. The evolutionary history provides a context for conservation through- out the biogeographic provinces that roughly define California, as well as being a wonderful story of natural history. Top - Riparian aspens in sagebrush shrubland, a semi-arid rainshadow landscape. Bottom - Hemlock, fir and pine in an upper montane landscape in Lassen Park. Photos by Jim Bishop Ml Wes Dempsey and Gerry Ingco, Co-chairs CSU, CHICO CAMPUS AND BIDWELL MANSION TREES December 5 Thursday Meet in front of Bidwell Mansion at 1 0 am for a 2-hour fall color walk to see about 30 of the trees that date back to the founding of the university. This is the 125th anniver- sary of the campus and a surprising number of the trees date back to those times. Still around are several on the Mansion grounds like turkey oak, Yulan magnolia, Eng- lish laurel, windmill palm and others. In front of Butte Hall is a striking row of European linden and further along the last six American chestnuts. Participants can park at the Bidwell Mansion. Leaders: Gerry Ingco 530-893-5123 and Wes Dempsey 530-342-2293. HAPPY NEW YEAR! NORTH RIDGE BANANA BELT SCRAMBLE UPPER BIDWELL PARK, CHICO January 1 Wednesday Meet at Horseshoe Lake parking area (lot E) in Upper Bidwell Park at 10 am with lunch, water, and hiking gear. We will climb up Monkeyface to see the first of the new year’s flowers, like buckbrush, common manzanita, and blue dicks. On cold, clear, windless nights it is 10 de- grees warmer up there (banana belt) so we have a bet- ter chance of seeing flowers. We will have lunch in an Maidu cave having a cozy southern exposure. About 2 1/2 miles. Leaders: Gerry Ingco 530-893-5123 and Wes Dempsey 530-342-2293. Laetiporus sulphureus Gerry Ingco reports: This is a description of the yellow shelf-like fruting body (left) seen on the mid trunk area of an old Califor- nia bay laurel tree at the Green Gate (Ten Mile House) beside Highway 32, 7 miles NE of Chico Park & Ride (Hwys 32/99) on November 2, 2013. Photos by Steve Overlook. Laetiporus is a genus of edible mushrooms found through- out much of the world. Laetiporus sulphureus is com- monly known as sulphur shelf, chicken of the woods, or the chicken mushroom - because many think they taste like chicken. Individual “shelves” range from 2-10 inches across and are made up of many tiny tubular filaments (hyphae). The mushroom grows in large brackets - some have been found that weigh over 100 lbs. It is most com- monly found on wounds of trees, mostly oak, though it is also frequently found on eucalyptus, yew, willow, and conifers. Laetiporus produce brown rot in the host on which they grow. Young fruiting bodies are characterized by a moist, rubbery, sulphur-yellow to orange body sometimes with bright orange tips. Older brackets become pale and brittle, almost chalk like, mildly pungent, and are often dotted with beetle or slug/woodlouse holes. The sulphur shelf mushroom sometimes comes back year after year when the weather suits its sporulation preferences. From late spring to early autumn, the sulphur shelf thrives, mak- ing it a boon to mushroom hunters and a bane to those concerned about the health of their trees. en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Laetiporus_sulphureus 2 . The Pipevine December 2013 THE NEXT Executive Board Meeting will be on January 15, 2014 General Meeting will be on February 5, 2014 and the Pipevine will be the February issue HAPPY HOLIDAYS President’s Message by Suellen Rowlison, President M y year as President of Mount Lassen Chapter has just whizzed by thanks to a wonderful Executive Board and Chairs. Our members are enthusiastic to do their part and get the word out to preserve California flora. The ML- Chapter will continue with another set of great officers, listed in this Pipevine. By the time you read this, MLC members and other volunteers will have come together on a landscape workday to help a Habitat For Humanity recipient do pruning, raking, weeding and planting a few natives in her yard. Look for a report in the next issue of the Pipevine. Perhaps, this will lead to a new endeavor to help Habitat for Humanity to establish native plants in the landscaping of new builds. All of the programs and field trips have been outstanding