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© Project SOUND Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants Project SOUND - 2009

Seeds for birds 2009

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This lecture was given in November, 2009 as part of the California native plant gardening series ‘Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden’

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Page 1: Seeds for birds   2009

© Project SOUND

Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden

Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants Project SOUND - 2009

Page 2: Seeds for birds   2009

© Project SOUND

Seeds for Birds

C.M. Vadheim and T. Drake

CSUDH & Madrona Marsh Preserve

Madrona Marsh Preserve

November 7 & 10, 2009

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How do birds rate your yard?

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

What makes a garden a good habitat for birds?

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What every bird needs

Food

Shelter

Water http://aquafornia.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/garden-tour-2.jpg

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To attract birds we need to understand

their habits & preferences

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Like butterflies, some birds are ‘picky eaters’

Generalists

Eat many different kinds of food – whatever is available

Well-adapted to different – and changing – environments

Often are common in urban & suburban yards – that’s why many people know them by name

Examples: Crows, Scrub Jays, Robins

http://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/WildlifeSightings/WildlifesightNovember06.htm

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Like butterflies, some birds are ‘picky eaters’

Specialists

Eat selected kinds of foods – at least primarily

Raptors – meat-eaters Insect-eaters Fruit-eaters Seed-eaters

Often very well adapted to a specific environment – have ‘developed together over time’

Often are less common in urban & suburban yards

Examples: Lesser Gold Finch, CA Towhee, Orioles, Tanagers

http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/lounge/?p=624

CA Towhee

Audubon’s Warbler

http://thebirdguide.com/washington/BigDayReport2007.htm

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Form follows function

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/BirdBeaksA.svg/220px-BirdBeaksA.svg.png

http://www.nps.gov/prsf/naturescience/images/black-phoebe.jpg

http://www.nps.gov/prsf/naturescience/images/crow.jpg

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SHAPE TYPE ADAPTATION

Cracker Seed eaters like sparrows and cardinals have

short, thick conical bills for cracking seed.

Shredder Birds of prey like hawks and owls have sharp,

curved bills for tearing meat.

Chisel Woodpeckers have bills that are long and chisel-

like for boring into wood to eat insects.

Probe Hummingbird bills are long and slender for

probing flowers for nectar.

Tweezer Insect eaters like warblers have thin, pointed

bills.

Swiss

Army

Knife

Crows have a multi-purpose bill that allows them

to eat fruit, seeds, insects, fish, and other

animals. http://science.wannajava.net/scienceunits/units/current/01Bird_Feet_and_Beak_Adaptations.pdf

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So how are the seed-eaters different?

Birds generally tend to select the food items they can process faster

Food-selection experiments suggest that the evolution of bird granivory (seed-eating) has been mainly focused on the development of morphologic adaptations for the mechanical digestion of seeds

Seed eating birds have modifications of the skull which allow them to exert lots of pressure on seeds but have a flexible hinge that protects the jaw joint. Some birds are very powerful. The hawfinch, for instance, can crush olive pits. The amazing strength in the upper and lower jaws of these organisms allows the birds to deal with hard pits and seeds by shearing forces.

http://ivytechlibraryftwpuppets.files.wordpress.co

m/2008/06/finch.jpg

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Why eat seeds?

Readily available – formerly in large numbers (plants have to produce many seeds to insure reproduction)

Seeds are ‘super food’ – lots of bang for the buck

The bulk of most seeds consist of stored food – needed by the seedling

That stored food is calorie-dense – fats, oils, starches

Both plants & animals can digest that food – animals share lots of basic enzymes with plants

It’s not surprising that many migratory birds eat seeds

http://asweknowit.net/images_edu/DWA%205%20plant%20seed.jpg

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Many of our key seed sources for birds

are annual wildflowers & grasses

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Seeds that birds eat on the plant

http://www.nps.gov/prsf/naturescience/images/lesser-goldfinch.jpg

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The Lesser Goldfinch can often be seen in the chaparral eating Chamise and Wooley Bluecurls seeds. They also like to feed on Asteraceae (Sunflower family).

