Sheet mulching is the process where cardboard and mulch are applied, along with water, to create a barrier that gets rid of weeds using no herbicides. The moist barrier keeps sunlight out to stop photosynthesis of the weeds. The weeds decompose and provide nutrients to the soil, which can begin retaining moisture, replicating the process of what happens in a healthy habitat. This requires six to 8 inches of mulch, which initially must be watered in, and then kept moist to support the decomposition process.

Many Thanks for your committed and hard working crew!

Renee Roth is a green educator who helped secure grant funding from US Fish & Wildlife and others to develop the site as a Schoolyard Habitat. The SYH provides an opportunity to get students outdoors to learn and explore wildlife in a natural setting on school grounds.

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Agents taking a break to call their clients!

and

CA Coastal Chaparral, Forest and Shrub Province
http://pollinator.org/PDFs/Guides/CalifCoastalChaparralrx6FINAL.pdf

New post on Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens Pollinators and Native vs. Non-native Plants by Beatriz Moisset A daffodil’s visitor. Not likely that the bee is finding any nourishment Are native plants important to the plant-pollinator communities? Sometimes I hear somebody say: “When it comes to pollinators, all flowers are the same; after all, nectars are all alike” or “my English ivy must be good for pollinators because it is teeming with insect visitors”. Such comments show a lack of information and understanding, as I mentioned in “Wildlife Food and Non-native Plants”. I have been photographing and studying pollinators for years, and I learned long ago not to waste time looking for them in the typical suburban gardens that are the pride of many of my neighbors. Nature centers and wildflower preserves are the source of most of my photos. Flying insects rarely visit a daffodil, forsythia or a tulip. Those that do so look rather puzzled, and leave promptly without visiting similar blossoms. Roses, the fancier ones, get no visitors either. The same applies to many of the “naturalized” plants, such as lesser celandine and garlic mustard. Recently, I spent time looking for pollinators on a few non-native flowers (lesser celandines, daffodils and forsythia), knowing what the results would be. I reported some of my observations in “Of Spring Beauties and Lesser Celandines”. A carpet of lesser celandines. Not much food for pollinators In the midst of lesser celandines, a few spring beauties manage to attract their pollinators, spring beauty bees It is true that some non-native flowers get their fair share of pollinators. Dandelions, Queen Anne’s lace and English ivy come to mind. This is not surprising in places in which the habitat has been so profoundly altered that there are no native flowers in sight. What would pollinators choose if they had options? Also, which pollinators fare better when faced only with non-native flowers? Is it only the versatile ones, the Jacks-of-all-trades? What happens to all the others? And what happens to the wildflowers that rely on native pollinators? For instance, the non-native and invasive leafy spurge(Euphorbia esula) attracts many pollinators in North Dakota. This seems to have detrimental effects on nearby native flowers. Queen Anne’s lace attracts many insects. But, how beneficial is that to native flowers? Doug Tallamy and his team have done extensive research on host plants for caterpillars. Over and over, native plants feed more caterpillars than non natives. There are hardly any similar systematic studies for pollinators. But we have good reasons to think that pollinators are best adapted to the flowers they co-evolved with. The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign lists some of these reasons on a factsheet. Nectar Nectars are not all the same (“Nectar, Breakfast of Champions”). They are a lot more than sugary water; some contain amino acids and vitamins. This cocktail makes some nectars more suitable than others for different clients. There are even those that contain a little alcohol (“Nectar. A Drink with a Zing”). Has anybody heard of tipsy bumble bees? Pollen Nectar isn’t the only food that flowers provide. Pollen is just as necessary, particularly for the most important pollinators, bees, also for some flower flies and a few butterflies. Adult bees may be relatively indiscriminate when it comes to nectar, but pollen for their babies is an entirely different matter. Bees tend to be more selective when it comes to pollen ranging from moderately- to highly-specialized. Some can only use pollen from one or from a handful of related species; that is why many bees are named after the flowers that are their main food source: spring beauty Andrena, azalea Andrena, squash bee, blueberry bee, rose-mallow bee, etc. Pollinator’s equipment Pollinators vary in shape and size and in the length of their tongue. They are well-matched to the native plants with which they have co-evolved. They may not be able to manipulate introduced plants. Flower’s structure Flat, open flowers may be accessible to just about any kind of visitor, but those with more complex shapes have co-evolved with their pollinators, and don’t welcome others. This is the case of kudzu, that formidable Asiatic invader. In North America, it propagates mostly through runners and rhizomes because native pollinators can’t handle its flowers, so seeds are seldom produced. In recent years, a large black bee from Asia, the giant resin bee (Megachile sculpturalis), arrived in North America by accident and started spreading across the landscape. Guess what: This bee is a very efficient pollinator of kudzu’s flowers. So, now this invasive can also propagate by seed. Oh, joy! Flowers that have been highly modified by horticultural manipulation, whether they are introduced or native, have lost most or all the cues that guide a pollinator to its food or they have lost their nectar and pollen entirely. My answer to the question at the head of this post is: Yes, native plants are better than non-natives when it comes to pollinators. They are part of a community that has taken eons to reach a high level of integration. This cannot be compared to the occasional use of non-native flowers by pollinators. In cases in which a non-native invasive attracts many pollinators, it may be taking pollinators away from native flowers and disrupting the normal function of the ecosystem. Forsythia. A spectacular floral display and practically no pollinators to take advantage of it You may want to consult the Pollinator Partnership planting guides for pollinator gardens with lists of native plants by ecoregions Beatriz Moisset | April 7, 2012 at 7:00 am | Tags: Native Plant, nectar, pollen, pollinator, wildlife value | Categories: Native Plants, Pollinators | URL: http://wp.me/p1tQ1a-3h2 Comment See all comments Unsubscribe or change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://nativeplantwildlifegarden.com/pollinators-and-native-vs-non-native-plants/

