The Ironwood Fall/Winter 2021

M A G A Z I N E O F S A N TA B A R B A R A B O TA N I C G A R D E N

V O L U M E 3 0 | FA L L / W I N T E R | 2 0 2 1

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 1

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Contents

IRONWOOD Volume 30 | Fall/Winter | 2021 Editor-In-Chief: Jaime Eschette Editors: Taylor Keefer and Kaile Katsumoto Designer: Kathleen Kennedy Staff Contributors: Steve, Windhager, Ph.D., Denise Knapp, Ph.D, Heather Schneider, Ph.D., Joe Rothleutner, Scot Pipkin, Jaime Eschette, Taylor Keefer, Michelle Cyr, Christina Varnava, Kevin Mason Guest Contributors: Puja Batra, Ph.D, David Starkey Ironwood is published biannually by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. As the first botanic garden to focus exclusively on native plants, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden has dedicated nearly a century of work to better understand the relationship between plants and people. Growing from 13 acres in 1926 to today’s 78 acres, the grounds now include more than 5 miles of walking trails, an herbarium, seed bank, research labs, library, and a public native plant nursery. Amid the serene beauty of The Garden, teams of scientists, educators, and horticulturists remain committed to the original spirit of the organization’s founders – conserve CA native plants and habitats to ensure they can be enjoyed for generations to come.

The Garden is a member of the American Public Gardens Association, the American Alliance of Museums, the California Association of Museums, and the American Horticultural Society. ©2021 Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

All Rights Reserved.

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden 1212 Mission Canyon Road Santa Barbara, CA 93105 sbbg.org Garden Hours March through October: 10 pm to 6 pm November through February: 10 am to 5 pm Member’s Only Hours: 9 am to 10 am daily Phone 805.682.4726 Membership Office: X110 Garden Nursery: X112 Registration Office: X102 Development Office: X103 Volunteer Office: X119 Education Office: X161 Board of Trustees Valerie Hoffman, Chair John Gabbert, Vice Chair Mark Funk, Treasurer Kathy Scroggs, Secretary Sharon Bradford Samantha Davis Elaine Gibson Sarah Berkus Gower

George Leis William Murdoch Gerry Rubin Helene Schneider Warren Schultheis Jesse Smith Ann Steinmetz

Leadership Team Steve Windhager, Ph.D., Executive Director Denise Knapp, Ph.D., Director of Conservation and Research Joe Rothleutner, Director of Horticulture and Facilities Scot Pipkin, Director of Education and Engagement Jaime Eschette, Director of Marketing and Events Jill Freeland, Director of HR

3

Director’s Message

4 Creating Community Resiliency Through

Diverse Edible Gardens 9 From the Field to the Freezer 14 Uncovering Two New Novel Plants 16 The Bug Report: Welcoming Two New

Invertebrate Ecologists to The Garden 19 Climate and the Biodiversity Crisis:

Planting Solutions 22 Keeper of the Collection 24 Another Way to Listen: Forest Bathing and

Nature Connection 30 Companion Planting: Your Veggies Need

a Little Help from Their Friends 34 The Fab Five: Unique Native Plants

You’ll Want to Consider 36 The Garden of My Past, Present and Future:

A member story spanning three generations

in The Garden 40 Field Notes: Poetry Inspired by Nature 41 The Book Nook 42 The Budding Botanist

Join our Garden Community Online Sign up for our biweekly Garden Gazette e-newsletter at sbbg.org and follow us on social for the latest announcements and news @sbgarden @sbbotanicgarden

2

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

On the cover: Oak tree in Pleasanton Ridge Park in the East Bay, California (Photo/Tom Nast)

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 2

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Director's Message

A

cross the globe, we are feeling the effects of climate change. Catastrophic flooding from New York to Germany, record-breaking snowfall in Madrid (and Texas), dust storms in China, and California’s raging wildfires are just a few of these examples.

This past August, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued what it referred to as “code red for humanit y” suggesting only transformational change will avert disaster. In another report, in partnership with the UN’s Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversit y and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), they insisted that addressing climate change in ways that adversely affect biodiversit y would only result in more problems later. Too often, scientists have attempted to address one crisis without considering the other. For example, large solar arrays in the desert produce clean energy, but they also cause massive destruction of fragile desert ecosystems. This is a trade-off we can no longer afford. Biodiversit y and the climate crisis are intertwined, and they must be addressed simultaneously.

Headlines and news stories like these provide a grim forecast, but there is still reason to remain hopeful, and perhaps even optimistic.

The reason for optimism is that there are, in fact, attainable solutions available to us. We don't have to trade short-sighted single solutions for the extinction of species. We can reduce and capture carbon and slash our water use while also supporting the habitats that allow life to thrive.

Working with native plants, we can heal and repair past damage and support the entire web of life – while also mitigating the impacts of climate change and ensuring that life has the opportunit y to adapt to changing conditions.

The Garden is increasingly working to keep biodiversit y a part of the local and global climate crisis conversation. This subtle yet vital shift enables us to turn seemingly small actions into big impacts. For instance, planting any (Photo/Andrea Russell Photography) tree provides carbon sequestration and shade which can reduce energy use and mitigate the heat island effect, but when we plant a native tree, we also create habitat for hundreds of other species - building biodiversit y resiliency. Similarly, with energy consumption by public drinking water and wastewater utilities representing 30% to 50% of a municipalit y’s energy bill, saving water is key for preserving this precious resource and reducing our energy consumption.

By choosing drought-tolerant native plants, you use less water, add habitat for a wide range of species, and reduce emissions that contribute to climate change. There are many solutions like this we can all put into action.

Our retail nursery has the largest selection of native plants in the region, and there is no better time than fall to plant beautiful California plants. Our experienced staff can help answer your questions, from selecting the right plants to tips and tricks to care for them all year long. The next time you’re at The Garden, check out the Blue Grama lawn in the Water Wise Home Garden or at the Pritzlaff Conservation Center for some great inspiration. Replacing a traditional lawn (even a portion of it) has many benefits beyond environmental health – it can save you time and money that you’d otherwise put into care and upkeep.

So, this fall, I invite you to add native plants to your home landscape (or windowsill.) This action can drive lasting change that supports not only ourselves but all life on earth. Thank you for joining in our efforts to protect biodiversit y and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Together, we’re restoring the health of the planet, one seed at a time.

Keep growing,

Steve Windhager, Ph.D. Executive Director Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 3

3

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Creating Community Resiliency Through Diverse Edible Gardens By: Taylor Keefer, Marketing & Communications Specialist

A

cross Santa Barbara, there is a network of gardens found within schools, youth centers, shared communit y green spaces, and private homes. These gardens, and the communities of people and organizations that tend them, are centers of innovation and collaboration. They encourage communit y and connection, transform dead spaces into vibrant outdoor classrooms and fight hunger throughout the count y. As interest in gardening grows, our communit y gardens play an important role in fostering a relationship between plants and people. This makes them the perfect foundation for protecting and restoring biodiversit y while demonstrating the power of native plants.

In 2021, The Garden partnered with Santa Barbara Cit y College (SBCC) and local nonprofit Explore Ecology, who introduced the Santa Barbara Ecological and Edible (SBEE) Garden Project. The collaboration includes four other diverse nonprofit contributors including El Centro Communit y Center, United Boys & Girls Club, Mesa Harmony Garden, and the Youth Drought Project’s Communit y Food Forest.

The project focuses on four pillars: ecology, collaboration, permaculture and food literacy.

Several of these gardens introduced “companion plantings” with native plants to entice insect pollinators and other beneficial insects. To better understand the relationship between plants and pollinators, we conducted research on insect pollinators in four of the project’s gardens and at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. The practice of companion planting is an approach that positions different plants close to one another to enhance growth or protect it from pests.

Would this relationship with native pollinators produce a better garden?

Working with Gabriella Espiritu, a college intern from SBCC, pollinator surveys were conducted to answer four basic questions: 1. Which insect pollinators are present?

2. How common or rare are they in relation to each other (relative abundance)?

3. What plants are they visiting?

4. Does the presence of native plants at each of these gardens affect the pollinators observed?

Reviewing the data collected so far, we have noticed a stark difference in the presence of native bees and other pollinators between The Garden’s pollinator garden and other gardens in our test group. Over half of the visits were from native

4

bees at The Garden versus less than a quarter at SBCC and only 15% at La Mesa Harmony garden. Bottom line, native bee visitation was most prevalent in The Garden’s pollinator garden - a location that has the most native plants (by far) of the test group.

We spoke with Hugh Kelly, president of Mesa Harmony Garden and one of our valued Garden members, to learn more about the SBEE project through his lens as a certified Permaculture Designer and Master Gardener with the UC Cooperative Extension Service.

Q: One of the SBEE project pillars is permaculture. Could you explain to our readers what permaculture design is?

A: Mesa Harmony Garden is a communit y food forest and demonstration site with a grounding in permaculture design – an approach to designing landscapes that are rooted in systems thinking. The permaculture design principles help to take the complexit y of social and ecological systems into account to develop long-term sustainabilit y. One part of this approach is to consider the functionalit y of each element of the design in relation to the other elements.

The benefits of fresh, locally grown food are becoming ever more apparent, and it doesn’t get any more local than if you grow it yourself. So, one valuable function a plant can perform is food production, but there are many others. For example, planting a low-lying Ceanothus griseus var. horizontalis 'Yankee Point' under the fruit trees fulfills multiple functions – as a groundcover, suppressing weeds, and providing shade to protect the soil and reduce evaporation rates, attracting beneficial insects, and fixing nitrogen in the soil.

Q: Why is sustainable urban landscaping and foodscaping important?