Some other plants used are Miner's lettuce, Red Maids, Fiddle neck, Amsinckia spp. and Dove weed, Eremocarpus setigerus, Night Shades, Solanum spp, Sage Salvia spp, Catch-fly, Silene spp. Tar weed Hemizonia spp.,

Lesser Goldfinch - Carduelis psaltria

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Macoun's Cudweed – Pseudognaphalium macounii

http://www.labunix.uqam.ca/~fg/MyFlora/Asteraceae/Pseudognaphalium/Macounii/macounii.e.shtml

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Remember, Everlastings also make good

cut flowers

http://www.woodherbs.com/gnaphalium.html

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Macoun's Cudweed – Pseudognaphalium macounii

A plant of N. America Grows from Pennsylvania and

Arizona, north to Nova Scotia and British Columbia

In CA, found in many parts of state

Grows in open places - open woods, pastures, roadsides

Named after John Macoun (1831-1920), one of the great Canadian naturalists of the 19th Century. He was a prolific collector and cataloguer of

Canadian flora and fauna.

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?fl

ora_id=1&taxon_id=250067390

http://www.paghat.com/cudweed.html

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The Cudweeds Genera: Gnaphalium;

Pseudognaphalium

Other common names: Rabbit Tobacco – because

rabbits chew it like chewing tobacco

Everlasting – because the flowers (bracts) last a long time

Many uses: Often used as a tobacco

substitute (chewed or smoked)

Often used medicinally

Are great all-round habitat plants – attracting both insects & birds

Pseudognaphalium canescens

Pseudognaphalium californicum

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Characteristics of Macoun’s Cudweed

Size: 1-2 ft tall – perhaps to 3 ft.

1-3 ft wide

Growth form: Herbaceous annual or biennial

Generally erect from a basal rosette of leaves

Foliage: Bright to yellow-green above;

wooly-white below

Leaf bases are wide, extend down the stem

Plant is sweetly fragrant – some say ‘balsam-like’ scent

Roots: taproot

http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=4549

http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=GNAMAC

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Flowers are ‘everlasting’

Blooms summer/fall: usually July to Sept-Oct in our area

Flowers: Sunflower heads – without the

ray flowers

On rather tall, many-branched flowering stalks

One of the showier everlastings

Sweet-scented

Seeds: Small, with fluffy wings – wind

dispersed

http://saratogawoodswaters.blogspot.com/2009/09/rocky-outcrops-colorful-moss.html

http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=2297

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Everlastings = habitat

Foliage

Provide cover for ground-dwellers and foragers

Provide larval food for Lady butterflies & for other insects

Flowers

Nectar attracts a whole host of insects

Seeds are relished by seed eating birds in summer & fall

http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=2297

http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabambc/construct-species-

page.asp?sp=Vanessa-virginiensis

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Everlasting are easy Soils: Texture: just about any; not

particular

pH: any local

Light: full sun

Water: Winter/spring: like any

annual wildflower – needs good winter/spring rain

Summer: no water after flowering – needed for proper seed development

Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils

Other: may reseed itself on bare soil; might want to save some seeds

http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=GNAMAC

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Garden uses for native

annual Everlastings

Make interesting, fragrant pot plants – in general do fine in containers

Look nice mixed with other native wildflowers, flowering perennials & grasses

Fall-dry areas of the yard – may be out-of-the-way places

In a ‘cut-flower’ garden or herb garden

Dry spots near the vegetable garden – attracts pollinators

http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=GNAMAC

http://www.paghat.com/cudweed.html

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Medicinal uses of native Everlastings

Teas & infusions of leaves

Gastrointestinal upsets Respiratory illness; colds As a gargle for sore throats

Poultice of crushed or heated/boiled leaves Externally, to relieve swelling Placed on cotton bandages and

then applied to wounds as a compress

Sometimes smoked or smudged for ceremonial purposes

Resinous exudates have

been shown indeed to have

antimicrobial or fungicidal

properties

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Southern Goldenrod – Solidago spectabilis var. confinis

http://www.jcsemple.uwaterloo.ca/goldenrod_figs.htm

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Southern Goldenrod – Solidago spectabilis var. confinis

Mostly a CA native goldenrod Mostly west of Sierras Also down into N. Baja

Usually found on wet streambanks, springs and marshes to 7500' in coastal sage scrub, chaparral and yellow pine forest

Locally, found near seeps and marshes

Still called Solidago confinis in Jepson’s Manual – and may be sold under this name

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?609,1838,1842

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The genus Solidago: the Goldenrods

~ 100 perennial species

Most grow in meadows, pastures, along roads & ditches in North America

Unfairly blamed for hay fever in late summer/fall - Ragweed (Ambrosia sp.), blooming at the same time but wind-pollinated, is the usual culprit.

