We are gardeners but we can also wear other hats! Conservationist! Restoration specialist! Education! Preservation supporter!

While researching family histories I was curious as to the ecosystems, both in pre-European and post European times, encountered as ancestors moved from east to west, through the soon to be territories, states, and counties.  As Master Gardeners we know that there are gardening basics, but within each state and each county there will be very differing climates in which native plants adapt and thrive.

A description from a ‘History of Hamilton County, Indiana' brought me up short and encapsulated the drastic and overwhelming changes that have occurred in what truly is the blink of an eye in historical time.

LEVELING THE FORESTS

After the first settlement was well-established the industrious farmers began to cut their way back into the dense forest and by slow but steady degrees to transform this vast, dreary wilderness into the beautiful country it is today. They struck out boldly in all directions … here and there over the township* sprang into life the busy villages … a network of gravel roads replaced the Indian trail… Where once the Indian hunted and his campfires gleamed, the waving fields of corn, oats, rye, and wheat now flourish abundantly, while orchards of apples, plums and peaches lend their charm to the picture.

*township was an area of land that was divided into acreages around villages.

This perfectly described the European settlement hubris and the presumption of ‘Manifest Destiny' of the western movement.

Thinking locally my thoughts then turned to how much have we lost? How much can we conserve? How much can we restore? What have we protected? Can we as gardeners contribute?

How much have we lost? Much of the California landscape has been affected but there are many projects that contribute to the preservation of our original ecosystems. One local example is the Yolo Bypass.

California has lost millions of acres of wetlands that used to be across the valley floor. As we have built and farmed, we have diverted streams, dried out marshlands and built dams that have reduced the support system of wetland plants and water for the Pacific Flyway, which is the west coast migration route for birds from the Artic to the tip of South America. I love to hear the call of the geese and ducks as they pass overhead, for me that is the sign that fall is here. This is a great source for information on how wetlands work and why they are important. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/dcfa9c9fa6464e89a45924a4ebec5a15#

What have we restored? “The Yolo Basin was once nearly 80,000-acre wetland teeming with wildlife from herds of tule elk roaming its marshes to dense clouds of migratory waterfowl seeking winter food and shelter. Over time, the basin has been profoundly altered by human activity.” We drive over the causeway back and forth in our busy lives while just below us is the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, https://yolobasin.org/yolobypasswildlifearea/ a wonderful conservation project that supports the Pacific Flyway. “The Bypass is a key component of the habitat restoration planned as part of the Cal/Fed Bay Delta Accord process now underway and is a vital element of the Central Valley Habitat Joint Venture's habitat restoration goals. The Foundation is an important local player in implementing these many plans.”

This is a wonderful place to visit and there is nothing more magical than the large flocks of redwing blackbirds with their burbling calls as they flit in the reeds.

A gardener can't build a Pacific Flyway but we can build a pond to provide habitat for dragonflies and damselflies and provide a water source for native bees and birds.

Yolo Gardener Summer 2019 “My First Wildlife Pond

https://vms-mg.ucanr.edu/files/mg/documents/6215The%5FYolo%5FGardener80452.pdf

What have we protected?

The Central Valley used to be home to many vernal pool ecosystems (seasonal lakes that exist only in the winter and spring) locally we have Jepson Prairie just a short drive to Dixon. These Vernal Pools of the Jepson Prairie Reserve provide wetland habitat for migratory waterfowl and wading birds and is home to 5 rare and endangered animals.  Altogether over 400 species and 64 families of plants, including 15 rare and endangered plants. I have been on several docent led tours and I always marvel at the lifecycles of both the flora, fauna and insect life.

https://naturalreserves.ucdavis.edu/jepson-prairie

Reflection on a Vernal Pool  by Willa Pettygrove

https://vms-mg.ucanr.edu/files/mg/documents/6215The%5FYolo%5FGardener69778.pdf 

Can we as gardeners contribute?

As gardeners are we accepting our local climate? There are many plants that are exquisitely beautiful, such as azaleas and rhododendrons, but they don't belong here. Our soil is alkaline – they love acidic soil; we have a dry hot summer climate – they love moisture and cool temperatures. We are even pushing it to grow redwoods, they thrive in the forest environment, and they can uptake 160 gallons of water per day in the dry summer months and actually receive 40% of their moisture requirements from the fog as it condenses on the canopy and drips to the forest floor.

Here are some places where information and plants are available so that when you add to or redesign an old garden it is a more complimentary selection of plants that will be happy in our climate. By planting natives, we provide sustenance and habitat for the great variety of native insects, birds and pollinators of our region.

1)      The Putah Creek Watershed Native Reserve is a great example of a fairly new project with careful consideration of the local CA Native plants of the area. The site is divided into three areas that are examples of native plants found in the surrounding watershed area of Putah Creek. “The goal is to educate community members on attractive species they can use to replace their lawn, to provide a seed collection source for the nursery and a place to experiment with propagation and weed control.”https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/efcc7294662b4cfb92c72283ceff8715

2)      UC Davis Arboretum – a wonderful place to walk and see plants in all seasons making it easy to decide if a plant is too big, too small or the ideal Goldilocks plant for a certain place in your garden. The website has both general plant information https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu and detailed information on Climate Ready Gardening https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/climate-ready-toolkit.

3)      The California Native Plant Society has a chapter in Sacramento. The SacValley Chapter's Homegrown Habitat initiative promotes increased individual, community, and civic engagement in the effort to significantly increase the number of native plants in landscapes to support wildlife habitat and ecosystem. They also have a newsletter that is full of information, you do not need to be a member to receive the newsletter. https://www.sacvalleycnps.org

We, as gardeners, and our gardens, are examples to others walking or driving by, we can educate and teach by example the wonderful CA Natives and plants from other similar regions that will thrive here.