A: As the benefits of fresh, locally grown food become increasingly apparent, so too are the benefits of growing some of our own food. The amount of underutilized space in our urban landscapes represents a valuable resource going to waste – in backyards and in communit y spaces like the church-owned land that has now become Mesa Harmony Garden. Hundreds of volunteers and workshop attendees have joined us in our learning process as we create naturally healthy and abundant landscapes where no fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides are ever used. Not only are we avoiding all the industrial processes that create those inputs, we’re also avoiding the downstream pollution that they cause. By nurturing healthy soil, attracting beneficial insects opposite page: Danaus plexippus Nectarine (Photo/Gabrielle Espiritu)

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 4

11/1/21 11:33 AM

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 5

11/1/21 11:33 AM

6

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 6

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Toxomerus occidentalis Ceanothus Mesa (Photo/Gabrielle Espiritu)

Apis mellifera Apiaceae LaCumbre (Photo/Gabrielle Espiritu)

and fostering biodiversit y, we are drawing down carbon, helping to feed ourselves and our neighbors, and bringing our communit y together around a common purpose.

Q: What are you most excited to see come out of the SBEE project?

A: We were very happy to join the SBEE project because of our commitment to communit y outreach and working in a culture of cooperation. As the old saying goes, if you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together. We realized that a good way for us to participate in SBEE would be to work with The Garden to redesign a section of the garden specifically as a home for native plants that attract pollinators and other beneficial insects. This will demonstrate some of the practical benefits that native plants can bring to the landscape, including low water use and increased biodiversit y. If we can work with the Environmental Horticulture Department at SBCC to bring in students to create this garden, that will be another benefit from the SBEE collaboration.

SBCC plans to share its observation data through the iNaturalist social network of naturalists, communit y scientists, and biologists. Thanks to the SBEE Garden Project, our communit y will benefit from edible gardens that promote biodiversit y, native habitats, local food production, and communit y resilience. The project partners, with assistance from select local agencies and organizations, will track and evaluate results from all of the project activities. We look forward to hearing updates on the gardens and learning more as the project grows.

A: My wife and I joined the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden soon after we moved to Santa Barbara from the United Kingdom. That was more than a decade ago now. We were attracted by the grounds and interested in learning about the plants that grow in this region.

Q: What native plants do you personally like to incorporate into your own landscaping at home?

A: Particular favorites we’re growing in our own landscape include Ceanothus, Mimulus, Verbena ‘De la Mina’, and Heuchera ‘Wendy’. O

In August, Santa Barbara Beautiful, an organization of volunteers dedicated to beautifying our area, announced the SBEE Garden Project as one of the winners of the Golden Leaf Award. The award recognizes outstanding achievements in community beautification through collaboration.

Bee in tribe Osmiini on Calendula sp. (Photo/Gabrielle Espiritu)

Q: And lastly, we’d be remiss if we didn’t say thank you for supporting The Garden through your membership.

What motivated you and your wife to become members of The Garden?

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 7

7

11/1/21 11:33 AM

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 8

11/1/21 11:33 AM

From the Field to the Freezer By: Heather Schneider, PhD, Rare Plant Biologist

F

or many people, the words “seed bank” conjure images of a cavernous vault nestled deep within a mountain surrounded by permafrost or walk-in freezers the size of warehouses. While most seed banks are not quite as elaborate as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway or the Kew Millennium Seed Bank in England, their contents are no less valuable. The journey every seed makes from the field to the freezer t ypically begins months, or even years, before it starts its cryogenic slumber.

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is home to a regionally significant Conservation Seed Bank housing more than 850 accessions, or individual collections. Our seed bank represents nearly 300 different kinds of rare plants whose distributions range from Northern to Baja California and from the Channel Islands to the Nevada border. These carefully curated seed collections act as an insurance policy against extinction by providing a genetic backup of wild populations.

In addition to long-term conservation, our seed collections are used for research, restoration, and reintroduction efforts, depending on the needs of each species or plant population.

Seed banking is an important conservation strategy that complements The Garden’s efforts to save native plants in the wild.

Earlier this year, our Rare Plant Conservation Team prepared for a field season that would take us thousands of miles across the state to understand, protect and restore rare plants. Over the course of seven months, we journeyed from populations near sea level to peaks above 11,000 feet in elevation– all in the service of California’s rare plants. The first step in planning for the season was to prioritize which rare plant species we wanted to target.

How Do We Decide What Needs Our Attention?

Of the more than 6,500 different kinds of native plants in California, 2,422 of them are considered rare by the California Native Plant Societ y (CNPS), making prioritizing our conservation efforts no small task. To start, we identified rare plants across the state in need of conservation support by assessing which species and populations had been seed banked in the past, as well as which populations were facing impending threats or other challenges that we could address via seed collection. Our final targets included plants that are protected under the Federal and California Endangered Species Acts as well as those listed as rare by CNPS but do not have any formal legal protections.

In 2018, rare plants not protected under an endangered species act found support when Governor Jerry Brown launched the California Biodiversit y Initiative, which focuses on protecting the state’s natural heritage. The plan highlighted seed banking as an important tool in safeguarding the state’s flora. It named California Plant Rescue (CaPR), a collaboration of federal, state and non-profit partners, as the governing body for securing at least one population of each of California’s rarest plants in conservation seed banks by 2025. This funding is driving the long-term conservation of plants that are extremely rare but lack protection under the endangered species act. As a CaPR member, The Garden is using this funding to make conservation seed collections and to house them in our nationally accredited Conservation Seed Bank.

Researching and Mapping Our Rare Plant Targets Once we developed our target list, which included more than 130 different kinds of rare plants, we began scouring herbarium records and other data sources to determine where the plants occur, when they bloom and which specific populations we intended to visit. And we’re not just collecting seeds. Although long-term conservation is the end goal, we also collect seeds so we can grow plants in our greenhouse to produce more seeds for restoration and/or research. Other times, seed collection is part of a larger project aimed at investigating the status, biology or ecology of a rare plant and conservation seed banking is added on as a bonus to that work. Regardless of our motivations, we must have the who, what, where and when figured out before we can go into the field.

Time to Take to the Open Road … and the Backcountry Although looking for plants may sound straightforward, rare plants can be challenging to find and difficult to identify. Our field work takes us to infrequently visited locales across the state, often requiring technical 4-wheel driving and rugged hiking to access remote plant populations. We search for rare plants in habitats ranging from sand dunes to grasslands, shrublands to forests, and even treeless mountain tops.

Encounters with rattlesnakes and black bears are emblematic of the field season, as is bushwhacking through chaparral or cutting our way through head-high poison oak. These expeditions offer a unique glimpse into the wilds of California and provide opportunities to make important observations of ecosystems across the state. They are at once humbling and awe-inspiring.

opposite page: Dr. Heather Schneider, Rare Plant Biologist, collecting data along the Kings River in Sequoia National Forest

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 9

9

11/1/21 11:33 AM

When we visit a rare plant population for the first time, we collect as much data about the occurrence as possible. This includes information about where the plants are growing, how many there are and which plants they co-occur with.

We also document pollinator observations and if there are any immediate or pending threats to the persistence of the population. Even if we do not find our target species, we still document where we looked and what we observed at the site so that there is a record of our search.

Signs a Seed is Ready for Collection The best time to collect seeds is when the plants are naturally dispersing them. We use all of our senses to determine when seeds are ready – looking to see whether the fruits appear brown, feel dry or whether we can hear seeds rattling around inside of the capsules. We cut or peel fruits open to ensure that

Hubby’s phacelia (Phacelia hubbyi, CNPS 4.2) is a rare annual wildflower that grows in chaparral and grasslands from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles County.

This year, The Garden’s Rare Plant Conservation Team made the first-ever conservation seed collection for this species in Los Padres National Forest.

10

the seeds are mature, often appearing dark black or brown and feeling firm to the touch with no give when pressed with a fingernail or knife. Once we have determined that the seeds are ready to be collected, we are careful not to collect more than 5-10% to ensure we do not affect long-term population persistence. We also look for signs of herbivory (consumption of plants by animals) and granivory (consumption of seeds), so that we know how many viable seeds are available. Our goal is to collect from at least 50 different plants across the population to ensure a diverse sample and to preserve at least 3,000 seeds from each rare plant population. Sometimes, rare plants occur in very small patches or produce only a few seeds per plant, which can lead to small but important collections. In such cases, we may return in a future year to increase the size of our collection and secure additional genetic diversit y.

The portion of Sierra National Forest where the Shuteye Peak fawn lily (Erythronium pluriflorum, CNPS 1B.3) grows was burned by the Creek Fire in 2020. In 2021, the beautiful yellow blooms offered a stark contrast to the blackened landscape where seeds were eventually collected for long-term conservation for the first time.

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 10

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Preparing our Samples for Future Research In addition to digital data collection, we also document occurrences by collecting herbarium specimens, which act as a physical record of our observations. To do this, we collect fresh plant material, including stems, leaves, flowers and fruits in a plant press. A press consists of placing plant material between newspaper sheets and then sandwiching each layer between cardboard. We wrap a belt around the press to flatten the plants and place them in a plant drying cabinet once back at The Garden. When they are dried, the specimens are mounted by our herbarium volunteers and stored in The Garden’s Clifton Smith Herbarium (a library of dried plants) in perpetuit y.

Whenever feasible, we also collect leaf tissue that is dried on silica desiccant and stored in The Garden’s tissue bank for future genetics research. This combination of physical and

Pismo clarkia (Clarkia speciosa ssp. immaculata, Federally Endangered, California Rare, CNPS 1B.1) is a rare wildflower that only occurs in San Luis Obispo County. In partnership with the California Invasive Plant Council, The Garden’s Rare Plant Conservation Team is working to understand how invasive plants might impact the long-term persistence of this plant and to develop management recommendations for safeguarding wild populations. This year, conservation seed collections were made at four sites, one of which was banked for the first time.

digital data is used to update the status of each population and to prioritize future conservation and research.

Counting down to –4° F Slumber Once collected, we bring seeds to the Pritzlaff Conservation Center, where they are cleaned, counted and packaged for long-term storage in The Garden’s Conservation Seed Bank.