First CA Poppy 3/19/2012

DSC04865 big puddle of water collect on walkway

DSC04876 water is backed up in drain that is clogged with mud

DSC04866 lots of water builds up inside concrete wall

DSC04867 rain water drains thru bottom of concrete

DSC04868 puddles of water on both side of concrete wall

DSC04869 natural puddles are source of water for rain garden

DSC04871 birds

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DSC04874 Water is gushing out of this drain

DSC04875 barely a trickle out of this drain

DSC04877 puddles of rain in compacted clay soil that slowly percolate in (or runoff)

DSC04878 drain in plugged near tennis courts

Volume 22 No3 – November 2009 – Cooperative Extension Ventura County.

Also, Why trees die

WhyTreesDiesLandscape_Notes41170-1

Soil Food Web article

http://www.rain.org/~sals/ingham.html

From: “U.S. Department of Education” <ed.gov>
Date: March 1, 2012 8:20:15 AM PST
Reply-To: “U.S. Department of Education” <ed.gov>

A Coming of Age Moment for the Green Schools Movement

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Verbena "De La Mina"(Photo by Audra Arbas/Brooks Institute ©2012)

Parents have been asking “What is going on with the garden?”  Renee Roth and Julie Tumamait-Stenslie will be giving tours of the SYH Garden for parents and interested community members for the next 4 Saturdays, February 11, 18, 25 and March 3rd from 9am-9:30 and on Tuesday & Thursday, February 14 and 16 at 2:00 ( for parents who arrive early to pick up their students from Matilija). We will explain the garden areas and water requirements of the CA native plants, along with the layout and future plans for the garden.  If none of these times work for you, call Renee to arrange another time.

Anyone experienced with irrigation? We will be meeting with Aqua-flo to discuss layout/design for the drip irrigation early next week.  Call Renee if you can help with the installation, or have drip line/emitters to donate.

Renee Roth
798-3897
Matilijasyh@gmail.com

From Ojai Valley News, February 8, 2012

Matilija students listen to Michael Glenn of US Fish & Wildlife discuss importance of providing habitat for wildlife (Photo by Audra Arbas/Brooks Institute ©2012)

Jerin planting purple sage in the Matilija Schoolyard Habitat

Amber with purple sage in Hummingbird GARDEN of SYH