Pollinators 2017notes

5/7/2017
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© Project SOUND
Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden
Gardening with California Native Plants in Western L.A. County
Project SOUND – 2017 (our 13th year)
© Project SOUND
Peculiar Pollinators:
attracting unusual pollinators and
beneficial insects
C.M. Vadheim, K. Dawdy (and T. Drake)
CSUDH (emeritus), CSUDH & City of Torrance
Madrona Marsh Preserve
May 6 & 11, 2017
Why worry about bee pollinators?
© Project SOUND
http://slideplayer.com/slide/5667928/
http://bee-rapture.blogspot.com/2009/04/found-cause-of-
colony-collapse-disorder.html
National Pollinator Week
– June 19-25, 2017
© Project SOUND
Review: sex and the single flower
 Pollination is the act of transferring pollen grains from the
male anther of a flower to the female stigma. It’s necessary
for seed and fruit production in most higher plants.
http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/pollination.html

5/7/2017
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© Project SOUND
Living creatures (pollinators) usually carry the
pollen from flower to flower
http://plantpollinator.blogspot.com/2013/10/types-of-pollination.html
Even before colony collapse disorder,
some people were concerned…
 Depending on a single source
– for anything – should make
us all nervous
 Better to ‘diversify the
portfolio’
© Project SOUND
http://therealnewsjournal.com/?tag=colony-collapse-disorder
http://urbangardencasual.com/2009/04/28/possible-cure-
for-honey-bee-colony-collapse-disorder-discovered/
European Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
How does Mother Nature play it safe with
regards to pollination?
 Most insect pollinated flowers receive visits
from several different types of insects:
bees, flies, beetles, bugs, etc.
 In a study of 2200 CA plant species:
 71% of the out-crossing species were visited
by two potential pollinators
 49% were visited by three or more potential
pollinators
 Redundancy in pollination systems is
probably the rule, rather than the
exception.
 We can’t afford to loose our redundancy!
© Project SOUND
By hedging her odds
© Project SOUND
Who are the living (biotic) pollinators?
 Bees – of all sizes
 Butterflies
 Moths
 Flies & other fly-like insects
 Beetles
 Hummingbirds
 Ants
 Bats
 Even small reptiles & mammals
Most common
Least common
Often most specialized

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Threats to native pollinators: it basically
comes down to us
 Habitat loss
 Habitat degradation
 Climate change
 Imported pests/invasives
 Pesticide use
© Project SOUND
Potential ‘saviors’ of native pollinators?
Also us
 Creating habitat in diverse
places throughout the
community – including our
gardens
 Restoring degraded habitats
– be they wild, semi-wild
(parks) or gardens
 Using pesticides sparingly –
only as a last resort, and
then selectively
© Project SOUND
https://se.dreamstime.com/royaltyfri-fotografi-gruppstudy-image5984077
1. Any garden, no matter how small, can
provide pollinator habitat
 Select plants native to your
home's region
 Include a variety of colors to
catch the eyes of a variety of
pollinators
 Select varieties that bloom at
different times of the year
 Clump plants together to
create a stronger draw.
© Project SOUND
http://www.hgtv.com/design-blog/outdoors/surround-yourself-with-
pollinator-friendly-garden
Last month we increased the bird habitat
of our garden
 A living wall and arches to
attract butterflies,
hummingbirds and fruit-eating
birds
 A backyard hedgerow
providing food, perches and
nesting sites
 An herb garden providing
nectar for hummingbirds,
butterflies and others much
of the year
 Concluded that we needed
more plants for seed-eaters
© Project SOUND

5/7/2017
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Aha! moment: good seed-producers are
often good pollinator plants!
© Project SOUND
Plants that need to produce lots of seeds (to insure survival) need to
attract many pollinators. It’s no surprise they produce lots of nectar and
pollen to entice their pollinators.
We’ve already provided for one set of
pollinators: the hummingbirds
 Larger plants
 Lemonadeberry
 Currants
 Honeysuckle
 Smaller plants
 All the Salvias
 All of the ‘mints’
 Food:
 Nectar primarily; also eat small
insects
 Attracted by:
 Bright, red flowers
 Sweet scent
 Tubular flowers (accessible by
hummingbirds)
 Other requirements:
 Nest sites
 Perches
 Nesting materials
© Project SOUND
Types of pollinators we might want to
attract to our garden
 Hummingbirds
 Bees
 European Honeybee
 Native bees
 Butterflies
 Pollinator flies
 Moths
 Others:
 Wasps and other flying insects
 Beetles
© Project SOUND
×
How do we use the rest of the space to
create good, generalist pollinator habitat?
 Consistent with theme
 Provides good habitat
(birds & insects)
© Project SOUND