this past year and previous years, too. Thank you to all the officers and chairpersons and members for their enthusiasm and hard work. But, I have a special appeal as we head into 2014: An EDUCATION CHAIR and committee are needed. Do you have some ideas of how to promote the knowledge and use of native plants in residential gardens and around your town or county? Now is an excellent time to volunteer, as CNPS has just hired a Horticulture Program Director, Susan Krzywicki, who is also chair of the San Diego chapter gardening committee. Another resource is Josie Crawford, Education Program Director, who spoke to us at our October MLC General meeting. Check out cnps.org and click on Education for more ideas and resources. You can take this committee any direction you want in working with schools or communities. Please, respond to me or any of the officers or chairs if you are interested. Thank you for the opportunity to serve. Of course, I continue on as Past President in 2014. Legislative Notes by David Anderson SALVAGE LOGGING BILLS MEET OPPOSITION A s a result of the devastating wildfires throughout the West in 2013, H.R. 1526 and a number of related bills have been introduced in Congress by logging interests to authorize or require salvage logging of burned federal forest lands. One bill (H.R. 3188), which has now been incorporated as an amend- ment to H.R. 1526, mandates that salvage timber sales proceed immediately and to completion throughout the 400 square mile area of the Yosemite Rim Fire. The salvaging operation would be conducted notwithstanding any other provision of law and without any administrative or judicial review. As reported in our Enterprise Record newspaper on November 3 (and in many other papers), a group of more than 200 envi- ronmental scientists, headed by Dominick DellaSala of Geos Institute, Ashland Oregon, have sent a group letter to Congress urging defeat of the salvage logging proposals. The scientists say that post-fire habitats are ecological treasures rather than catastrophes and that burned landscape plays a critical role in forest regeneration. Further, they point out that the post fire com- munity is one of the most ecologically important and bio diverse habitat types in western conifer forests. The good news is that the White House has threatened a veto in the unlikely event that the Senate passes H.R. 1 526. It is fortunate that these salvage logging bills became the subject of public com- ment and criticism. In the past many such bills have been buried as riders in budget bills and have escaped critical review. MOUNT LASSEN CHAPTER 2014 Elected Officers The following names have been elected for Mount Lassen Chapter 2014 Executive Board Officers The election was held at the General Meeting on November 6, 2013 President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Members-at-Large CAT IE BISHOP JANNA LATHROP ANN ELLIOTT JOHN MEEHAN HESH KAPLAN PAUL MOORE KARROLYNN YELLS RON COLEY Thank you Suellen! The Pipevine December 2013 3. MOUNT LASSEN CHAPTER IW 13 3^?]? Ill by Janna Lathrop, Events Chair HOME AND GARDEN SHOW O n October 26 - 27 we had an information table at the Chico Home and Garden Show at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds, courtesy of the Chico Horticulture Club. THANK YOU to Ellen Copeland, Suellen Rowlison, Elizabeth Tice and Cindy Weiner for being the welcoming faces. Special thanks to Zeb and Floral Native Nursery providing the native plants for our table. HARVEST FESTIVAL NATIVE PLANT SALE UPDATE by Steve Overlook, Yahi Trail Chair G ood to report that the Yahi Trail is now free and clear from the start to end. Thank you Rodrigo, Edgar, Meryl, John and Woody. It was a group effort that went smoothly and accom- plished in 4 hours what would have taken 8 hours for one or two to do. Thank you all and we thank the Park Administration for the privilege to access the trail via automobile. Next trail session will be in one to two months depending on the weather, please watch the Pipevine for dates. G iant THANK YOU to all those who helped make our native plant sale at the Farm City Celebration, at the Bidwell Man- sion on November 2, a success. THANK YOU to our plant donors: Floral Native Nursery, The Plant Barn, Native Springs Nurs- ery, Jim Dempsey, Paula Shapiro, and Cindy Weiner for their generous plant donations. The help before, during and after the sale contrib- uted to our successful day. THANK YOU Jim and Catie Bishop, John Meehan, Paula Shapiro, Woody and Ann Elliott, Nathan Lathrop, Henry Schleiger, Karrolynn Yells, Susie Cunningham and Suellen Rowlinson for helping at the tables and (Paula says) especially Janna Lathrop for taking charge this year. Special thanks to MLC members who stopped by and bought a plant or two. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful time was had by all. Deer in the Native Plant Garden at the Chico Creek Nature Center. Oct 18, 2013 Photo by Kelsey Taylor Yahi Trail workers - John Meechan, Steve Overlock, Meryl Bond, Rodrigo Ayala, Edgar Nava and Woody Elliott. Oct 27, 2013 HOSPITALITY THANKS YOU by KarroLynn Yells Hospitality Chair THANK YOU, Ron and Kathie Coley for providing goodies for the November 6, 2013 General Meeting. But help is needed during the coming year. Are you good at making goodies? Well then we need you to bake and bring goodies to the General Meetings. There is a sign-up sheet just waiting for you and it is located at the Hospitality Table. Please sign up to bring goodies. Your help is greatly appreci- ated. There are several months left open where a lovely baker could provide dessert. The months are April and May of 2014. Thank You 4. The Pipevine December 2013 MULTI-TALENTED VOLUNTEER THANKS WOODY! by Catie Bishop, Vol. Recognition Chair I t’s time again to celebrate and recognize someone who has done so much for the Chapter. Woody Elliott has been active in the Chapter since 1 996. Even when he was busy in his job as ecologist for the California State Parks, Woody found the time to attend board meetings and provide expert advice and hands on help. He has been our liaison to the State Parks including the Bidwell Mansion which we have used for meetings and plant sales. Woody has been Treasurer, Vice President, President, and Secretary, and is currently our Conservation Chair, Programs Co-chair, and member of the Volunteer Recognition Committee. He promoted and manages the Chapter website. Our Chap- ter paparazzo is responsible for many of the great photos of our events and fieldtrips. Woody has led fieldtrips including to Feather Falls and the State Parks property in the Sutter Buttes. He has staffed tables, offered his home for meetings, and his yard has been featured in the Native Garden Tour. In short, he is one of those people all organizations are happy and proud to have as a member. He gives much of his time, and not a little money, in furthering the cause of native plant con- servation. It has been a real boost to the Chapter to have this multi-talented person as an active member. CNPS HAS A NEW HORTICULTURE PROGRAM DIRECTOR E xciting news: for the first time in our history, the California Native Plant Society now has a fulltime staff Horticul- ture Program Director! CNPS sought a Horticulture Program Director who can help chart the course of California’s oldest na- tive plant gardening program, and ultimately selected Susan Krzywicki. Susan comes from our San Diego chapter, where she helped to grow that chapter’s amazing horticulture program. She worked to build a successful garden tour, deliver training symposia, and otherwise engage thousands of San Diegans in growing native plants. While doing all this, Susan has also helped other groups (such as Surfrider Foundation, San Diego County Water Author- ity, and Port of San Diego) in their work adopting and promoting California native plant horticulture. CNPS has worked for decades to grow interest in gardening and landscaping with California native plants. This is one of our key- note successes. Now, the Horticulture Program is ramping up, and we are looking forward to input from members throughout the state. If you want to learn more about the program or have suggestions, please email Susan at skrzywicki@cnps.org. WELCOME SUSAN! Photo by Bob Hoffman NEW MEMBERS 2013 Kim Spencer Anne Krause O For information about becoming a member of MOUNT LASSEN CHAPTER CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY contact Membership Chair KarroLynn Yells 