Easily recognized by their golden flowering stalks with hundreds of small flowers.

Their alternate leaves are linear to lanceolate. Their margins are usually finely to sharply serrated.

CA Goldenrod - Solidago californica

Goldenrods have been used in British gardens for > 200 years

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the genus Solidago: the Goldenrods

Propagation by wind-disseminated seed or underground rhizomes (form patches that are vegetative clones of a single plant).

Goldenrod is a companion plant, playing host to beneficial insects, repelling some pests

Goldenrods are also important habitat plants for a wide range of native insects, butterflies, birds, etc.

CA Goldenrod - Solidago californica

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Little known fact: Goldenrod tires

Inventor Thomas Edison experimented with goldenrod to produce rubber, which it contains naturally.

His experiments produced a 12 foot tall plant that yielded as much as 12 percent rubber.

The tires on the Model T given to him by his friend Henry Ford were made from goldenrod.

Examples of the rubber can still be found in his laboratory, elastic and rot free after more than 50 years.

http://www.speedace.info/automotive_directory/car_images/ford_mod

el_t_henry.jpg

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In nature, always in

winter-wet areas

Suggests possible places for Southern Goldenrod in the home garden

http://www.jcsemple.uwaterloo.ca/goldenrod_figs.htm

http://www.basinandrangewatch.org/OasisHabitats.html

Mojave Desert

Central CA Coast

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Southern Goldenrod is an herbaceous perennial

Size: 2-3 ft tall

2+ ft wide, spreading

Growth form: Stout looking herbaceous

perennial

Fall/winter deciduous; dies back to basal rosette

Foliage: Leaves lance-shaped – mostly

basal

Leaves fleshy, bright to pale green

Roots: spreads via rhizomes

© 2003 Christopher L. Christie

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Probably our showiest

Goldenrod

Blooms: summer/fall - usually in July or Aug. to Oct. in western L.A. County

Flowers: Typical for Goldenrods;

showy flowering stalks above the leaves

Flower heads are small – but there are LOTS of them – spectacular

Among our better fall-bloomers

Seeds: small, ‘sunflower’ seeds with a bristle

© 2003 Christopher L. Christie

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Propagating

Goldenrods is easy

From seed: Use fresh, dry seed (fall

collected) Plant in spring – when

weather warms up Just barely cover seeds

From divisions: Very easy In winter/early spring You can just spade up new

plantlets – with a section of root containing at least one plantlet - and repot

© 2006 Adonis (Don) Tate

© 2006 Adonis (Don) Tate http://www.jcsemple.uwaterloo.ca/goldenrod_figs.htm

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Goldenrods thrive in moist spots in the garden

Soils: Texture: any local – sandy to heavy

clay

pH: any local

Light: full sun to light shade

Water: Winter: fine with plenty of water –

takes winter flooding

Summer: needs some water for good blooming – Zone 2-3 or even 3 is fine

Fertilizer: none needed – but won’t kill it either.

Other: easy to grow with adequate water; just dig it up if it spreads too far

© 2003 Christopher L. Christie

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Use Goldenrods for habitat and fall color

Great in areas bordering the lawn – can take the extra water

Nice addition to the perennial bed

As an attractive container plant

Nice around ponds

A must for bird and butterfly gardens

Makes a nice cut flower

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/solidago-confinis

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Goldenrods (and others in the Sunflower

family) make great natural dyes

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/solidago-confinis

http://www.jennydean.co.uk/wordpress/?cat=15 http://www.fieryfelts.co.uk/index.php

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Why ‘sunflowers’

are such good food

Healthy unsaturated fats, protein and fiber

important nutrients like vitamin E, selenium, copper, zinc, folate, iron

Other phytochemicals

All of this in a neat little package – the sunflower seed.

© 2006 Adonis (Don) Tate

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Other good native Goldenrods

Solidago californica Euthamia (Solidago) occidentalis

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Other plants to attract ‘on the plant’ seed eaters

Encelias

Helianthus annuus

Heterotheca grandiflora

Cirsium occidentale

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Think about adding a birdbath

http://www.laspilitas.com/California_birds/Finches/Lesser_Goldfinch/Lesser_Goldfinch.html

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Seeds for ground-foraging birds

http://www.birdseek.com/bird/tag/mourning-dove/

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To attract Mourning Doves

Diet is typically 95% seeds or plant parts.