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2. To attract the most pollinators, choose a
sunny location
 Size: 40-50 x ~35 ft
 Blank slate (we removed
the old grass lawn)
 Views from everywhere:
 Street/sidewalk
 Entry walkway
 Bedrooms
© Project SOUND
Our design challenge:
high value pollinator &
bird habitat in a garden
that looks appropriate
(for a front yard)
We envision a lovely native pollinator
habitat, teeming with life
© Project SOUND
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/182466222379148078/
Our ‘audience’ includes many passersby…
© Project SOUND
http://neilpatel.com/2015/05/14/the-psychology-of-color-how-to-use-colors-to-increase-conversion-rate/
…the most favorite colors overall are blue and green
© Project SOUND
http://www.arttherapyblog.com/uimages/2011/01/color-meanings-symbolism-chart-green.png

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3. Include enough evergreen plants – chosen for
habitat value, as well as their beauty
© Project SOUND
Front yards must appeal to a wide range of
viewers: provide elements that most will enjoy
Design: choose plants by their
size and role in the design
 Large plants: serve as background/backbone
 Usually evergreen
 Give character to the garden (due their size,
shape)
 Provide a constant frame for the landscape
 Mid-ground plants that provide seasonal color
 Often medium-size
 Provide either flower or foliage color (or both)
 Often most dramatic massed
 Contrasts are key
 Accent plants (of any kind)
 Groundcovers & fillers
© Project SOUND
Rough idea: evergreen ‘frame’ provides a
backbone for the design
1. Evergreen ‘frame’ of shrubs (NE corner)
2. Other evergreen shrubs/’grasses’ (just enough; provide habitat)
3. Some ‘grasses’ or evergreen groundcover (near sidewalk)
© Project SOUND
© Project SOUND
* Vine Hill Manzanita – Arctostaphylos densiflora
© 2006 Steve Matson
We’ll need to create a small berm so our
manzanita(s) can thrive

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© Project SOUND
Manzanita(s) provide a source of early nectar
…even for some who steal it
Valley Carpenter Bee
© Project SOUND
‘Howard McMinn’ cultivar
 5-8+ ft tall & wide
 Readily available
 Very tolerant or garden
conditions; long-lived (50+ years)
 Often trained as a small tree
http://www.wildscaping.com/plants/plantprofiles/Arcto_HowardMcMinn.htm
http://www.nativeson.com/images/plants/arctohoward.jpg
http://www.elnativogrowers.com/images/Photos/arcdenhm_lsp_shrub.JPG
© Project SOUND
‘Harmony’ cultivar
 Low-growing – 3-4 ft tall & 6+ ft
wide
 Used for hedges & groundcovers
 Easy to grow – does fine in
heavy clay soils
http://www.theodorepayne.org/gallery/pages/A/arctostaphylos_Harmony.htm
© Project SOUND
In a small garden, every plant needs to do at
least double duty: beauty and usefulness
Our hedge also needs to provide habitat

5/7/2017
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© Project SOUND
Wow! Coffeeberry attracts a lot of spring pollinators
‘Eve Case’
Lots of good options that can
be hedged formally or semi-
formally to provide a neat
‘frame’
© Project SOUND
https://www.flickr.com/photos/eastbaywilds/13920637214
‘Mound San Bruno’
http://www.landscaperesource.com/plants/rhamnus-californica-mound-san-
bruno.htm
Frangula/Rhamus
californica cultivars
© Project SOUND
Evergreen shrubs frame the landscape,
providing a constant element
Now we need some low,
evergreen ‘grasses’,
located in key areas
© Project SOUND
Berkeley Sedge – Carex tumulticola
J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

5/7/2017
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© Project SOUND
A case of mistaken
identity
 Much of what is usually sold is
actually C. divulsa (European)
 True Berkeley Sedge is a bit
stiffer, less lush green
 Both have: fine-textured
leaves, form dense hummocks,
make great ground-covers
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/grasses/msg0202595220701.html?5
http://www.yerbabuenanursery.com/images/new_botimages/large/0416_
4_s.jpg
© Project SOUND
Carex tumulticola: green, grass-like, neat
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall
 1-2 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Mounded, grass-like sedge
 Evergreen
 Like a bunch-grass; slowly
expands
 Foliage:
 Narrow leaves; fine-textured
 Bright medium green to dark
green
 Roots: not extremely long –
perhaps 2 ft deep
© Project SOUND
Easy sedge to grow
 Soils:
 Texture: any local
 pH: any local except very alkali (>
8.0)
 Light:
 Best in part-shade;
 Can take quite shady or full sun
with water
 Water:
 Winter: adequate
 Summer: occasional to moist (Water
Zones 2 to 2-3 best)
 Fertilizer: pretty much whatever you
want to give it
 Other:
 Can use organic mulches
 Can trim or mow every 6 months
Grows in the cool
season, but evergreen
year-round
© Project SOUND
Adaptable sedge
 As lawn substitute in moist areas
of garden
 Lining pathways: neat appearance
 Easy-care groundcover under
trees
 Even as green filler in containers
http://www.bawsca.watersavingplants.com/eplant.php?plantnum=137&return=l4