Prior to freezing, the seeds are dried to approximately 35% relative humidit y, lowering their metabolic rate and reducing the risk of ice crystal formation during freezing at -4° F (-20°C). This allows us to extend their viabilit y in a kind of suspended animation. The seeds are still aging, but much slower than they would under ambient conditions. As an extra securit y measure, a portion of each seed collection is sent to the national seed bank facilit y at the USDA National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation in Fort Collins,

Hours of technical four-wheel driving up steep slopes and rocky terrain in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest were required to access populations of Mt. Patterson Senecio (Senecio pattersonensis, CNPS 1B.3) growing on open talus slopes and fellfields. At nearly 11,000 ft. in elevation, this population represents the highest point at which The Garden collected seeds. Our 2021 collection represents the first time that this unique species has ever been seed banked.

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 11

11

11/1/21 11:33 AM

CO for backup storage. Historically, seed banks focused on agricultural crops, but seed banking has become increasingly recognized as a critical tool for native plant conservation.

We are still learning how long native plant seeds can live under frozen storage, but this cryogenic slumber is predicted to extend seed viabilit y by multiple decades, if not longer.

Safeguarding California Native Plant Diversity for the Future Despite the challenges of drought, wildfire and the uncertaint y of a global pandemic, the Rare Plant Conservation Team’s 2021 field season was a success. We collected data related to 215 different rare plant populations across mainland California and the Channel Islands. Our data is being used to inform land managers, conservation practitioners and policymakers as they tackle decisions about habitat management, land use, plant conservation, and state and federal budgets.

Gambel’s watercress (Nasturtium gambelii, Federally Endangered, California Threatened, CNPS 1B.1) is one of the rarest plants in California. All that remains of this imperiled wetland species is a single genetically pure population on Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Garden is working with the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to understand, protect and restore this species by conducting greenhouse research and saving seeds in our Conservation Seed Bank. Our long-term goal is to propagate enough plants to establish new populations of Gambel’s watercress at suitable sites along the Central Coast.

We also made 87 conservation seed collections this year.

They are currently being cleaned by our staff and dedicated Seed Team volunteers for long-term storage in our seed bank. Many of our collections represent the first time that a species was brought into long-term conservation via seed banking. Others increased the diversit y of our existing collection or will be used for research and restoration. As living collections, conservation seed banks require frequent attention, curation and testing to assess their viabilit y, make use of seeds, and refresh collections as they age. This summer, with support from a generous donor, we were able to bring in three undergraduate interns to help clean, curate and test seeds for viabilit y. As we look toward the 2022 field season, our Rare Plant Conservation Team will expand The Garden’s conservation footprint across the state and continue to grow and care for our Conservation Seed Bank collections to safeguard California’s priceless floral diversit y for the future. O

Coast wallflower (Erysimum ammophilum, CNPS 1B.2) was first seed banked in 2018 at Fort Ord Dunes State Park by Dr. Heather Schneider, The Garden’s Rare Plant Biologist. In 2021, she made another conservation seed collection of this species on Santa Rosa Island, expanding the geographic diversity represented in The Garden’s conservation seed bank.

opposite page: Cymglo habitat

12

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 12

11/1/21 11:33 AM

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 13

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Uncovering Two New Novel Plants By: Kevin Mason, Rare Plant Technician

A

forest of black oak, incense cedar, and Jeffery pine provide shade and fill the air with a woodsy scent on the hike up the mountain. Near the top, these tall trees are replaced by low chaparral shrubs and forbs, which are likely providing forage for black bears and other animals.

opportunit y to observe plants in ecosystems that are often understudied – such as the summit of Bald Mountain.

While in the field, we conduct surveys, collect herbarium specimens, and collect seeds from rare plants throughout California - from the Channel Islands to the high ranges of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Since rare plants often grow in both isolated and unique habitats, our travels offer an

A New Lomatium sp. nov. on Bald Mountain While surveying for Lomatium stebbinsii, I noticed another Lomatium growing nearby. We presumed the neighboring Lomatium was an undescribed species closely related to large-fruited lomatium (Lomatium macrocarpum). However, the undescribed plant (Lomatium sp. nov.) differs in petal color and in having hairy petals. The large-fruited lomatium has hairless (glabrous) petals, a seemingly subtle but very important difference. This was an exciting discovery because the Bald Mountain plant (Lomatium sp. nov.) is likely of conservation concern as they are only known to grow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Tuolumne Count y. Our work to collect herbarium specimens, record photos and gather other data will allow us to better understand these plants so we can help protect them. We’ll also have an opportunit y to describe and name them so other scientists can identify and track their resiliency over time.

Large fruited lomatium (Lomatium macrocarpum) in San Miguel, CA

A new lomatium (Lomatium sp. nov.) documented on Bald Mountain

These were observations that I made this past field season while visiting an unceded ancestral territory of the Mew-Wuk Tribe. In English, this area is referred to as Bald Mountain and it sits within the Stanislaus National Forest. The Garden’s Rare Plant Conservation team went to this area to survey for Stebbins’ desert parsley (Lomatium stebbinsii) and three bracted onion (Allium tribracteatum) - two rare plants that occur in the treeless zone.

14

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 14

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Fruit of caraway leaved lomatium (Lomatium caruifolium ssp. caruifolium)

Fruit of the newly identified island lomatium (Lomatium caruifolium ssp. nov.)

Another New Lomatium ssp. nov. on the Channel Islands While in the field conducting conservation work on the Channel Islands in the unceded ancestral territory of the Chumash, we observed another Lomatium plant that is new to western science. This plant was previously misidentified as caraway leaved lomatium (Lomatium caruifolium ssp. caruifolium) and hog fennel (Lomatium utriculatum). However, it differs from both. I’m in the process of describing it as a new subspecies of caraway leaved lomatium.

1998. It is also an example of the unique botanical diversit y of the Channel Islands, so we want to ensure it persists and continues to support the islands’ incredible native plant and animal communities.

So far, I have observed that the fruit (mericarp) of the Channel Islands plant lacks hairs, whereas all mainland relatives have hairy fruits. This plant is rare and endemic to the Channel Islands, making it of conservation concern. Although it has been observed recently on Santa Cruz Island and Santa Rosa Island, it has not been observed on San Miguel Island since

These two discoveries highlight the importance of conducting botanical surveys and of accessing infrequently visited locations. There is still much biodiversit y yet to be described by western science. That being said, I think it is important to note that many of the plants being described as “new species”, may not be new to humanit y. Many have been long known by indigenous peoples. Sometimes these plants already have names in native cultures, and may be part of a living tradition. I feel honored to work on behalf of The Garden so I can learn more and do what I can to protect native plants for generations to come. O

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 15

15

11/1/21 11:33 AM

The Bug Report: Welcoming Two New Invertebrate Ecologists to The Garden By: Dr. Denise Knapp, Director of Conservation and Research

I

nsect pollinators and other invertebrates have two new allies at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, with the hire of Invertebrate Ecologists: Dr. Zach Phillips and Dr. Sarah Cusser. This brings the number of “bug” scientists at The Garden to four, along with Conservation Technician Kylie Etter and Director of Conservation and Research Dr. Denise Knapp. But why are there bug scientists at a botanic garden, you may be wondering? The short answer is they are excellent indicators of ecosystem health, which starts with native plants. Now here’s the long answer.

Native plants are the foundation of the web of life (at the macro level, at least.) Because they can literally transform air into food, the rest of us rely on them – from the many different insects that feast directly on their leaves, stems, and flowers, to the other insects, mice, and lizards that prey on those insects, to the foxes and coyotes that prey on those creatures, and so on. But plants resist being eaten (wouldn’t you?) by producing chemicals, tough structures like spines and hairs, and more – which the insects find ways to work around, in an ongoing arms race. Because this looks different for different plants and insects in different places, it leads to plant-eaters, or herbivores, being specialized to their preferred plant.

Take the gall midges (a t ype of small fly in the family Cecidomyiidae,) one of the most species-rich groups in the entire animal kingdom. The larvae of most gall midges feed within the plant tissue, leading the plant to create abnormal growths called galls. They can take all kinds of different shapes and colors, depending on the plant and the midge.

These relationships are so specific that gall midge species are t ypically named for their plant host: Asphondylia ceanothi for the Ceanothus bud gall midge and Dasineura lupinorum for the lupine leaf gall midge, for example. Note that not only are they specific to the plant, but they are specific to the part of the plant that they are adapted to feed on.

Insects and other invertebrates are such good indicators of ecosystem health because they are hyper-diverse and they respond quickly to changes. What’s more, they do a lot of really important jobs, like recycling nutrients, pollinating about a third of our food, dispersing seeds, and providing food for other animals. Because of this, they can tell us if nature’s benefits, or ecosystem services, are being provided in a system that is, say, degraded by invasive species – or in a habitat that we’re trying to restore.

So why are there bug scientists at a botanic garden again?

In the Conservation and Research department, we work to understand biodiversit y, protect and recover rare plants,

16

and restore habitats. Our invertebrate work can fall into any of those categories. Because invertebrates are so poorly known (it’s estimated that there is 7 to 8 times the number of undescribed species as those that have been described), we’re still in the era of exploration and discovery for those organisms. But at the same time, to save our biodiversit y while tackling the climate crisis, we are also squarely in the era of habitat restoration. Invertebrates can help us to do a better job at that because they are such good indicators.

Now, back to those new Invertebrate Ecologists. Our survey, rare plant, and habitat restoration work involving invertebrates has grown so much in recent years that we needed two: one to lead our pollinator projects (Dr. Cusser), and one to lead our island and urban biodiversit y studies (Dr. Phillips). You can think of them as the pollinator lady and the creepy crawly guy!