530-534-3551, KarroLynnY@att.net or use the application on last page of this newletter The Pipevine December 2013 5. NATIVE PLANTS for the Garden FULL CIRCLE: NATIVE PLANT WREATHS FOR THE HOLIDAYS by Jennifer Jewell I t is nearly December. While first frost has not arrived as I write, it is threatening nightly. The air is crisp, the deciduous trees and shrubs are on the last run of their circle through the seasons - turning their autumnal colors, closing down their systems and pulling their energies into the deepest parts of themselves. Dried, fallen although many still colorful leaves drift across sidewalks and gardens. The garden looks sleepy and settled in the low light of early winter. We have all come full circle through another year of life, while not perhaps a perfect or perfectly smooth circle by any means, we have still once again come all the way back around. It’s time to make wreaths and greens from the bounty of our gardens to celebrate the circle of the seasons. Wreaths date back to ancient Greece and Rome when ring-shaped head pieces were made using fresh leaves, small fruits & flowers. The word wreath comes to us from the greek Diadema, “a thing bound around.” In the Christian tradition, evergreen wreath-mak- ing began well before the common era to symbolize perseverance through dark winter. Wreaths and swags made from seasonal greens, bright berries, win- ter fruits, and sculptural cones have long been associated with the winter holidays - with brightening shortened days and long nights, with the universal hope for the return of the light, and symbolic wishes of prosperity for the coming fresh start of the new year. We are not alone in loving the rich look and the iconic form of the wreath. According to Adrienne Edwards, with whom I will be leading a native plant wreath workshop for the Chico State Herbarium on December 7, 2013 (http://www.csuchico.edu/biol/Herb/workshops/ Wreath_Workshop_12-7-13.pdf): “Wreaths have been created since ancient times to represent the virtues, harvests and cycles of many cultures and religions. The Greeks used oak leaves to symbolize wisdom. Hollies have been used in wreaths since at least the late Middle Ages to symbolize eternity and new life.” 6 . The Pipevine December 2013 through the Seasoms We native plant lovers and gardeners are particularly blessed with bounty when it comes to choices for natural seasonal trimmings. Your options are almost endless and to let your own creativity flow is half the fun. From the simple and serene, to the abundant and layered, from a small wreath at the base of a candle to large exterior front door or garden gate creations, your native plant garden can provide you with the beauty you need to celebrate the year coming full circle inside as well as out. You can start with a traditional evergreen base made from a variety of evergreens: conifers - redwoods, cedars, firs, pines; or broadleaf evergreens such as Howard McMinn or Emerald Carpet Manzanita trimmings work well also. Just these materials all on their own shaped into a wreath make simple, sophisticated adornments, so you could easily stop right here. Or, you can go the route of the full cornucopia of native plant delights and accent a large evergreen base to your heart’s content. Myriad cone sizes and forms from large sugar pine cones, to tiny little cones plucked from bare alder branches can be wired all around or at just one point (top, bottom, to one side) on your wreath. You can add bright red-twig dogwood (Cornus sericea) branches, or antler-like bare bleached Man- zanita branches all around the wreath, or again just as accents at one point. You can add the texture, fragrance and color contrast of sprays of white sage, which even dry will remain fragrant for far longer than the current season. You can add wired acorns and glossy mahogany buckeyes, and you can brighten up any of the above with clusters of bright red toyon berries or white mistletoe. The days may be short, they may even be cold and gray, but the gifts of the seasons come full circle when your native plants add beauty and cheer to the ringing out of this circled season and the heralding in of the coming one. Simple Wreaths (top) red-berried toyon, (middle) Emerald Carpet