5/7/2017
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© Project SOUND
Aha! moment - we can add more evergreen
‘grasses’ and infiltrate more water
Add a swale: infiltration, green & interest
© Project SOUND
Plant evergreen sedges along the swale
© Project SOUND
Choose a sun-loving species. Sedges appear
the same to most people: read as ‘grass’
© Project SOUND
Add seasonal bunchgrasses along the edges
Grasses provide larval
food for Skipper butterflies

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© Project SOUND
Alkali Sacaton – Sporobolus airoides
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
© Project SOUND
Alkali Sacaton – Sporobolus airoides
 Common western grass:
 W. of Mississippi from S.
Canada to Mexico
 In CA: drier foothills and
lowlands (including Redondo
Beach) from central to S. CA
 Seasonally moist areas
including:
 Saline flats, prairies and
sands.
 Meadows and valleys,
especially in moderately
saline soils
 Very large desert forms now
separated by some into
Sporobolus wrightii (Giant
Sacaton)
http://herbarium.usu.edu/webmanual/info.asp?name=Sporobolu
s_airoides&type=map
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Sporobolus+airoides
© Project SOUND
Alkali Sacaton: a larger ornamental grass
 Size:
 2-4 ft tall (mound is 2 ft) – less
water for smaller, slower-growing
plant
 2-4 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Warm-season perennial bunchgrass
 Large dense clumps – like Pampas
grass
 Long-lived
 Foliage:
 Coarser texture – typical of larger
bunching grasses & sedges
 Gray-green to blue-green with
purplish overtones; fades to gold
with summer drought
Robert Soreng @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
© Project SOUND
Alkali Sacaton: water
is fine
 Soils: very tolerant & adaptable
 Texture: any from sandy to clay
 pH: any local incl. alkali (pH > 8.0)
 Light: full sun to light shade
 Water:
 Winter:
 Tolerates seasonal flooding
 Needs good winter water; deep
roots tap into moist soil
 Summer: very drought tolerant;
Zone 1-2 to 2-3 (greener)
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
 Other: easy to establish & grow –
‘tough as nails’; salt-tolerant
http://www.noble.org/WebApps/PlantImageGallery/Plant.aspx?PlantID=25&PlantTypeID=2

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© Project SOUND
Garden uses for
Alkali Sacaton
 Moister areas: gardens, wildlands
 Good habitat plant; use with other
native plants in mixed plantings
 Flowering heads stunning! Makes
wonderful accent plant
 As an attractive pot plant
https://secwcd.org/content/ornamental-grasses-0
http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/plants/Poaceae/Sporobolus%20airoides/Sporobolus%20airoides.htm http://szkolka-grochowscy.pl/www/index.php/szkolka/ogrody/50-ogrod-pierwszy
4. Choose plants that most viewers can
relate to: familiar types of plants
© Project SOUND
Most Californians love wildflowers
© Project SOUND
Vernal pools and
swales in the wild
Our infiltration swale is a lot
like a vernal pool
http://www.speciesphoto.com/images/sjwa/2004_03_09/DSCN0009.html
Complex mix includes wildflowers
© Project SOUND
Annual spring wildflowers: also good
habitat plants
 Native spring wildflowers
are critically important for
native bees, butterflies and
other insects
 Plant the natives: provide
for spring pollinators and
attract passersby. Who can
resist pretty wildflowers?
 Vernal pool annuals might be
just right for our swale
http://zoologie.umh.ac.be/hymenoptera/photo_album/07_Andrenidae/ima
gepages/image9.html

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© Project SOUND
CA Goldfields – Lasthenia californica ssp. californica
© 2009 Barry Breckling
© Project SOUND
Typical of most wildflowers – will grow in many soils
 Soils:
 Texture: any local – sand to clay
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Full sun to part-shade –
versatile like Tidy-tips
 Water:
 Winter/spring: needs good soil
moisture – may need to
supplement rains, particularly
when seedlings small
 Summer: taper off after
blooming ceases – absolutely
needed for seed production
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils,
but ½ strength won’t kill them
G.A. Cooper @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
http://www.fossilflowers.org/imgs/jlr326/na/Asteraceae_Lasthenia_californica_31520.html
Could combine with other annual
wildflowers for added beauty, habitat
© Project SOUND
5. Choose plants that attract a wide range of
pollinators (usually possible)
© Project SOUND