Zach Phillips has a doctorate in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the Universit y of Texas, Austin, where he has been studying symbioses (beneficial interactions) between ants and cockroaches. He received his bachelor’s degree at UC Santa Barbara, where he assisted in projects studying the sandy beach food web (with Dr. Armand Kuris), the effects of an invasive ice plant on arthropod communities (with then doctorate student Denise Knapp), and the beetles of the California coast. He just joined us on October 4, and one of his first projects will be to complete processing specimens from our Terrestrial Invertebrate Survey of San Clemente Island. Through that project, we’re not only helping the U.S. Navy to understand its island’s invertebrates, but also learning more about the plants and habitats that they are associated with. We’ve also collected the data in such a way

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 16

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Both Zach and Sarah will also be growing our work studying and promoting native plants in urban landscapes. Because the plants and insects native to a place have evolved together, growing those natives is the best way to build habitat in your home landscape. It’s also a great way to save water, avoid fertilizers and pesticides, and celebrate our state’s heritage. In this way, we can all do our part to combat the dual threats of biodiversity loss and climate change, and build resilience to whatever comes our way. Watching all of the interesting critters that colonize, you’ll also have a ton of fun in the process. O

Parasitoid wasp in the family Eulophidae Parasitoid wasp in the family Encyrtidae

Sarah Cusser also received her doctorate in 2018 from the Universit y of Texas in Austin, after studying pollinators in human-altered landscapes. Her master’s degree (from Ohio State Universit y) explored pollinator responses to different habitat restoration techniques. She has had a wide variet y of other work experiences involving pollinators, agriculture, and habitat restoration, and has held two post-doctoral positions since receiving her doctorate. One of Sarah’s first projects will be a habitat restoration experiment at the Carrizo Plain National Monument in San Luis Obispo Count y for the Bureau of Land Management. That study will aim to benefit the Federally Endangered California Jewelflower (Caulanthus californicus) by studying the network of pollinators that use both the Jewelflower and its associated plant species. We’ll use this information to design restoration treatments with different plant mixes, then see which benefits the Jewelflower the most. Sarah starts her position in February.

A new family of insect to the island: Coniopterygidae (Dustywings)

that we can repeat the study in the future to assess changes in climate and habitat restoration.

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 17

17

11/1/21 11:33 AM

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 18

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Climate and the Biodiversity Crisis: Planting Solutions By: Dr. Puja Batra, Guest Writer

A

s we collectively witness a barrage of climate disasters sweep across the planet, many of us are asking, “What should I be doing to protect my planet, my communit y, and the place that I call home?” Fundamentally, we know we must reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by using public transportation, composting green waste, reducing landfill trash, shrinking food waste, employing renewable energy, and myriad other behavior changes. But is there more we're not considering?

It turns out that the natural world offers deeply hopeful solutions to climate change. Referred to as “nature-based climate solutions,” the intentional use of plants and soil can address two equally important climate problems. First, nature-based solutions can reduce the levels of atmospheric GHG’s, which are the cause of climate change in the first place. Second, they can build the resilience we need to recover from climate-related disasters. Nature-based solutions remind us of the elegance and power of a simple tree rooted in the soil, doing what it does best. Through photosynthesis, a tree can transform carbon from an adversarial atmospheric pollutant back into its essential function as the core building block of all living things. Indeed, plants and soil have the potential to dramatically shift our climate future. However, in our frenzied desire to fix our broken climate, we must not lose sight of the forest for the trees. opposite page: Oak tree (Photo/Dave Spindle)

It is native biodiversit y, that is, all the living things that evolved in a given area that shaped the places we call home. Together, native plants and the soil dwellers beneath them harness the power of the sun and the nutrients in non-living matter and mediate their eventual passage through every living thing on the planet. Native biodiversit y creates the characteristics of the water cycle, soil fertilit y, temperature, and intricacies of the web of life that define the world’s ecosystems.

California’s iconic oak woodlands, made up of thousands of species, are a perfect example of this intricate web of life.

Look closely at that stalwart, fire-resistant oak and you might see that a tiny gall wasp, Andricus quercuscalifornicus, has laid its eggs in the central veins of some leaves. The eggs induce the leaves to create “oak apple” galls, strange golf-ball-like growths in which the wasp larvae and a diverse cast of other characters, will make their living. The gall is both food and home for the larvae, and a world unto itself. Like something out of a sci-fi story, parasitic wasps (called parasitoids) lay their eggs by piercing through the tough gall wall so that their larvae can feed on the bodies of some of the Andricus wasp larvae. The parasitoid devours the inside of the larval gall wasp, finally killing its host and emerging as an adult from an empt y shell of a former Andricus larva. The story gets even more complicated when we factor in hyper-parasitoids (yes, parasitoids of parasitoids), some “neutral” guest insects below: "Oak Apple" Gall (Photo/J. Maughn)

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 19

19

11/1/21 11:33 AM

living inside the galls, multiple species of oaks, multiple species of gall wasps and parasitoids, numerous birds, and other creatures that feed on the gall dwellers, and so on. Like this, the complex and silent dramas of the oak woodland unfold. As we lose this habitat to the forces of climate change and urban development, the total we lose is so much more than the sum of its parts.

In terms of climate benefits, the estuaries of the world play a disproportionately large role. Also called tidal marshes, these are the magical places where a river meets the ocean, where water depth changes according to tides, and plants can live in water that’s sometimes salt y and sometimes not.

It’s where all sizes of skinny-legged shorebirds - 43 species in California estuaries alone - dart around looking for food, segregating where they forage based on the depth of the mud and water. These are the most productive ecosystems in the world, annually yielding more plant and animal matter per acre than even tropical evergreen forests. When estuaries are intact, their storm buffering services can rival the strongest of

above: Elkhorn Slough (Photo/ Ron Eby)

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 20

seawalls, sequestering carbon, filtering water, and producing our food all the while. In California, as sea levels rise, tidal marshes have a monumental role to play in building resilience. Taking a closer look at just one of their crucial functions, scientists estimated that California’s estuaries perform nitrogen pollution removal services that, in today’s dollars, are worth around $7.5 billion.1 Without estuaries doing this critical filtration for us, we have to engineer and maintain costly solutions to keep our shorelines and fisheries free of pollution, and an integral part of our food supply intact. Despite the fact that globally, estuaries provide habitat to about 85% of all seafood sold, in the last 100 years we have dredged, filled in, and otherwise destroyed over 75% of them here in southern California. Today’s societ y is learning what those who stewarded the land in centuries past knew: our fate is intertwined with that of the tidal marshes. There are numerous efforts underway to restore these essential habitats, with native plant species forming the core of everything that a tidal marsh does.

above: Tijuana Estuary (Photo/NOAA)

below: Estuary in Morro Bay, CA (Photo/V.T. Polywoda)

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Melissodes sp. female

Native bee on Salvia mellifera (Black Sage) (Photo/Wayne S. Grazio)

In recent years, we in North America have learned about staggering declines of managed European honey bee populations and the potential impacts their loss could have on our food supply. But did you know that there are about 4,000 species of native bees in North America alone? Most of them don’t produce honey or move about the landscape in giant swarms. Instead, they nest in those tiny holes you might notice on a patch of bare sandy soil, or in dry twigs under a shrub or any number of other places that we forget to think of as habitat. It turns out that as our dependence on honeybees has grown, our populations of native bees have dwindled, impacted by habitat loss, pesticides, and competition from non-native species. Research shows that providing small patches of habitat – native plants, bare ground, debris, and such – can help native bees make up for the lost pollination services of disappearing honey bees, and then some. That redundancy, those multiple ways to secure pollination even in the face of a major setback, constitutes true resilience.

do cover the soil and store carbon, but they also have some very harmful impacts. For example, they can radically alter the patterns in which water loops between the atmosphere, water bodies, soils, plants. These far-reaching changes make it unpredictable for living things – including us - to acquire that water when and where it’s needed. Native plants, on the other hand, are adapted to (and also shape) the moisture, soil, and other conditions of that place. For us, this means less maintenance is needed when we plant them in humanmanaged spaces.

Today, along with climate change, biodiversit y loss is one of the biggest planetary crises we face, and the two are locked together in a mutually reinforcing loop. As the climate warms and precipitation patterns change, native species struggle to adapt to the pace of change that is causing a progression of drought, disease, pest outbreaks, fires, soil erosion, and floods, to name a few. These events lead to loss of native plant populations along with their stored carbon, and further exacerbate GHG emissions, perpetuating the cycle between the causes and the consequences of climate change. Similarly, as urban sprawl gobbles up native habitats, GHG emissions rise sharply, and on and on it goes.

Some argue that we just need to plant any species to arrest the climate catastrophe. We know, however, that an increase in non-native plants can lead to declines in insect diversit y.

Such losses can cascade into impacts on birds, other groups of animals, and the silent ecological services that native food webs perform. Besides that, non-native plants can fast become invasive monocultures, changing the conditions of the habitat so much that natives get squeezed out. Invasives

While the bad news is the reinforcing loop between climate change and biodiversit y loss, the good news is that there are ways to address both. If “nature-based solutions” are our best answer to the climate crisis, “biodiversit y-based solutions” are our best way to address the cascade of consequences.

So, when we install bioswales to filter stormwater or laundry greywater, why not choose locally native plants, and attract native insects that can act as garden pollinators and pest predators? Likewise, cooling our homes and cit y streets by planting not just any trees but native trees will invite native insects, birds, and a host of other living things, along with the invisible, irreplaceable functions they support.

With native plants as the foundation of our nature-based climate solutions, we can remove GHG’s, support species whose wild habitats are disappearing, and advance resilient food webs and ecological processes. Whether it’s a pot, planter, or patch of ground that you have access to, a native plant rooted there matters to all life on the planet, most of all our own. O About the author: Puja Batra, Ph.D., is Principal of Batra Ecological Strategies, based in San Diego, California. She works with local government and non-profit clients to develop, implement, and communicate equitable nature-based climate solutions that integrate policy, economics, and science.

Cloern, J.E., et al. 2016. Estuaries: life on the edge. In H. Mooney and E. Zavaleta (eds.) Ecosystems of California (p. 359-387). Universit y of California Press 1

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 21

21

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Keeper of the Collection By: Christina Varnava, Living Collections Curator

H

ello Ironwood Readers. I’m your new Living Collections Curator, Christina Varnava. As a recent graduate of the California Botanic Garden in Claremont, I completed a floristic study of the plants found in the upper Sespe Creek watershed in the Los Padres National Forest, a botanically diverse area. I’m eager to continue to deepen my knowledge of the plants of California by taking on the exciting role of curating the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s Living Collection.