Eat a wide variety of seeds, waste grain, fruit, and insects.

They prefer seeds that rest on the ground. Occasionally they eat in trees and bushes when ground foods are scarce.

Favorites: native grasses & sedges, Croton species, Sourberry (Rhus trilobata), ‘Sunflowers’ & other wildflowers

Need bare ground for feeding

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Common Eucrypta – Eucrypta chrysanthemifolia var. chrysanthemifolia

http://www.timetotrack.com/jay/eucrypta.htm

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Common Eucrypta – Eucrypta chrysanthemifolia var. chrysanthemifolia

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4518,4538,4539,4541

Central & S. CA (CA Floristic Province) to AZ, NV and Baja

Common on burns and in shaded places like canyon bottoms to 3000', coastal sage scrub, chaparral, oak woodlands, disturbed areas

Dominant fire-follower

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The genus Eucrypta

Only two species, both native to U.S. Southwest.

Name Eucrypta means "well-hidden", which refers to the seeds being "hidden" in the small green bristled fruits.

Known generally as hideseeds.

Are annuals with sticky, aromatic green foliage. The leaves are strongly lobed and look somewhat like fern fronds. Some plants have very few leaves and are mostly stems bearing flowers and fruits.

These are among the first plants to spring up after an area has been cleared by fire.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Eucrypta_chrysanthemifolia

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Eucrypta in the wild

Why do wildflowers thrive after a wildfire?

A few annual wildflowers need heat/smoke to germinate well; this is more common with perennial species, trees, shrubs

More commonly, due to availability of resources: Sunlight

Winter/spring moisture

Nutrients

http://www.lasmmcnps.org/geoffburleigharchive/selection/44.jpg

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Common Eucrypta – pretty little annual

Size:

1-2 ft tall

1-2 ft wide

Growth form: Annual wildflower

Foliage: Pale green to yellow-green

Leaves look almost fern-like

Sticky, with characteristic scent

Often grows with other wildflowers and grasses

© 2004 Michelle Cloud-Hughes

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Flowers are little

Blooms: in spring - usually Mar-May, depending on winter rains

Flowers: Small and dainty looking

Bell-shaped with pale purple markings

Butterflies and bees attracted by nectar

Seeds: Two kinds; round & wrinkled –

different germination times

Both eaten by ground-feeding birds

http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/commoneucrypta.html

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1423/1335818709_0f590ac2d2.jpg?v=0

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Eucrypta’s not demanding

Soils: Texture: any, from sandy to

clay

pH: any local

Light: Part-sun to shade

Perhaps more sun on coast

Water: Winter: need good rains for

germination and growth

Summer: treat as Zone 1 (no summer water) after it blooms

Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils

http://www.catalinaconservancy.org/ecology/plants/species_detail.cfm?plants_id=99

Pretty easy to grow – like

many native S. CA wildflowers

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Garden uses for

Common Eucrypta

As an attractive pot plant

Under toyon or Elderberry

With common associates: Collinsia heterophylla, Eschscholzia californica, Eremocarpus setigerus, Lomatium utriculatum, Calandrinia ciliata, Solidago californica, Salvia columbariae, Uropappus lindleyi, Plantago erecta http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Eucrypta_chrysanthemifolia

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1259/1336701558_6786b2d742.jpg?v=0

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Dove Plant/Turkey Mullein – Croton setigerus

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Dove Plant/Turkey Mullein – Croton setigerus

A plant of the west:

Drier (eastern) parts of WA/OR to Baja

Much of CA, usually in ocean-influenced areas

< 2500 ft elevation common in coastal sage

scrub, valley grassland and oak woodland

A plant of disturbed places (natural or man-made):

Burned & flooded areas Roadsides, agricultural

lands

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-

bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?3618,3660,

3661

http://www.swsbm.com/Maps/Eremocar

pus_setigerus.gif

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Crotons are Euphorbias (Euphorbiaceae)

CA Croton (Croton californicus)

A sub-shrub of coastal areas

Dove Plant (Croton setigerus)

An annual wildflower CA Spurge - Euphorbia misera

Rattlesnake Plant - Chamaesyce

albomarginata

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Dove Plant is an interesting annual…

Size: < 1 ft tall

2-3 ft wide

Growth form: Herbaceous annual

Rather sprawly, mounded growth habit

Foliage: Leaves heart-shaped, rather

stiff-looking, pale green

Entire plant covered in prickly hairs – need to handle with care

Foliage toxic to animals – if crazy enough to eat it

Unique, sweet scent

http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/doveweed.html

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Flowers are weird

Blooms in summer/fall: can range from May to Oct.