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 Hummingbirds
 Bees
 Native bees
 Butterflies
 Moths
 Others:
 Wasps and other flying
insects
 Beetles
© Project SOUND
×
Many butterfly talks over the years….
Access them all at Mother
Nature’s Backyard Blog
© Project SOUND
© Project SOUND
Butterfly flowers have certain characteristics due to
their relationship with their butterfly pollinators
 Butterfly Flowers often are:
 In clusters and provide landing
platforms
 Brightly colored (red, yellow,
orange, lilac)
 Open during the day
 Ample nectar producers, with
nectar deeply hidden
 Nectar guides present
 May be clusters of small
flowers (goldenrods, buckwheats)
© Project SOUND
If you were a butterfly, what kind of plant
would you like?
 Lots of little flowers filled
with nectar
 Sunflower family (Asteraceae)
 Buckwheat genus (Eriogonum )
 Milkweed genus (Asclepias )
 Fiddleneck genus (Phacelia)
 Verbena family (Verbenaceae)
 Pea family (Fabaceae)
 Mint family (Lamiaceae)

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How are we doing for butterfly flowers?
 Larger plants
 Honeysuckle
 Mock Orange
 Currants
 Smaller plants
 The Salvias
 The Mints
 Cushion buckwheat
 Angelita daisy
© Project SOUND
Looks like we need to seriously think about adding some
more butterfly plants
Types of pollinators we
might want to attract
 Hummingbirds
 Bees
 Native bees
 Butterflies
 Moths
 Others:
 Wasps and other flying insects
 Beetles
© Project SOUND
×
Need to attract both the European Honeybee plus the
400+ species of native bees in Los Angles County
 Range in size from large
Carpenter bees to very tiny
 Fly from late winter through fall
 Pollenate both native and non-
native plants
© Project SOUND
Characteristics of good native bee plants
 Long bloom season
 Many flowers (often individually
small – but many per plant)
 Produce both high quality nectar
& pollen
 Designed specifically to attract
bees:
 Scent cues
 Color/patterning
 Shape: good place to land
while nectaring
© Project SOUND

5/7/2017
16
© Project SOUND
Many good butterfly plants also provision
bees (though some bees can be choosy)
 Lots of little flowers: good
nectar & pollen
 Buckwheat genus (Eriogonum )
 Milkweed genus (Asclepias )
 Fiddleneck genus (Phacelia)
 Verbena family (Verbenaceae)
 Salvias
 Pea family (Fabaceae)
 Mint family (Lamiaceae)
 Hummingbirds
 Bees
 Native bees
 Butterflies
 Moths
 Others:
insects
 Beetles
© Project SOUND
×
Fly pollinators are really common (but
little appreciated) in native plant gardens
 Range in size from ~ ½ inch to
almost microscopic
 ?? species in L.A. County – likely
some not yet even discovered
 Some appear to specialize in
certain flowers (Family or genus)
© Project SOUND
Single set of wingsShort antennae
Large eyes
Some mimic bees, wasps
Why worry about Dipterans? Can’t the
bees do the pollination work?
 Flies and bees are the two most
important insect pollinator
groups.
 Over 71 families of Diptera are
known to visit and pollinate
flowers, linking the fate of plants
and animals.
 Depending on the region, the time
of the day, the flowering
phenology and weather conditions,
flies may be the main or
exclusive pollinators, or share
pollination services with bees and
other pollinator groups.© Project SOUND
It turns out that pollination is
a lot more complex than
early agricultural studies
lead us to believe

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Cultivated plants pollinated by flies
 More than 100 cultivated crops are regularly visited by flies and
depend largely on fly pollination for abundant fruit set and seed
production . Examples:
 The cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao)
 Tropical fruits such as Mango (Mangifera indica), Capsicum annuum and
Piper nigrum, pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
 Fruit-bearing Rosaceae: Apple (Malus domestica) and Pear (Pyrus
communis) trees, strawberries (Fragaria vesca, F. x ananassa), Prunus
species (cherries, plums, apricot and peach), Sorbus species (e.g.
Rowanberry) and most of the Rubus-species (Raspberry, Blackberry,
Cloudberry etc.) as well as the wild rose
 Spices and vegetable plants of the family Apiaceae like fennel (Foeniculum
vulgare), coriander (Coriandrum sativum), caraway (Carum carvi), kitchen
onions (Allium cepa), parsley (Petroselinum crispum) and carrots (Daucus
carota)
 In addition, a large number of wild relatives of food plants, numerous
medicinal plants and cultivated garden plants benefit from fly
pollination.
© Project SOUND
What native plants attract fly pollinators?
The ‘insect-magnet’ plants
 Rhamus/Frangula
 Yarrow (Achillea millefolia)
 Goldenrods (Solidago & Euthamia spp.)
 Fall-blooming shrubs (Baccharis; Ericameria; Goldenbushes,
Tarplants
 Rose family
 Pink and white-flowered species
 The Buckwheats (Eriogonum spp.)
 The Mustard family (Brassicaceae)
 The Carrot family (Apiaceae)
© Project SOUND
 Hummingbirds
 Bees
 Native bees
 Butterflies
 Moths
 Others:
insects
 Beetles
© Project SOUND
×
Are there any wasp pollinators?
 Benefits of wasps (more than you
think):
 Natural insect pest control (adult
and larval) – aphids, Blackflies,
many non-native agricultural pest
species
 Nest-sharing (for other
pollinators like hoverflies)
 Pollination
 Some wasps are quite hairy
(pollination adaptation)
 A few studies: figs, orchids
 Some wasps are clearly not
hunting insects, but doing
something with the flowers
© Project SOUND