Some readers of Ironwood will be familiar with the concept of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden (SBBG) as a Living Collection, but for those who are less familiar, I’ll offer some detail about what that means.

The Garden is so much more than a beautiful place. Like books in a library or art in a museum, many of the plants in our garden are accessioned material. This means they have a unique number linking them to an accession record. These records include detailed information about where each plant came from, who collected it, and when it was acquired. After nearly a century, we have thousands of accessioned living plants, as well as hundreds of seed packets in our seed bank.

Our most valuable accessions are collected from plants in the wild, usually in the form of cuttings or seeds. We also have many rare cultivars of California native plants that have been created by SBBG or other institutions such as Theodore Payne, UC Davis, and California Botanic Garden.

Like the other t ypes of collections I mentioned, the Living Collection serves many functions. As a research tool, the collection is used to study genetics, biology, ecology (e.g. pollination and seed dispersal), anatomy, and much more.

As a conservation tool, it serves as a means to preserve biodiversit y. Species that are threatened in the wild by climate change, development, or poaching can be protected in a garden setting like ours. Finally, each plant in The Garden is an ambassador that represents California’s rich biodiversit y.

Many people do not have the opportunit y or abilit y to climb a mountain to see plants like the striking Kennedy’s Buckwheat (Eriogonum kennedyi) or see the imperiled Shaw’s agave (Agave shawii var. shawii) blooming in the wild. But here at The Garden, they’re both accessible in a day’s visit.

My role as curator is to increase the vitalit y, qualit y, and biodiversit y of our collection. To achieve this, one of my top priorities is to bring the botanical diversit y of SBBG closer to reflecting the botanical diversit y of California, which includes just over 6,500 subspecies and varieties of native plants. Day to day, I work with our Living Collections

22

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 22

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Looking forward, I’m very excited about The Garden’s future.

Earlier this year, we received a grant through the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences to upgrade our plant records database software. That may sound esoteric, but our database is a vital tool that we use for everything from finding a single shrub to keeping track of every plant living in our garden. In the future, this upgrade will allow us to better connect our Collection with other research institutions, botanic gardens, and visitors like you.

Our new software will also enable more large-scale projects.

For instance, The Garden is still in the process of recovering from the 2009 Jesusita Fire that destroyed many of our accessioned plants. While much of the collection was directly destroyed, that wasn’t the end of the damage. The Jesusita Fire, coupled with persistent drought, weakened or killed many large trees. This led to the slow demise of the understory plants that had been shaded by them. The microclimate in many areas of The Garden has fundamentally changed, and that has proved to be a huge challenge to mitigate. We have begun to quantify these losses so we can address them, but our new software will streamline this vital task so we can recover more quickly.

Agave shawii in desert section (Photo/Amanda De Lucia)

Coordinator, Betsy Lape, to keep track of the plants in our collection through inventories and assessments. I also work with our horticulture team to make long-term planting decisions across The Garden. Additionally, I will also have a role in developing new gardens. I see my job as part plant storyteller and part practical problem solver. While working, I carefully consider which plants are necessary to convey the theme of their bed and The Garden’s message. That approach also includes removing or rearranging plants that might be stronger in a different context. My goal is to let the plants shine both as individuals and as part of the larger garden.

I’m thrilled to join the SBBG team. During the day, I often have the opportunit y to walk around and I have enjoyed exploring some of the wilder areas of The Garden. I especially appreciate the views from the Porter Trail where I like to watch the turkey vultures swoop overhead and smell all the different sages. If you ever see me, please come say “hi”, I love talking about our Collection and native plants. I look forward to seeing you on the grounds. O

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 23

23

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Another Way to Listen: Forest Bathing and Nature Connection By: Scot Pipkin, Director of Education and Engagement

I

've been told tales of people who can hear things in nature that most of us would call “silent.” It’s not just that they have acute hearing and are capable of registering very low decibel levels. It’s a skill that gets developed through deep observation of the natural world and time spent opening oneself to nature’s messages.

We sat down with Elena and Ben to ask them more about their approach to nature connection and how they encourage those around them to listen to nature’s messages.

The payoff is the abilit y to hear a cactus bloom, detect the crackle of a sunrise, or to register a rock sort of murmur something nice to a lizard. While these may seem like farfetched occurrences, there is sincerit y and even a truth in the effort to listen to our surroundings. If you can suspend your disbelief and make a practice of quietly observing and learning from the natural world around you, I can guarantee you will hear, see, and feel some of the most incredible things you may ever experience.

Ben: As I receive this question today, my thought is that forest bathing is the practice of being nature, of being what we are. Forest bathing creates a time and a space for us to set aside the stories of ourselves and experience what it feels like to be ecological, to be enmeshed in the world.

However, for many of us, cultivating this practice isn’t easy.

Hearing a seed germinate might sound outlandish and seeking that sound by sitting outside in silence may seem like folly.

But what if I told you those efforts are empirically beneficial to your health? A great body of evidence has accumulated over recent decades suggesting that quiet time in nature can reduce depression and anxiet y. Time outside also increases our exposure to phytoncides- compounds that plants broadcast into the air which have been shown to attack pathogens.

Simply put, time in nature can increase our emotional and physical well-being. . . regardless of whether you actually hear the unhearable. So, how do we make a shift from not even listening to hearing all of the wonder and miraculous energy of nature?

There is a growing practice of Forest Bathing that encourages us to tune into nature’s many voices and hear what they have to say. Here at The Garden, we have been working with certified Forest Bathing/Forest Therapy instructors who invite participants to quietly engage with the natural world through a series of guided activities and discussions. Since 2019, Elena Rios has facilitated Forest Therapy walks in The Garden as a Certified Nature Forest Therapy Guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides. Elena combines decades of experience as a wildland firefighter with her identit y as a Nahua Chicana artist and dancer to connect participants with a deeper sense of place. Ben Page is the founder of Integral Forest Bathing and has served as a Forest Therapy guide since 2015, traveling the globe to share his approach to listening. Ben’s recent book, Healing Trees: A Pocket Guide to Forest Bathing, was published by Simon and Schuster in 2021.

24

Please describe what Forest Bathing/Forest Therapy/ Shinrin-Yoku means to you.

Elena: To me, it is rooted in the ancient human practice of nature connection that is reflected in indigenous knowledge all over the world. It speaks to our inter-being, and/or our interdependence on the environment as it relates to overall health and well-being. It is expressed in many different media whether it be through science, language, cultural gatherings, dance, song, poetry, storytelling, art, and more. It is presented in such a way as to welcome all languages and forms of expression in which a rich diverse cross-section of people can relate. My relationship to the practice of nature connection has continued to unfold throughout my life whether as a former wildland firefighter, growing food, or as expressed within the context of my indigenous cultural traditions. I have also been greatly influenced by a 20-year friendship and collaboration with Japanese Shinto Priest Hiroji Seikiguchi.

Can you share a moment where you or one of your participants has experienced a profound connection with nature while forest bathing?

Ben: It’s a funny thing really because I find that the most profound experiences people can have while forest bathing are those that cannot be described in words. When they happen, people feel something deep in their bodies that is somehow ineffable. I have heard people try to describe it as a sense of belongingness, awe, or infinite relationship, but even these terms seem to fall flat of the lived experience itself. Ultimately, I don’t even know if the word ‘profound’ is particularly helpful here, as these kinds of experiences often come through a state of deep attention that is activated by something as simple as seeing a drop of rain falling on a pond, or deeply smelling a flower or hearing wind as it rushes through the trees. These simple kinds of experiences have a certain profundit y to them when we remember how to experience them fully, but they may seem profound when one attempts to describe them later. Perhaps the best way to put it

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 24

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Sequoia sempervirens (Photo/Kristen Hehnke)

Western fence lizard on sandstone boulder (Photo/Daryl Metzger)

Hummingbird on Fouquieria splendens (Ocotillo) (Photo/Leonard Porzio)

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 25

25

11/1/21 11:33 AM

is that the most profound experiences that happen on forest bathing walks are simply those when people feel most alive.

Ben: The maxim I work by is that ‘one cannot open a rose with a crowbar.’ To me, this means that I cannot force anyone into having a genuinely authentic connection with nature. I can only create a relaxed and open space for people to find their unique ways of cultivating a relationship. In the story that I hold about forest bathing, everybody knows how to connect with nature. Our bodies know how to activate the senses, as well as how to move, rest, play and interact with the world around us. In truth, our bodies are connected to nature all around us all the time. So, it is not that we are disconnected, but that we are unaware of our interconnection.

We don’t often permit ourselves to be in our bodies because we are conditioned to relate to our bodies more as vehicles for our minds than living, breathing ecosystems that have their own intelligence, autonomy, and dignit y. And so, the role of the guide is to support participants in orienting their attention towards the body and away from the ruminations of the mind.

Elena: It is pleasurable to allow yourself the experience of being guided. So much of modern life is dictated by schedules and deadlines. People are often surprised at what they notice when they are invited to disconnect from devices, at least for the time being, if they wish. Or, to simply not have to keep track of the time (the guide keeps track for you.) It isn’t so much about knowing the names of the plants, as it is about noticing which plants you feel pulled to. Guides assist people in slowing down and engaging all of their senses. It is more about being here, in the present moment. We do this by giving directions, in the form of invitations, which assist others in dropping into a deeper state of relaxation and connection to nature. And by holding a space that respects the many different ways this can take shape over a broad cross-section of cultures, languages, genders, etc. Sometimes people experience a sort of re-engagement with childlike wonder in nature. Some have transformative realizations or

26

Moth and Lithophragma maximum (San Clemente Island Woodland Star) (Photo/Stephanie Calloway)

How do Forest Therapy Guides facilitate nature connection? What should someone expect if they sign up for a Forest Bathing program?