Flowers: in a word, ‘unique’ Separate male & female

flowers; male clustered above several female flowers

Male flowers rudimentary – no petals

Flowers small, yellow-green, very hairy

Very interesting looking, but not obviously showy

Fruit: a dry capsule containing 1 seed

© 2009 Neal Kramer

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Two different seed

strategies

Two different seeds: Uniform gray; may be flatter;

produced later in season Mottled; may be larger, rounded

Two different strategies insure survival: Gray seeds germinate under drier

conditions; not eaten by birds due unpalatable taste of seed coat

Mottled seeds germinate under wetter conditions; loved by ground-feeding birds

Common names (Dove Plant; Turkey Mullein) from the affinity of Doves and Wild Turkeys for the seeds.

http://www.ransomseedlab.com/genus/e/eremocarpus_setigerus.htm

Steve Hurst @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

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Plant Requirements Soils:

Texture: likes well-drained soils

pH: any local, incl. alkali

Light: full sun

Water: Winter: like any annual; needs

good winter/spring water

Summer: Dry – Zone 1 or 1-2

Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils

Other: will reseed on bare ground – can become weedy in areas with regular irrigation

http://www.coestatepark.com/eremocarpus_setigerus_coe.htm

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Dove Plant is habitat

As an interesting container plant

In dry, out-of-the way spots of the garden

In a habitat garden

With its natural associates: Baby Blue-eyes, Creamcups, Goldfields & others

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http://tiee.ecoed.net/vol/v5/practice/dalgleish/img/konza1-prairie-1600x1200.jpg

One of the main reasons that seed-eaters are

uncommon in urban areas is that there are no seeds

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The importance of wild places in the

garden

It was an old farm practice to plant zero-maintenance medicinal herbs like yarrows & cudweeds at property edges, to harvest for use in home remedies.

‘Wild’ places like that are also important for native creatures

We need to consider bringing some ‘wild’ into our gardens & neighborhoods

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Seed plants for ground-eating birds –

consider them for your ‘wild area’

Native grasses

Native sedges

Native Wildflowers – particularly those wth larger seeds

Any Buckwheat

Any Salvia

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White-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys

Usually nests near the ground in dense cover. In forest areas they will use a willow in a maintain meadow or a low conifer branch near the meadow. In coastal areas they use a shrub for nesting.

Likes brushy habitats. Happy with CSS plants, especially if you supply water for drinking

Eats mainly grass and forb seeds. They will also eat insects and spiders especially in the breading season as these provide more protein.

They feed on or near the ground in open areas near cover.

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*Munz’s Sage – Salvia munzii

J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

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*Munz’s Sage – Salvia munzii

A local endemic – SW San Diego County (western slopes of Otay Mountain) & N. Baja

Founding in lower chaparral/coastal sage scrub communities

Area is very dry

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4745,4865,4882

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Munz’s Sage is appropriate size for the garden

Size: 2-4 ft tall

2-4+ ft wide

Growth form: Woody shrub/sub-shrub

Relatively compact, rounded form

Looks delicate

Foliage: Rather similar to Black Sage

(Salvia mellifera) in looks, but scent is more like Cleveland Sage

Leaves medium green, narrow (wider with more water) & textured

Roots: fibrous

Dr. Dean Wm. Taylor, Jepson Herbarium

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/salvia-munzii

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Flowers: ‘Salvia’ says it all!

Blooms: Spring - usually Feb-Apr

in our area

May bloom again in summer with a little water

Flowers: Typical little Salvia flowers

in ball-like clusters along the flowering stems

Color usually light blue – may be somewhat lavender

Nice aroma !!

Good habitat – attract many pollinators

J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/munzssage.html

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Salvia seeds are small

but tasty!

A veritable feast of little seeds; birds will eat on the plant or on the ground

Songbirds, lizards and other forms of wildlife use it for cover.

http://www.hazmac.biz/090612/090612SalviaMunzii.html

http://www.robinssalvias.com/blue/htms/munzii.htm

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One of our easier

Salvias to grow

Soils: Texture: any local, from

sandy to clay – just water less in clays

pH: any local

Light: best in full sun, but can take a little shade

Water: One of our more tolerant S.