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Very few studies of wasps
as pollinators
 Wasps generally do not have special pollen-
carrying adaptations (soft hairs; pollen baskets).
But a closer look shows that more have hairs
than was previously suspected.
 Even without hairs, several wasp species are
able to effectively transport pollen, potentially
functioning as pollinators.
 Pollen wasps (subfamily Masarinae) gather
nectar and pollen in a crop inside their bodies,
and pollinate flowers of Penstemon and the water
leaf family, Hydrophyllaceae.
 The Agaonidae (fig wasps) are the only pollinators
of nearly 1000 species of figs - a mutualistic
relationship.
© Project SOUND
There’s much still to learn about local
pollinators (all of them)
 Observe/photograph in your own
garden
 Participate in ‘citizen scientist’ studies
(Nat. Hist. Museum)
 Upload photos to iNaturalist
© Project SOUND
Wasp pollinators: preventing stings (in a
front yard pollinator garden)
© Project SOUND
http://pollinator.org/pollinator_prairie.htm
It takes all kinds to pollinate (in native plant
gardens, vegetable gardens and in the wilds)!
© Project SOUND
http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=18076

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Design: choose plants by size, role in garden
 Large plants: background or backbone
 Usually evergreen
 Give character to the garden (due their size,
shape)
 Provide a constant frame
 Mid-ground plants that provide seasonal
color
 Often medium-size
 Provide either flower or foliage color (or both)
 Always something showcased – all seasons
 Often most dramatic when massed
 Contrasts are key
 Accent plants (of any kind)
 Groundcovers & fillers
© Project SOUND
6. Choose an array of plants that provide
bloom from spring through fall
© Project SOUND
7. Less is more, aesthetically speaking (at
least for the predominant plants)
© Project SOUND
Choose plants from the large
‘pollinator magnet’ groups
Sunflowers provide good pollinator habit
in spring and early summer
 Lots of little flowers
 Easy-to-reach nectar and
pollen
 Good quality food
 Many species
© Project SOUND

5/7/2017
20
© Project SOUND
Plants in the Mint family are among our
best summer perennial ‘Pollinator Plants’
 Many small flowers – and usually
long bloom period
 High-quality nectar
 Due to shape, available to long-
tongued pollinators (butterflies,
moths, some bees, hummingbirds)
Salvia species
Stachys species
Native Buckwheats are super pollinator plants
 Long bloom season – especially when
use several species
 Thousands of blossoms per plant
 Used by wide range of pollinators
 Summer-fall sources of high quality
nectar and pollen
© Project SOUND
© Project SOUND
The Sunflower family
(Asteraceae) provides
important food in fall
 Several genera of bush sunflowers
bloom late summer/fall
 Long bloom season
 Nectar and pollen available to
many types of pollinators (even
ants, beetles)
 Lots of small flowers
Goldenbushes – Hazardia & Isocoma
Baccharis species
Benefits of using only sunflowers and
buckwheats in our design
 Limits our (agonizing) choices
 Enough within-group similarity to read
as ‘limited plant palette’ (good for
aesthetics)
 Some within-group variety [flower
color; foliage color; height]
 Enough between-group differences to
give variety
 Both groups contain many ‘pollinator
magnet species’
 Both groups contain species that
bloom in the key seasons
© Project SOUND