Clarkia lewisii (Photo/ Ron Williams)

Elena: Last spring, I was guiding a family group in the mountains of Ojai, California. Within this group, there was a boy of about 13 or 14 years of age. The smell of sagebrush filled the air, and a red-tailed hawk soared overhead in a seemingly endless blue sky. We gathered together after one of the “sit spot” t ype invitations, and those who wished to were invited to “share what they noticed.” When it was his turn, he said, “I can feel the Earth breathing.” He said it in such a way as to make us all take pause. It was plain to see this had made a big impression on him, as it had on all of us to witness the telling of this discovery in the way he was experiencing the world in the present moment.

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 26

11/1/21 11:33 AM

(Photo/ Elizabeth Collins)

feel creative. Others simply take notice of how much they are enjoying the stillness or the simple luxury of just “being” while soaking up the atmosphere amongst the organic compounds being released into the air like terpenes and immune-boosting phytoncides.

What is some practical advice you can provide for people who want to develop a practice of nature connection but may not know where to start?

Elena: One way to start is by selecting a “sit spot.” It seems to work best when it is a spot that is easily accessible and at a time that presents the least resistance to the rhythm of your day. The backyard of a home, a local park, or an easily accessible trail are all options. But it can also be sitting on the stoop of a building and looking at a tree near the sidewalk, or staring out an apartment window at a tree. Just take a moment to notice the spot that your body feels pulled to. Go there and sit for 10 minutes with no agenda except to silently observe what is going on in your surroundings. Go to this spot a couple of times a week to start. Over time, some people like to journal or sketch what they are noticing. Some people don’t. It is up to you.

I’ve noticed that you deliberately use the word “guide” as a title for someone who facilitates Forest Therapy practice, rather than instructor or teacher. Could you speak to that differentiation?

Ben: A guide holds no expectations for any outcomes and does not aim to impart any particular learning, healing, or transformation to their participants. By contrast, a teacher is often someone who is helping a student gain mastery of a skill or knowledge set that the teacher already possesses.

This is not to say that the archet ype of the teacher is not a valuable one, but within the context of forest bathing, the teacher (or healer or therapist) is nature itself. Therefore, the guide seeks to create space for each person to arrive at their unique relational process, which may be something that the guide could never have anticipated.

Elena: We refer to ourselves as guides because we are acting as facilitators between the human and the more-than-human world. Together, cultivating a space in which each journey can unfold in a way that makes sense for them. In this way, it offers space that respects and honors the great variet y of ways this can emerge. This is different from being told what to experience by someone else, which would imply that there is a “right” or “wrong way” to do it. There is no right or wrong way to go about your practice.

Like mindfulness, the practice of forest bathing asks participants to quiet their distracted inner monologue.

Do you have any tips or tricks for folks who are working to settle that internal noise and really be in the moment?

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 27

27

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Ben: Don’t try. Don’t work. Don’t strive. Just relax. Simply offer your full attention to the body. Notice what it feels like to breathe, what it feels like when your feet touch the grass, what it feels like to see the clouds moving through the sky.

When you are paying attention, not only are you offering a gift to the world around you, but you are also allowing the world to captivate you in such a way that there is no more inner dialogue. It just dissolves into presence. And of course, we never get to a place where we can do this kind of thing perfectly, without thoughts interrupting us now and again, and that’s fine.

What should someone expect from their first session?

Any cues that they can look for?

Ben: There’s just no way to know. People experience this practice in a mysteriously personal way, but if I had to cultivate any expectation it would be a space of incredible relaxation, where there is nothing compulsory, nothing to strive for, nothing to attend to.

Elena: Mental health impacts might include less stress, improved mood, less anxiety, relaxation, increased focus, and creativity. Emotional and psycho-spiritual health impacts might include feeling more connected, alive, and present. Experiences such as feelings of gratitude, transformation, a change in perspective, release, and wholeness. The physiological health impacts might include more energy, enhanced immunity, lowered blood pressure, and lower cortisol concentrations. For first responders, it can offer the opportunity to intentionally

(Photo/Lynn Watson)

28

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 28

11/1/21 11:33 AM

drop into the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing the body to do the restorative work it needs to bring the best version of yourself to the team or your family between operational assignments.

What's your experience with Forest Bathing? What got you first interested? What has been the most profound impact in your life since you've started your journey with Forest Bathing?

into the art of forest bathing, though at the time I knew it simply as ‘playing outside.’ The thing that keeps me interested in the practice is also the thing that has most profoundly impacted my life: that forest bathing has helped me understand what it means to be nature. To realize that my body is a part of the interconnected web of life and that the story of my life is somehow interwoven with the stories of all beings, all elements. In short, it’s been a journey of dissolving all notions of separateness between what I call my ‘self’ and the living ecological world. O

Ben: This is the subject of the first chapter of my book! To put it very succinctly, like many people, I think I was born

Nuture Nature Join us as we build a community of native plant advocates and lead a movement towards a healthier planet – one native seed at a time.

Become a member today!

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

805-682-4726 x 110

membership@sbbg.org

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 29

29

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Ceanothus 'Valley Violet' (Photo/ Greg Trainor)

30

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 30

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Companion Planting: Your Veggies Need a Little Help from Their Friends By: Joe Rothleutner, Director of Horticulture and Facilities

A

re you ready for a sensory experience? Clear your mind and think about the vegetable garden you’d love to have come summer. The smell of tomato leaves and the sticky feeling you get on your hands as you reach through the plant to collect handfuls of ripe, sweet cherry tomatoes. Now walk down your garden path, past your productive squash and broccoli, colorful peppers, and plump strawberries. At the corner of your veggie patch, your bush sunflower sways in the breeze as you investigate the bustling of bees, running from flower to flower on California buckwheat. Then, you notice the familiar silhouette of a manzanita, watching over the garden, with its flower buds already set to bloom next spring.

This productive garden can be yours and it begins with unlocking the power of native plants to create a pollinator’s paradise.

Bumblebees are also vital to productive gardens. They have a special trick that they have evolved called “buzz pollination.”

The bumblebee hangs onto “upside-down” flowers like those of manzanita or tomato. When they have a firm grasp on the flower, they give their body a little buzz which shakes the flower to release pollen thus pollinating the flower in the process. This action translates over to other upside-down flowers seen in other members of the Manzanita plant family Ericaceae (blueberries) and Solanaceae (tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant).

Beyond the bees, many other beneficial bugs can come to your garden's defense. Many of these, like lacewings, for example, have complex lives. At one life stage lacewings are vigilante caterpillar-like larvae, mowing through aphids and other pests. Then, through a dramatic transformation, they emerge from a pupa as delicate adults that rely on nectar sources to feed before laying their eggs.

What do you need to do to tap the resources of our native bees and other beneficial insects? Plant native habitat – and

Arctostaphylos 'Paradise' (Photo/Bruce Reed)

Eriogonum grande ssp. Rubescens (Photo/Denise Dewire)

When people think of pollinators, they usually think of the European honeybee, that was introduced in North America in 1622. Today, they are an important player in commercial agriculture, but our native pollinators are also huge contributors - and they do a lot of work in our backyard gardens as well. What makes our native bees so great?

Compared to a European honeybee, a native bee is often more efficient. For one, they aren’t as put off by cold or damp weather. So, come June gloom, they are still hard at work on those brisk foggy mornings. A native bee also tends to

stay closer to home and visits a higher diversit y of flowers throughout the day. This means, if native bees are nested near your vegetable garden, they are more likely to work on pollinating your fruit trees and vegetables without getting too distracted by something sweet blooming down the street.

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 31

31

11/1/21 11:33 AM

the best time is in the fall and winter. So, here are a few tips to attract and maintain a fleet of “good bugs” to help you in your gardening come spring.

• Plant native flowers for all seasons. The goal would be to have something native in bloom nearly year round. A simple combination that covers a wide range of the year would be to include these five natives in your garden: manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), California lilac (Ceanothus spp.), bush sunflowers (Encelia californica), buckwheat (Eriogonum spp.) and coyote bush (Baccharis pilularis). Of course, adding more species or substituting for other native flowers that you enjoy can contribute towards the same goal.

• Plant more than one. A large ceanothus can be a buffet for many bees. However, when it comes to forbs, perennials, and smaller shrubs, you’ll want to up your numbers. A patch can feed more workers and help beneficial bugs find what they are looking for. On top of this being a tip for attracting good bugs, this is also a great design tip for your enjoyment. Larger sweeps of color and texture can help to relax the eye and give a garden a cohesive look.

• Enhance habitat with complexity. Vertical layers of vegetation make more microhabitats. With more available habitats, you can attract and retain a wider range of insects and wildlife. Think about your garden in three dimensions and fill the space with plants.

Provide opportunities for layering of trees over shrubs, with shrubs over and among forbs.

• Leave some dirt and debris. In addition to food and spots to hang out, native pollinators need nesting sites – and they love the dirt and leaf litter. Nearly three quarters of native bee species are ground-nesting and require exposed rocks and soil for refuge. Leave a portion of your garden un-mulched. Some plants like annual wildflowers and narrow-leaf milkweed will appreciate bare soil for germinating seedlings as well.

Leaf debris also makes a great spot for some of your good bugs to hide or live in through their transitionary life stages.

• Be judicious with spraying and applying pesticides.

Sometimes invasive insects or plant diseases call for action. If you find the need to apply, always read labels to make an informed decision. To minimize risk to good bugs, try to choose a spray that has a physical mode of action like soaps or horticultural oils.

