- Author: Chris M. Webb
The Ventura County Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners Speakers Bureau will present a talk on using native plants in your garden.
The talk will be held on Tuesday March 16, 2010 from 1:30pm to 3:00pm at the Simi Senior Center. The center is located at 3900 Avenida Simi, Simi Valley.
Please contact Vickie Howard to attend this event.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. Within the organization there is a pollinator resource center. The center is a collaboration of the Xerces Society and Neal Williams at the University of California at Davis.
The pollinator resource center provides a lot of great information for everyone. In addition to the basics, the site covers:
- Ways to increase native bee populations at conventional agriculture sites
- A toolkit for organic farmers designed to educate about farming practices to reduce risk and harm to pollinators
- Pollinator habitat management, including prescribed burns and grazing areas
- Ways to increase pollinators in the garden
- The important role parks and golf courses can play in enhancing, restoring and creating habitat for these important creatures
- Resources for teachers
Fact sheets are found in the publication section of the website. They are great sources of information, and some of the links and titles are included below.
Native Pollinators on the farm: What’s in it for the growers? An overview of the contribution native bees make to crop pollination, and their value to agriculture.
Butterfly gardening. Learn how to convert your garden into a paradise for butterflies.
Plants for native bees in California. Learn which plants best support native bees in California.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Invasive species wreak havoc on the environment. When these plants are put in gardens they often spread quickly via seeds or plant fragments that produce new plants. This is especially a problem for people living close to open areas. Once the invasive species enter open areas their populations often explode, taking up precious natural and financial resources.
Invasive species crowd out native vegetation wiping out native plants and destroying the ecological habit of wildlife. Their unbalanced growth can clog up waterways and lead to increased flooding. They often become serious fire hazards. Both flooding and fires are examples of the financial resource expense caused by these species.
So how do you know if you have an invasive plant on or around your property? One of the most popular handouts in the Ventura County UCCE office is the California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) brochure, Don’t plant a pest!. This full color brochure provides background information, photos of common invasive species, and provides examples of substitution that are friendlier to our local ecosystems. All this and much more, including instructions on safely removing invasive plants, can be found on Cal-IPC’s website.
More information about invasive species in our area can be found by checking out UCCE San Diego Carl E. Bell's webpage . He is UC's Regional Advisor - Invasive Plants, serving San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. Mr. Bell was a collaborator on the Don't plant a pest! brochure. Additional publications can be found on his site.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Ventura County UCCE shares hard-working Natural Resources Advisor, Sabrina Drill with Los Angeles County. She has many projects to which she devotes much time . One of them is SAFE (Sustainable And Fire-SafE) Landscapes. This program has Sabrina working and collaborating with a wide base of people and groups throughout our state.
From this collaboration an enormous wealth of knowledge is available at http://groups.ucanr.org/SAFE/index.cfm, or by clicking on the Fire Information button on our home page. At the site you will find many ways to help reduce the possibility of fire damage or destruction to your home and much more.
Many of the suggestions offer other positive outcomes. One such example is using native plants. These plants are not only resistant to fire, but they also take less water, and grow slower. By planting these species around your home, you are reducing the threat of fire, saving water, and time spent on yard maintenance. Suggestions on steps to take throughout the year are broken down by season, helping to reduce the where, what and when panic that often accompanies large projects around the home.
Wildfires are always a danger in Southern California, and anytime is a good time to get started educating yourself and your family on steps to take to minimize the threat of damage and increase safety. Our website is a great place to start.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Dr. Sabrina Drill, our cross-county (LA & Ventura) Natural Resources Advisor has developed guidelines for creating and maintaining fire-safe, environmentally-friendly landscapes in the wildland-urban interface that minimize the use and spread of invasive plants.
The information available on the UCCE Los Angeles County website has the potential to reduce the chances your home will be damaged or destroyed by wildfire. By clicking on the “CLICK HERE to get a copy of the 2009 Ventura County SAFE Landscapes Calendar and Guidebook.” You will find great tips and practical measures to implement around your home that are parsed into small tasks to tackle on a monthly basis. Further links for additional information are available at the bottom of the page.
The Ventura County UCCE office has some copies left of the 2009 fire safe landscaping calendars if you would like a hard copy version. While the year is almost over, the calendar was designed to remove the part that will soon be outdated leaving the great suggestions and tips behind for future reference. Please contact our office if you would like a copy.