5/7/2017
21
Local Sunflowers: good habitat plants
Spring Summer Fall
Baccharis salicifolia Baccharis salicifolia
Helianthus annuus
Baccharis salicifolia
Baccharis pilularis
Isocoma menziesii
Hazardia squarosa
Cirsium occidentale
Constancea nevinii
Coreopsis bigelovii
Encelia californica
Malacothrix saxatilis
Corethrogyne filaginifolia
Grindelia species
Helenium puberulum
Helianthus gracilentis
Hemizonia fasciculate
Munzothamnus blairii
Senecio spp?
Stephanomeria spp
Ericameria ericoides
Ericameria linearifolia
Heterotheca grandiflora
Pluchea odorata
Solidago spp
Symphotrichum
Achillea millefolia
Lasthenia species
Layia platyglossa
Leptosyne bigelovii ?
Perityle emoryi
Achillea millefolia Achillea millefolia
© Project SOUND
Other CA Sunflowers: good habitat plants
Spring Summer Fall
Bahiopsis/Viguera spp?
Encelia actoni
Encelia farinosa
Venegasia carpesioides
Helenium bigelovii
Lepidospartum squamatum
Ericameria nauseosa
Other Ericameria spp.
Symphyotrichum chilense
Baileya multiradiata
Geraea canescens
Hulsea heterochroma
Malacothrix glabrata
Xylorhiza tortifolia
Madia elegans
Tetraneuris acaulis
Tetraneuris acaulis
Gutierrezia californica
© Project SOUND
California buckwheats (Eriogonum): good
habitat plants over a long season
Spring Summer Fall
E. cinereum
E. fasciculatum
E. giganteum
E. cinereum
E. fasciculatum
E. giganteum
E. parvifolium
E. crocatum
E. elongatum
E. grande rubescens
E. kennedyi
E. grande rubescens
E. umbellatum
© Project SOUND
CA Bush Sunflower – Encelia californica

5/7/2017
22
The downside -
summer dormancy
 Wonderful plant; glorious in
season
 Difficult in gardens that are
‘on display’ (like front yard)
© Project SOUND
*Acton brittlebush – Encelia actoni
Robb Hannawacker
 Native to CA, NV and Baja California
Locally N. slopes of San Gabriels
 Mountains of Mojave, Sonoran & Great
Basin Deserts; rocky slopes in desert,
chaparral, and grassland communities
from 2,500 to 6,000 feet elevation.
 Sometimes AKA Encelia actonii; collected
July 1, 1885 M.K. Curren [Brandegee]
© Project SOUND
*Acton brittlebush – Encelia actoni
©1999 Larry Blakely ©2007 Steve Matson
https://www.cpp.edu/~jcclark/encelia/act-m.html
© Project SOUND
 Size:
 2-5 ft tall
 3-5 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Mounded sub-shrub; fast growing
 Evergreen with many slender
stems
 Very tough – handles stress well
 Foliage:
 Typical triangular sunflower
leaves
 Foliage color: gray-green
 Used medicinally as an analgesic
for rheumatism
©2004 James M. Andre
From California Native Plants, Theodore
Payne's 1941 catalog: Forms a spreading
bushy plant 3 to 5 feet high with gray green
stems and foliage. Flowers large, clear rich
yellow on long naked stems and very showy.
Easy to grow and under cultivation the plants
flower for along time. The flowers are
unsurpassed for cutting and last a long time
in water.
Acton brittlebush – tough desert native

5/7/2017
23
© Project SOUND
Oh those sunflowers
 Blooms: spring into early summer,
Feb-July
 Flowers:
 Typical sunflower heads on
slender, erect stems
 Yellow ray flowers; golden disk
flowers
 Very attractive in bloom
 Attracts wide range of insect
pollinators
 Seeds:
 Typical for sunflower; re-
seeds well
 Birds love the seeds
©2005 Brent Miller
©2005 Steve Matson
©2010 Neal Kramer
© Project SOUND
Tough desert survivor  Soils:
 Texture: well-drained (or
berm)
 pH: any local
 Light: full sun
 Water:
 Winter: needs usual
 Summer: can water monthly –
Water Zone 1-2 to even 2
 Other:
 No mulch (or gravel)
 Fairly easy
©2008 Gary A. Monroe
©2013 Jean Pawek
© Project SOUND
Acton brittlebush
 Used for both foliage and flowers;
anywhere a sunflower is needed
 Good accent or seasonal color plant;
also for pollinator/butterfly garden
 Does well on hot, dry slopes
 Nice cut flowerJordan Zylstra
©2011 Neal Kramer
©2017 John Doyen
© Project SOUND
We choose to group the seasonal color
shrubs (like the Acton brittlebush)

5/7/2017
24
Why group the seasonal color plants?
 Produces masses of color –
perfect for mid-ground plants
 Accentuates the positive
attributes – flower or foliage;
makes them true accents
 Allows you to plan for seasonal
blocks of color
 Many of our local shrubs/sub-
shrubs grow that way (coastal
sage scrub; chaparral):
 Looks ‘appropriate’ for our area
 May also have biologic benefits
© Project SOUND
Why mass sunflowers (in front yard garden)?
 Sunflowers naturally mass
 In the garden setting we can
exaggerate – by planting more
and closer together
 Result: passersby will find them
utterly stunning - familiar plants
used in a creative way
© Project SOUND
8. Plant in masses – both for habitat and
aesthetic reasons
 Massed plantings attract
pollinators
 Seeing a quantity of one plant
is genuinely affecting.
“The most striking and satisfying
visual pleasure comes from the
repetition or the massing of one simple
element. Imagine the Parthenon with
each column a different kind of
marble!”
- Russell Page, one of the great
twentieth-century landscape designers
© Project SOUND
Repetition, repetition, repetition
© Project SOUND
Masses of brittlebush: yellow in spring