• Participate in observing life around you. Whether you’re a vegetable gardener or not, you can participate in producing data about the natural world. Download iNaturalist and start taking photos of the bugs you see. Once in iNaturalist, these datasets can be accessed by researchers, like those at The Garden, who want to better understand where these bugs are and how they interact with the plants in your gardens and wildlands. O

If you want to see buzz pollination in action, come visit the Manzanita Section of The Garden in early spring. Or, take a hike in our local foothills to spy bees in their native habitat. Bumblebees hang onto the upside-down or urn-shaped flowers and shake to release pollen. (Photo/ iStockPhoto)

32

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 32

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Babs the Botany Truck in the Sierra Nevada

ist L h is W n io Conservat r the

ainers fo orage cont t s d e d ra g 100) o U p eed Bank ($ S n io t a rv g seeds Conse et for dryin in b a c r o t n a o Desicc Conservatio e h t in g in z free before ) ank ($500 Seed B o expand l shelves t a n io it d d A capacity o Seed Bank n io t a rv e s Con ) each, up ($200 ves ($75 ie s g in n a le o Seed c quested) to 5 re r for cuum seale a v y t u -d y v o Hea ation seed ing conserv g a k c a p

) ions ($200 nk collect n Seed Ba io t a rv e s n o raC 0) o Sponso test ($30 y it il b ia v n io collect n Seed Conservatio a r o s n o p o S 2,500) ollection ($ c k n a B aging

herbarium im r fo s n le aging of o Macro solution im e -r h ig h r o (f hens or such as lic system , s t c je b o l nsiona 3-dime ($800) ding work) cones) DNA barco r o (f r e z li ri o UV ste ) 0 ing DNAs ($80 concentrat r o (f e g fu centri o Vacuum 0) ion) ($9,00 n system in solut ter filtratio a w e d ra g lar 15,000) o Molecu b work) ($ la ll a in e ut DNA (for us h-throughp ig h in e s u tor (for o Sonica ,000) cing) ($25 sequen icroscope electron m g in n n a c s o N e w ,000) ($250

Other Ways to Give There are many ways to support The Garden.

Whatever route you take and whatever size your contribution, your donation helps us continue to foster a greater awareness of the regenerative power of native plants and the role they play to support biodiversity and our way of life – for generations to come. Thank you.

• Donate through your Donor Advised Fund: You can make a big impact through a Donor Advised Fund. Please contact your advisor directly to make your recommendation.

•

Blaksley Bliss Society: Make a lasting impact and leave a legacy to be remembered. Include The Garden in your will or estate plans and you’ll be invited to join your peers in the Blaksley Bliss Society.

• Gift of Stock and Securities: Giving appreciated securities is a fast and easy way to make a difference while deriving considerable tax benefits.

•

Donate your Car: Have an unwanted car you would like to donate?

Our partner, CARS, will handle the pick-up and sale of your vehicle, plus all the associated paperwork. You’ll receive a tax deduction, and The Garden receives a check for 80 percent of the net sale proceeds. For more information call 855-500-RIDE (7433).

• Plant Sponsorships: Honor your loved one by sponsoring a plant in The Garden in his or her honor and we will include their name on a plant label.

For more information on these programs or other ways to support the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, please contact our Development office at (805) 682-4726, ext. 103.

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 33

33

11/1/21 11:33 AM

The Fab Five: Unique Native Plants You’ll Want to Consider By: Joe Rothleutner, Director of Horticulture and Facilities

1. Perfect for a container: Cliff Maids (Lewisia spp. and hybrids)

1

This beautiful and tough succulent perennial makes a wonderful container plant for a patio or balcony. When planting it, amend your potting soil with lots of gravel or pumice for exceptional drainage. You will also want to water these sparingly. Think about how often you would water a cactus and follow a similar regime. The fastest way to kill cliff maids is giving in to the temptation to water them too often or by using potting soil that holds too much water. If you want to grow them in the ground, create a rockery or a crevice garden for alpine plants. To do this, pack gravel between larger stones with just a little compost and soil mixed in.

Cliff Maids (Photo/Dieter H. Wilken)

There are several species of Lewisia native to California, mostly but not exclusively occurring in Northern California and the Sierras. The plants are short rosettes of foliage with colorful flowers in shades of pink to yellow and white.

Although many of the available varieties are likely hybrids with a lineage of mixed species, most cultivated plants most closely resemble and are often labeled as Lewisia cotyledon.

2

A central coast and southern California local, the bush sunflower is a joyful perennial. It can be found in coastal sage scrub while walking to the beach, or on a hike up into the foothills. In a dry year, the bloom is fabulous but short-lived.

In areas where they can catch fog drip or some t ype of water flow, the bloom continues into fall. As seeds mature, watch for songbirds that come in for a feast.

This plant is a great beginner plant for native plant gardeners or for those looking to add some cheer to an existing landscape.

With a little supplemental water and light deadheading through summer, these plants will keep pumping out flowers.

If you prefer to garden on the dry side, you can let them go summer dormant. In the fall, or when you feel like it’s looking a little out of bounds, they can be whacked back to 6” and they will rebound for the next year. Next time you see one in bloom, stop to smell the flowers, some say they smell like chocolate.

Bush Sunflower (Photo/Elizabeth Collins)

2. A long bloomer: Bush Sunflower (Encelia californica)

3. Beauty for Shade: Spicebush (Calycanthus occidentalis) One of three species, all known as spicebush or sweet shrubs, have a warm fragrance from bruised bark, leaves, or flowers.

Our native species of Calycanthus can be found in northern California and the Sierras. The others, C. floridus and C. chinensis, grow in the South-Eastern USA and China as their scientific names suggest. The large deciduous leaves are

34

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 34

11/1/21 11:33 AM

beautiful in summer and turn a gorgeous gold in fall. Unusual star or lotus-like flowers are sporadic through summer and into early fall.

This plant is perfect for a collector of the unusual. It could be displayed decoratively in a pot or used repetitively with a few other plants in a simplified pallet for a modern take on a native landscape. This plant will thrive with little supplemental water but it may go summer dormant without.

As with all euphorbias, take some caution with placement. If you are pruning, be careful as the white milky sap may irritate the skin and eyes.

5. One for the Bugs: Buckwheat (Eriogonum spp.)

The buckwheats are a huge group of plants with over 100 species and varieties occurring throughout California.

Lifeforms of these plants range from annual herbs to substantial long-lived shrubs. A few locals include California buckwheat (E. fasciculatum), ashyleaf buckwheat (E. cinereum), and sea cliff buckwheat (E. parvifolium). Other regular crowd-pleasers at The Garden come from California’s Channel Islands include red-flowered buckwheat (E. grande var. rubescens) and St. Catherine’s lace (E. giganteum var. giganteum).

They all have clusters of tiny flowers giving the overall inflorescence a fuzzy appearance in bloom. Flower colors range from white to dark pink, with a handful of species showing neon yellow and acid green. On most species, aging flowers turn rust y brown maintaining ornamental structure.

Speaking of the flowers, buckwheats are usually a buzz when in bloom so plant a few for our native bees. Be sure to research individual species, but most want sun and may reseed themselves in your garden. O

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 35

Spicebush (Photo/Denise Dewire)

Relatively rare north of the Baja border where it occurs regularly, cliff spurge can be seen around San Diego and on some of California’s Channel Islands. This coastal and Sonoran Desert native has an architectural form; rubbery silver-grey stems arch gracefully and are adorned with small round leaves and long-lasting, miniature but colorful flowers.

4 Cliff Spurge (Photo/Creative commons)

4. Unusual Form: Cliff Spurge (Euphorbia misera)

5 Buckwheat (Photo/Stan Shebs)

To keep this beaut y happy, it will want supplemental water through summer. It will also tolerate shade and sun. It looks especially good against ferns or scarlet monkeyflower (Erythranthe cardi nalis) who would thrive with a similar climate and irrigation regime. If it is getting out of bounds, no worries, this plant responds well to being cut back to the ground in fall. With any hard pruning, it is worth keeping in mind that you may miss flowers the following season.

Give this shrub a little space, it will spread modestly but not aggressively through suckers.

3

11/1/21 11:33 AM

The Garden of my Past, Present, and Future: A member story spanning three generations in The Garden By: Taylor Keefer, Marketing & Communications Specialist

H

arriette Rees Azlein was introduced to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden for the first time at five years old. New to California and struck with childlike wonder, The Garden offered her an exciting world of exploration, freedom, and even a little bit of thrill. As she made her way down the steep path leading into the canyon, she mustered the courage to descend into the great wilderness. There, her eyes widened as she gazed across the landscape and then raised them skyward to the towering redwood trees.

36

That was 94 years ago when The Garden was younger than Harriette. Today, Harriette is 99 years young and a regular visitor to The Garden. In August, on one of these visits, Harriette struck up a conversation with Zach Kucinski, our plant sales coordinator. The pair were sharing stories and looking through The Garden’s photo archives when she noticed a familiar photo from the 1940s.

“Stop! That’s me!” Harriette exclaimed. The photo captured one of Harriette’s favorite memories in The Garden: herself

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 36

11/1/21 11:33 AM

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 37

37

11/1/21 11:33 AM

at 19-years-old in what was the strawberry meadow at the time. (It wasn’t until 1962 that the strawberry was removed permanently after becoming too weed-infested and the meadow was gradually converted to a mixture of perennials and scattered wildflowers.) She was visiting The Garden as she frequently did with her high school friend, Anna Marie. That same day, Josef Muench, the famous nature and landscape photographer who settled in Santa Barbara in 1930, was also at The Garden. He was looking for someone to pose for his photo of the strawberry meadow.

“He asked if we would pose for him and we said okay,” Harriette said. “Anna and I had just graduated high school at the time. He had me pose for another picture that was on the cover of Health Magazine. It was all fun.”

Growing up, Harriette’s family spent a lot of time in The Garden. She remembers loving the Mission Dam and listening to the rushing water. When she walked through the different sections of The Garden, she felt as though she was being transferred from one world into another.

“It was just a wonderful and enjoyable place to go growing up. It was both educational and safe,” said Harriette. “It’s my favorite place in all the world because I’ve been here many times. I’ve been a member as long as I can remember.”

Harriette was introduced to native plants when she would go hiking with her family and friends. Her natural curiosit y helped her learn how to identify them in their natural habitat.