CA Salvias

In nature, endures hot dry summers – so good for dry gardens, tho’ will lose leaves

Probably looks best with occasional summer water – Zone 1-2, maybe even 2

Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils

© 2006 Aaron Schusteff

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Munz’s sage is a

garden winner

One of the best Salvias for pots

Small size makes it appropriate for small yards

Nice for informal hedge or border

Excellent all-round habitat plant – nectar, seeds & cover value

Pair it with Coyote Bush, Sticky Monkeyflower, and native wildflowers & bulbs.

http://calown.com/nativegarden_plants.html

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-

california/plants/salvia-munzii

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Other native Salvias are also good habitat

Annual Salvias - Chia

Purple Sage

Black Sage

White Sage

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© Project SOUND http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Gcg6zKY-sww/SAq5aM5qnrI/AAAAAAAACCo/rpFID7U43Zw/DSC01474.JPG

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Managing seed plants for wildlife – be patient…

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Food for all – not just humans…

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Don’t rake up all those leaves – they’re leaf mulch

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California Towhee, Pipilo crissalis

The California Towhee forages in the leaf litter by scratching, with both feet at once, in a fast hopping motion.

They feed on seeds and insects within the leaf litter or occasionally on berries or seeds in bushes.

The California Towhee likes dense cover and leaf litter. Leaf litter is good for many birds as well as most California native plants.

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Some birds use unique native seeds…

http://www.laspilitas.com/California_birds/Jays_and_magpies/scrub_jay/scrub_jay_in_your_garden.htm

Their favorite foods are acorns

and they also enjoy eating the

insects attracted by an oak

tree.

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Western Scrub Jay - Aphelocoma californica

Scrub Jays are generalists - eat acorns, seeds, fruits and nuts – also insects & eggs.

They like to store acorns in the soil for short-term storage

An important dispersal agent of oaks – think of them as the ‘Johnny Appleseeds’ of oaks

http://www.avesphoto.com/WEBSITE/NA/species/JAYWSC-1.htm

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‘I have no room for a Oak Tree’

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/121/277961690_153fe58532_o.jpg

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Coastal Sage Scrub Oak – Quercus berberidifolia

J. E.(Jed) and Bonnie McClellan © California Academy of Sciences

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Coastal Sage Scrub Oak – Quercus berberidifolia

Coastal CA (mainly) including S. CA to Baja

Sandy soils near coast, coastal chaparral with a relatively open canopy cover, sand-stone, coastal sage scrub below 600‘

AKA ‘Nuttal’s Scrub Oak’

Some debate – is it really just Quercus dumosa (Scrub Oak) or a separate species

Interbreeds with other live oaks including Q. agrifolia

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4316,4326,4332

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In nature, Laguna Coast Wilderness

Preserve

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Scrub oaks are small live oaks

Size: usually 4-10 ft tall; can grow

to 20 ft.

usually 4-8 ft wide

Growth form: Woody shrub/small tree

Usually quite upright

Slow growing; long-lived (100+ years)

Foliage: Leaves dark green – evergreen

and somewhat holly-like

Similar to Coast Liveoak – but leaves may be smaller

Roots: deep taproot – resents moving; shallow feeder roots

http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Quercus+berberidifolia

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Flowers are, frankly,

oak-like

Blooms: in spring - usually Mar-May in our area

Flowers: Separate male & female

flowers on same plant

Male flowers on drooping catkins; female flowers produce the acorns

Not really showy – only an oak lover will notice them!

Seeds: acorns, of course; mature in a single year

© 2002 Charles E. Jones

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Acorns are wonderful food…and scrub

oaks produce plenty in good years

You can eat acorns too – but it takes quite a bit of preparation

http://www.archives.gov/pacific/education/curricul

um/4th-grade/acorn-photographs.html

http://www.justingee.com/pictures/lg_making-acorn-bread-

1151349431.jpg

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Plant Requirements Soils: Texture: any well-drained

pH: any local

Light: Full sun to part-shade – in

nature may grow on north-facing slopes

Water: Winter: adequate water; no

flooding

Summer: little needed one established – Zone 1 or 1-2

Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils

Other: an easy oak to grow

http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/inlandscruboak.html

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Scrub oaks are good

for smaller areas

Excellent on dry slopes, for erosion control

Appropriate for parking strips

Can bonsai – or trim as a hedge/screen

Superb habitat plant Butterflies

Other insects

Wide range of birds

Provides food, perches, nesting sites (CA Towhee)