5/7/2017
25
© Project SOUND
We could also use annual spring sunflowers
in drier parts of the garden: theme
© Project SOUND
Coastal Tidytips – Layia platyglossa
Br. Alfred Brousseau – St. Mary’s Collegehttp://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?609,1504,1519
© Project SOUND
Tidy Tips are great for wildflower prairies
 Fast growing annual
 Attractive foliage
 Good size: 1-2 ft tall, 6-12 inch
spread
 Blooms Mar-June in South Bay
 Bright yellow “daisy” heads with
white tips – looks like very
attractive Gazanias
 Butterflies love the nectar – and
seed eating birds will fight you for
the seeds!
© Project SOUND
Common monolopia – Monolopia lanceolata
©2009 California State University, Stanislaus

5/7/2017
26
 It is endemic to the southern half of
California, where it grows in many types of
habitat, including coastal and valley
grassland, chaparral, woodland, and desert.
 Palos Verdes; Santa Monica Mtns; desert
foothills and central CA
 Monolopia lanceolata Nuttall, Proc. Acad.
Nat. Sci. Philadelphia. 4: 21. 1848.
© Project SOUND
Common monolopia – Monolopia lanceolata
©2011 Rebecca Wenk ©2011 Jean Pawek
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_cpn.pl?MOLA3
© Project SOUND
Common monolopia: annual wildflower
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall
 1-2 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Annual wildflower
 Upright, open and branched
habit
 Delicate appearance
 Foliage:
 Medium- to gray-green; often
softly hairy
 Simple, sunflower leaves
©2005 Christopher L. Christie
© Project SOUND
Sunny spot of color
 Blooms: in spring - Feb-May
(depends on weather)
 Flowers:
 Cheery sunflower heads
 Many flowers per plant –
pretty
 Ray and disk flowers yellow;
ray flowers very broad
 Loved by the spring
pollinators
 Seeds: typical for sunflowers;
loved by birds
©2011 Rebecca Wenk
© Project SOUND
Typical local annual
 Soils:
 Texture: any
 pH: any local
 Light: full sun to part-shade
 Water:
 Winter: needs moist ground
after germination; irrigate as
needed
 Summer: let dry away to
nothing after flowering
 Other: no heavy mulch; light
layer of gravel is fine
©2015 Richard Spellenberg

5/7/2017
27
© Project SOUND
Cheery spring annual
 Glorious massed; alone of with
other grasses, wildflowers
 As an accent or filler plant in
ecological gardens
 In habitat gardens
 As an attractive pot plant
©2011 Jean Pawek
©2013 Neal Kramer
http://claritaplants.blogspot.com/2015/02/february-in-review.html#!/2015/02/february-
in-review.html
© Project SOUND
And now we add masses of summer-bloomers:
passersby will see ‘yellow daisies’ spring thru’ summer
© Project SOUND
Slender sunflower – Helianthus gracilentus
 Southern Central West, South West
[from Napa County to San Diego
County], northern Baja CA
 Dry slopes, especially after fires,
chaparral, woodland; 200-6000 ft.
© Project SOUND
Slender sunflower – Helianthus gracilentus
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=3280
http://www.smmflowers.org/bloom/species/Helianthus_gracilentus.htm

5/7/2017
28
From California Native Plants, Theodore
Payne's 1941 catalog:
"A handsome plant which
grows 3 to 5 feet high with
many slender branches and
rich green lancolate foliage.
the flowers are bright yellow,
very showy and excellent for
cutting, especially attractive
when arranged in a tall vase.
Gallon cans, 35c."
© Project SOUND
© Project SOUND
Slender sunflower: Encelia + Annual sunflower
 Size:
 3-6 ft tall
 3-6 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Perennial or mounded sub-shrub
 Many part-woody stems from a
stout, woody root stock
 Stems slender, graceful
 Foliage:
 Typical sunflower leaves;
medium green, hairy, aromatic
 Evergreen with occasional
water
 Roots: stout taproot
©2009 Thomas Stoughton
© Project SOUND
Love those flowers
 Blooms: in warm weather, late
spring through summer (May-Oct)
 Flowers:
 Bright, golden sunflower heads
 Head ~ 2 inches across
 15-25 ray flowers
 Disk flowers usually golden
(may be brown)
 Chocolate-like scent
 Very showy plant in bloom;
attracts many pollinators
 Seeds: typical dry sunflower-type
seeds; plants may re-seed (like
Encelia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus_gracilentus
© Project SOUND
Plant Requirements  Soils:
 Texture: well-drained best;
can be grown in others
 pH: any local
 Light: full sun to part-shade
 Water:
 Winter: needs good winter
rains; important to supplement
if needed
 Summer: looks best with
occasional water – Water Zone
1-2 to 2
 Other:
 Light organic mulch OK
 Can deadhead for 2nd bloom
 Prune back by 1/3 late fall
http://www.wcosf.org/enjoy/fireplants.html