She specifically kept an eye out for her favorites like yucca and sticky monkey-flower. When back at The Garden, she would frequently visit the nursery to shop for native plants and vividly remembers searching for sage so she could pinch it between her fingers and smell its fragrance.

“I love to visit in spring, but it’s necessary to come every season so you can see the changes in the plants. That’s what I like. Yeah, I like that a lot,” Harriette said. “The different seasons and the changes in the plants are very exciting.”

Throughout her time in The Garden, Harriette has made many friends along the way, including Stephanie Ranes, The Garden’s ground manager, who has also enjoyed getting to know Harriette over the years and finds time to sit with her in her yard (which is on The Garden grounds) pointing out birds together.

“You can see almost every kind of bird in Stephanie’s yard – eventually,” Harriette said. “Big ones, little ones. It’s wonderful. She has birdbaths that are all tailored to each kind of bird, because some birds like two inches of water, some like deeper water. It’s very interesting.”

Now, Harriette gets to share her love of The Garden with her great-grandchildren. After growing up visiting The Garden with her grandmother, Harriette’s granddaughter is well acquainted with the environmental groups in Santa Barbara

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 38

11/1/21 11:34 AM

and enjoys sharing what she’s learned with Harriette. Her granddaughter, Amber, has brought her son Jackson, age 5, to The Garden on a few occasions. Harriette enjoys watching Jackson experience the magic of The Garden as he explores the same dirt paths she did at his age. Amber, who joined us for this interview, shared how Jackson’s favorite thing to do at The Garden is chasing butterflies. She recalls how her grandmother finds unique gifts for Jackson in The Garden gift shop and recently gifted him a beautiful book on butterflies which is one of his favorites.

“I remember my favorite place being the redwoods,” Amber shared. “I just loved the hidden little pathways and feeling like it was a magical place.”

Although The Garden has changed through the years, when Harriette visits, it’s like coming home. Much like when she was a child, Harriette’s favorite thing about The Garden today is the freeing abilit y to get lost in nature. She loves to wander around the bend on the right side of the meadow to find interesting and unique plants. Of course, she still loves to take the steep path down to the canyon where she welcomes that familiar feeling of being in the middle of nowhere.

“It’s a heritage that we need to keep forever to let people know what native flowers grow in California and see them all together in a natural setting,” Harriette said. “It’s here you can breathe in the scenic beaut y, relax and enjoy and forget the woes of life.” O

Make Friends and Help Us Grow

Get Started Today

We will match your interests, abilities, and availability with The Garden’s current volunteer needs.

By becoming a volunteer, you will be making a substantial contribution to the preservation of California native plants and habitats.

Become a Volunteer by contacting us at volunteers@sbbg.org

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 39

39

11/1/21 11:34 AM

Field Notes: Poetry Inspired by Nature

The Path The path around the meadow rewards close attention: the wee rosettes

of the Catalina Island live-forever, tiny yellow blooms of the saffron

buckwheat, and the noiseless ringing

of the inconspicuous canyon coral bells.

One experience links to the next:

fingertips that stroke the thready texture of the juniper’s bark are soon pricked by the needle point leaf-tips

of Our Lord’s Candle. And scooped

from the ground, the tough little leaves

of the leather oak rustle in one’s palm.

Summer red berries of the summer-holly, pale green leaves of the white sage.

Even poison oak is allowed to thrive here where everything depends (Photo/Andrea Russell Photography)

on everything else. Stand at the southern

B

Don’t those California poppies dotting

ringing his love of poetry and the natural world together exclusively for Ironwood, we’re proud to introduce and partner with David Starkey, former SB Poet Laureate and the Founding Director of SBCC’s Creative Writing Program. Curating new work in each issue, we’ll work with David to offer live readings in The Garden in the coming months.

For more information, watch for announcements at sbbg.org O

40

edge, gazing toward the mountains. the meadow look like flecks of gold

scattered in a Sierra stream? If you could, wouldn’t you bend down and gather them?

–David Starkey

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 40

11/1/21 11:34 AM

The Book Nook By: The Garden Staff

Bicycling with Butterflies Sara Dykman A beautiful story weaving real-life adventure with science to captivate the reader’s attention to the urgency of saving the threatened monarch migration. On a journey starting and ending in El Rosario, Mexico, author, and researcher Sara Dykman makes history when she becomes the first person to bicycle alongside monarch butterflies on their storied annual migration. Lasting nearly nine months, her solo adventure spans three countries and more than 10,000 miles. She recounts her travels day-by-day with careful attention to detail making you feel as if you’re riding along with her from Mexico through North America, into Canada – and then back again.

Whether you’re growing backyard habitats or love a great adventure travel story, Bicycling with Butterflies is a delightful and important read as we face the impacts of climate change.

It is a reminder of the delicate balance of life and our inherent connection to nature. It will leave you inspired – to not only get on your bike but also to create native habitat right in your own backyard.

Recommended by a Garden Member O

Nature’s Best Hope Douglas W. Tallamy In his first book, Bringing Nature Home, Douglas Tallamy awakens readers to the tragic loss of wildlife caused by the decline of native plants and the habitat they provide - urging his readers to plant more natives. (If you haven’t read this book, we highly recommend it, too.) In his next book, Nature’s Best Hope, Tallamy outlines his vision for a grassroots approach to conservation. Rather than wait for local or and global solutions, he shifts power to the individual and encourages them to be the solution – now. Mapping out a practical, attainable, and fun approach, he implores homeowners to create wildlife habitat by transforming their backyards into “conservation corridors.” Suitable for readers at every level – from the novice gardener to trained botanist – this book restores hope for those who are feeling overwhelmed by climate and biodiversit y loss. This is a wonderful book and a must-read for everyone.

Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid (The Fraught and Fascinating Biology of Climate Change) Thor Hanson If you’ve ever wondered how the natural world is responding to climate change, Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid is the book for you. Through his approachable and enjoyable science writing, Thor Hanson reveals how plants and animals are adjusting, evolving, and, in some cases, dying off in the face of our warming planet. Throughout his book, he offers examples of different species from across the planet - from bacteria to Joshua Trees, anole lizards to Humboldt squids and pelicans to sea urchins – whose ecosystems are changing. Some are thriving while others are on the “elevator to extinction” as they look for cooler temperatures to survive.

This book is a reminder of the interconnection of all life and closes with an inspirational message: individual action drives much-needed policy change, not vice versa. While nobody can do everything, there is much that each of us can do (and not do).

Recommended by Dr. Steve Windhager, Executive Director O

The Overstory: A Novel Richard Powers Winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, The Overstory is a collection of interlocking fables that range from antebellum New York to the late twentieth-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Evocative and beautifully written, the story centers on the interconnection of people and plants and the constant companion of the natural world.

The story is told through the tales of nine characters and the five trees that bring them together to address the destruction of the forest. In what some critics call “darkly optimistic,” “haunting,” and filled with “gigantic and genuine truth,” the book explores the complex balance of life, love, and the resiliency of nature.

Recommended by Jaime Eschette, Marketing and Communications Director O

Recommended by Dr. Denise Knapp, Director of Conservation O Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 41

41

11/1/21 11:34 AM

The Budding Botanist

Get in Tune with Our Seasons

By: Michelle Cyr, Youth and Family Programs Manager

S

potting changes from season to season can be challenging in sunny Santa Barbara. However, plants provide us with clues that can reveal some of these subtle seasonal changes if you know what to look for. For example, many native plants become dormant to avoid the summer heat, transforming our green hills into a golden landscape. Can you think of other ways plants tell us that seasons are changing?

Changing Climate

to sprout. Or, increasingly hot weather may cause a plant to drop its leaves to save resources. By observing and writing down how plants respond to these patterns, we can better understand how they will react to a changing climate.

Activity

Search your backyard, neighborhood, or local park for a handful of plants. What seasonal stages are they experiencing today? Use the table below to record your observations:

Plants are closely tied to seasonal climate patterns. For instance, after a dry season, the first rains may trigger a seed

Seasonal Phase

Leaf Buds

Photo Example

New leaves emerge from tiny buds along stems.

Do you see leaf tips poking out of buds?

Plant A

Present?

Flowers Blooming Can you find any flowers?

How many do you see? Are they all open or are some still growing?

Ripe Fruits Indicators of ripe fruit could be changes in color, splitting in half to reveal seeds, or simply falling to the ground.

Return to these plants in one month. Are these plants still in the same stage? How have they changed? How much do you think these plants will change in two months?

42

Plant C

Present? Present?

o Yes

o Yes

o Yes

o No

o No

o No

Falling Leaves Do you see any leaves on a plant that are turning from green to yellow or that have fallen to the ground?

Plant B

Present?

Present? Present?

o Yes

o Yes

o Yes

o No

o No

o No

Present?

Present? Present?

o Yes

o Yes

o Yes

o No

o No

o No

Present?

Present? Present?

o Yes

o Yes

o Yes

o No

o No

o No

You can help! Join the California Phenology Communit y Science Project to help study seasonal changes in our native plants. Visit https://cpp.usanpn.org/ for more information.

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 42

11/1/21 11:34 AM

SAVEtheDATE

s

Come for the Beer.

Stay and get Horticulture’d.

One-of-a-kind craft beers, good food, great friends, and live music.

It’s all going down April 2, 2022, at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

Show Your Support Presale Begins November 29.

Space is Limited so Secure Your Grand Cru Experience Today!

Ironwood

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 43

43

11/1/21 11:34 AM

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

1212 Mission Canyon Road Santa Barbara, CA 93105-2126 sbbg.org • (805) 682-4726

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID SANTA BARBARA, CA PERMIT NO. 451

Protecting native plants is now more important than ever.

Will you help us ensure no plant goes extinct by donating to Santa Barbara Botanic Garden today?

Give a gift at sbbg.org/donate, by mail or call at 805-682-4726, ext. 103.

SBB 7689 Ironwood_Fall_2021_Nov1.indd 44

11/1/21 11:34 AM