Manzanita, (bottom) native California bay. The Pipevine December 2013 7. A VERY FINE ACTOR THE ASTER B rowsing around in the autumn dry weed patches and rock rubble of a riverside-field one October 25th day, at a time when salmon were splashing and the cottonwood leaves were turning yellow in Oroville, CA, I confronted a most beautiful cluster of California asters. In those botanical name- changer scientific circles, we now have the ungainly genus name of Symphyotrichum to contend with when speaking of the simple aster. At least Vern Oswald, in his book, “Vascular Plants of Butte County,” used Aster in recording the 11 species of Butte County. by Rex Burress The lovely lavender “stars” had exploded from seemingly dead dry stems to put some glory in the brown field like they had been held in reserve to feed the bees and rep- resent future flowers of springtime. It is not for me to say why or how they had waited so long to bloom, or where they had found the moisture to rise from a season of sun- baked soil. Henry David Thoreau said of asters in 1856: “You thought Nature had about wound up her affairs; you had seen what she could do this year, and had not noticed a few weeds by the roadside, or mistook them for the remains of sum- mer flowers now hastening to their fall; you thought you knew every twig and leaf by the roadside and nothing more was to be looked for there; and now to your surprise, the ditches are crowded with millions of little stars.” The asters that Thoreau spoke of were the eastern species, Symphyotrichum laterflorum, formerly Aster late rif torus, or calico aster with varible white or lilac colored ray florets compared to the lavender-hued Feather River species. I had encountered Aster chilensis, or California aster, but they had the same small star shape as the eastern variety. Aster is from a Greek word meaning star, due to the out- spread ray florets that close at night on many species. The rays produce pollen and act as an attraction and ‘landing strip’ for incoming insects, while the central yellowish disc florets composing the corolla is the seed-heart of asters. The pleasant species term, ‘Aster,’ (no relationship to Esther or Easter except for sharing purple hues) has been widely used to replace the traditional Compositae or Sunflower Family name, which has become the Asteraceae Family. Whatever the scientific jargon-rip-rap, it is gratifying to be able to encounter lovely aster blossoms in the autumn and see the lingering relationship with insects. Actually, October in Oroville features a lot of color, both from native and introduced flowering plants and from deciduous leaves. Wild fuchsia blossoms glow scarlet among the river rocks, and even the alien red-flowered eucalyptus erupts in pink down by the riverside to excite the hummingbirds well into winter. By November 1st, I checked the circular patch and the flowers were changing into little round parachute puffs that would lift with the wind and carry the seeds to a new destination. With nearly 500,00 species of flowering plants on earth, and over 2,000 species in Butte County, it strains the vocabulary of even botanical experts to understand the abundant distribution of species, and to explain the creation and evolution of plants. There are about 23,000 species of Asteraceae alone, rivaled only by the Orchid Family, and includes such useful things as lettuce, artichoke, sunflowers (what would baseball be without players spitting sunflower hulls?), safflower, and Jerusalem artichokes [Helianthus tuberosus ], which is neither from Jerusalem nor is it an artichoke! Somehow H. tuberosus grew in the corner of my garden this year, shooting up seven feet before I pulled them down. Revealed were grotesque-looking tubers resembling gin- seng. What does tuberosus have in common with asters? They, too, have the sunflower family ray and disc florets. Although some 250 species of asters grow around the world, at least 150 are natives of North America, with 75 species found east of the Rockies. They have been prevalent for at least 49- million-years, according to fossil finds. “With daffodils mad footnotes for the spring, And asters purple asterisks for autumn.” --Conrad Aiken 8 . The Pipevine December 2013 FRIENDS of the