© 2002 Charles E. Jones

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3572/3642572283_1852921712.jpg?v=0

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Scrub Jays are omnivores

Western Scrub jay is also very fond of Toyon berries

Nest in the dense foliage of a large bush or small tree, usually situated near water

http://research.pomona.edu/bfs/files/2009/06/scrub-jay_053109.jpg

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* Tecate Cypress – Cupressus forbesii

Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

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* Tecate Cypress – Cupressus forbesii

http://www.conifers.org/cu/cup/forbesii.htm

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?157,160,166

In the Santa Ana Mountains (Orange County); Guatay Mountain and Otay Mountain (San Diego County); Mount Tecate on the U.S.-Mexican boundary. Also in northern Baja

Very rare – 15 U.S. populations; formerly more widespread – in La Brea tar from Pleistocene

Commonly on dry slopes, exposed hillsides, and ridgetops; also along streambanks and arroyos, at elevations from 1,500 to 5,000 feet

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Tecate Cypress in Cuyumaca Mountains

http://www.conifers.org/cu/cup/forbesii.htm

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Tecate Cypress is a well-mannered evergreen

Size: to 20+ ft tall; grows

quickly to 12 ft. then slows

6-8 ft wide

Growth form: Woody evergreen tree;

may be shrubby, many-branched with age

Bark lovely; peeling and nice colors

Long-lived (100’s of years)

Foliage: Pretty typical Cypress

Nice looking; neater than Italian Cypress

Roots: taproot and laterals

http://www.conifers.org/cu/cup/forbesii.htm

http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/tecatecypress.html

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Cones are distinctive

Flowers: Separate male & female

flowers

You probably won’t notice it blooming

Cones:

Male cones numerous; unusual looking – on small branches

Female cones are larger and attached to larger branches Start out green – gradually

become dry & hard

Take 2 years to mature; remain on tree for several years

http://www.conifers.org/cu/cup/forbesii.htm

http://www.conifers.org/cu/cup/forbesii.htm

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Seeds not easily released

The cones of California cypress are closed; they usually persist on the tree until opened by the heat of a fire or from desiccation due to age.

Seeds are shed gradually over several months after the cones open. Seeds shed from detached cones rarely result in seedling establishment, usually due to lack of a suitable seedbed.

Seed dispersal is primarily by wind and rain

http://www.hazmac.biz/050214/050214CupressusForbesii.html

http://www.conifers.org/cu/cup/forbesii.htm

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Plant Requirements Soils: Texture: best in coarse, well-

drained soils

pH: any local

Light: full sun

Water: Winter: rain usually adequate

Summer: none or very little after established; over watering can make susceptible to blow-down

Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils

Other: Easy under proper conditions

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Uses in the garden

Anywhere you might consider an Italian Cypress

Great on dry hillsides

Excellent as an evergreen hedge or screen

Impressive specimen plant

Is fire-prone; also some insect & fungal pests, but hardier than non-native species http://www.geographylists.com/tecate_cypress.jpg

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Tecate Cypress as informal screen

http://www.laspilitas.com/garden/pictures/Cupressus_forbesii_tecate_cypress.jpg

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If you want a really big cypress -

Monterey Cypress

http://www.geographylists.com/monterey_cypress.jpg

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Things you can do to attract more birds

A greater variety of plants will attract a greater diversity of birds, so include a mixture of taller and shorter trees, shrubs, native flowers, and grasses.

Diversify the height, leaf type, and food (fruits, berries, and nuts) provided by the plants in your garden.

Plant shrubs and trees that provide berries well into the winter to attract fruit-eating birds such as waxwings.

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Things you can do to attract more birds

Plant in groupings to give the edge effect so attractive to birds.

By planting native wildflowers you attract insects which feed insect-eating birds and the young of many seed eaters.

Allowing flowers such as sunflowers, goldenrod, thistles, or daisies to go to seed will attract finches, juncos, sparrows, and other seed-eating birds.

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Things you can do to attract more birds

Provide clean, safe water

Provide a dusting spot for birds by leaving bare a circle of sandy soil about 20 inches (50 cm) across in a sunny corner of your yard. This will allow birds to clean their feathers and get rid of parasites.

You can supplement your natural food sources by adding some feeders

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Let’s go see some good bird habitat