HERBARIUM Officers & Chairs Wreath Making with Native Plants Workshop December 7, 2013 1- 4 pm in 129 Holt Hall, CSU, Chico Bring native plant beauty and cheer into your holiday season. Learn about native plants and preserve them in a naturally fra- grant native plant wreath. Instructors: Jennifer Jewell is a garden writer, photographer and creator of “In a Northstate Garden” and Outreach Coordinator for Gateway Science Museum; Adrienne Edwards is a botanist, ecologist and arborist who teaches at Chico State, consults on environmental issues, develops educational materials, and designs native plant restorations. Registration fee is $35 or $45 to make two wreaths. Contact the CSU, Chico Biol- ogy Office at (530)898-5356 orjbraden@csuchico.edu. Detailed descriptions and forms are available on the Chico State Herbarium website: www.csuchico.edu/biol/Herb/Events.html NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BOTANISTS 2014 SYMPOSIUM Northern California Plant Life: Botany for a Changing World O n January 13-14, 2014, the Northern California Botanists will be presenting a two-day symposium to be held at the Bell Memorial Union at California State University, Chico. The symposium will include topics ranging from alpine ecology to Northern California botanical discoveries, and a third day of workshops to choose from. The symposium will also include an evening reception and banquet with keynote speaker Da- vid Ackerly of the University of California, Berkeley, addressing “Climate Change and Conservation”. The symposium is open to anyone: botanical enthusiasts, professionals and students. www.norcalbotanists.org Keep up with MLC Activities on our website and Facebook California Native Plant Society, Mount Lassen Chapter and LIKE US mountlassen.cnps.org facebook ELECTED OFFICERS (530) President SUELLEN ROWLISON suellen@garlic.com 897-0226 Past President PAUL MOORE pmoore@csuchico.edu 343-4287 Vice-President ANGIE TILARO angiechico@gmail.com 896-1882 Secretary JIM BISHOP cjbishop1991@sbcglobal.net Treasurer Members-at-Large JOHN MEEHAN 894-5339 johnmeehan64@gmail.com CAT IE BISHOP cj bishop 1 991 @sbcg lobal.net HESH KAPLAN heshelak@gmail.com MARGO LUND margolund@gmail.com 961-9407 CHAIRS MARION WEER weerhere@sbcglobal.net 872-8575 Conservation WOODY ELLIOTT woodyelliott@gmail.com 342-6053 Education OPEN Invasive Plants SUSAN MASON smason908@gmail.com 892-1666 Field Trips Co-chairs WES DEMPSEY wdempsey@csuchico.edu 342-2293 GERRY INGCO genaroingco@aol.com 893-5123 Membership / Hospitality KARROLYNN YELLS KarroLynnY@att.net 534-3551 Horticulture PAULA SHAPIRO 343-7440 paulashapiro49@gmail.com Newsletter Editor DENISE DEVINE dsrdevine@hotmail.com 345-8444 Programs Co-chairs JIM BISHOP cjbishop1991@sbcglobal.net WOODY ELLIOTT woodyelliott@gmail.com 342-6053 Rare Plants RON COLEY rcoley64@comcast.net 533-1238 Publicity CINDY WEINER 342-7645 wildflowermaven@comcast.net Sales Co-chairs JOHN MEEHAN johnmeehan64@gmail.com ELLEN COPELAND copelande12@yahoo.com 894-5339 Vol. Recognition / Chapter Council Delegate CAT IE BISHOP cj bishop 1 991 @sbcg lobal.net Events JANNALATHROP jlathrop4mlc@comcast.net 636-4547 Yahi Trail STEPHEN OVERLOCK 892-0635 stephenoverlock@sbcglobal.net CCNC Gardens CLAIRE MEEHAN meehanclairel @g mail, com The Pipevine December 2013 9. MOUNT LASSEN CHAPTER CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY P O. BOX 3212 CHICO, CA 95927-3212 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Chico, CA Permit No. 553 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Time Value DECEMBER 2013 issue Phyllis would say Join Today ! MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY I wish to affiliate with the Mount Lassen Chapter renew Name Address City State Zip Phone Email Send Membership Application to: CNPS 2707 K STREET, SUITE 1 SACRAMENTO, CA 95816-5113 mountlassen.cnps.org Student / Limited Income $25 Individual $45 Family / Library $75 Plant Lover $100 Patron $300 Benefactor $600 ' Calendar November 21 - CSUC Tree Tour December 4 - General Meeting 5 - CSUC Tree Tour NO Ex Board Meeting January 1 - Banana Belt, Bidwell Park 13-14 - Nor Cal Botanical Symposim 15 - Ex Board Meeting 22-26 - Snow Goose Festival February 5 - General Meeting 19 - Ex Board Meeting