5/7/2017
29
© Project SOUND
Charming sunflower
 Summer color in mixed beds,
natural plantings
 in habitat gardens (birds &
pollinators)
 Where ever an evergreen
bush sunflower is needed
http://www.planttrails.com/product/helianthus-gracilentus/
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/130552095
© Project SOUND
In the front we need a sunflower with similar
size (short) but summer/fall bloomer
© Project SOUND
Angelita daisy: foreground
 As an attractive pot plant; long bloom
season makes it a favorite
 Dense form makes it perfect for
massing
 Groundcover – even in hot areas along
sidewalks, etc.
 Intersperse it with spring annual
sunflowers for ‘gold’ spring to fallhttps://idfg.idaho.gov/species/taxa/57900
https://www.snwa.com/apps/plant/detail.cfml?id=15070
https://www.snwa.com/apps/landscape_galleries/gallery_color_e
xplosion.cfml?gallery=2
Local Sunflowers: good fall habitat plants
Spring Summer Fall
Baccharis salicifolia Baccharis salicifolia
Helianthus annuus
Baccharis salicifolia
Baccharis pilularis
Isocoma menziesii
Hazardia squarosa
Cirsium occidentale
Constancea nevinii
Coreopsis bigelovii
Encelia californica
Malacothrix saxatilis
Corethrogyne filaginifolia
Grindelia species
Helenium puberulum
Helianthus gracilentis
Hemizonia fasciculate
Munzothamnus blairii
Senecio spp?
Stephanomeria spp
Ericameria ericoides
Ericameria linearifolia
Heterotheca grandiflora
Pluchea odorata
Solidago spp
Symphotrichum
Achillea millefolia
Lasthenia species
Layia platyglossa
Leptosyne bigelovii ?
Perityle emoryi
Achillea millefolia Achillea millefolia
© Project SOUND

5/7/2017
30
© Project SOUND
A Coastal Goldenbush for fall blooms
 Similar growth habit and flowers; fall blooming (Aug-Oct)
 Coast Goldenbush: foliage lighter; leaves rounder, softer,
 Sawtooth Goldenbush: foliage stiffer, prickly
Coastal Goldenbush – Isocoma menziesii Sawtooth Goldenbush – Hazardia squarrosa
© Project SOUND
How we look in spring: sunflowers
© Project SOUND
How we look in summer: sunflowers
© Project SOUND
Fall sunflowers: mostly larger shrubs

5/7/2017
31
Now we’ll add some native buckwheats
(Eriogonum species)
Spring Summer Fall
E. cinereum
E. fasciculatum
E. giganteum
E. cinereum
E. fasciculatum
E. giganteum
E. parvifolium
E. crocatum
E. elongatum
E. grande rubescens
E. kennedyi
E. grande rubescens
E. umbellatum
© Project SOUND
California Buckwheat - Eriogonum fasciculatum
 Size: 2-4 ft tall & wide
 Shape (straight species):
 Compact, mounded evergreen
shrub
 Dense foliage
 Foliage color: green
 Flower color:
 Pale orange/pink late spring
through summer
 Dark red-brown seed heads,
fall
© Project SOUND
© Project SOUND
Ashy-leaf Buckwheat – Eriogonum cinereum
© Project SOUND
Ashy-leaf Buckwheat – Eriogonum cinereum
 CA coastal endemic:
 s Central Coast, w South
Coast, from Santa Barbara
County south to San Pedro
 n Channel Islands (Santa
Rosa Island)
 on dunes and bluffs in
coastal strand and on
slopes and ridges further
inland in coastal sage
scrub at elevations < 500
m.
 cinereum: ashy-gray,
usually referring to the
foliage
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Eriogonum+cinereum

5/7/2017
32
© Project SOUND
Special features of Ashy-leaf Buckwheat
 Size:
 2-3 ft tall
 to 6 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Many-branched perennial
shrub
 Mounding or cascading form
 Medium to fast growth
(depends on water
availability)
 Foliage:
 Large gray-green to white
leaves
 Nice color year-round
© Project SOUND
Flowers provide a lovely contrast to the
gray-green leaves
 Usually blooms late July-Oct in
our area (later than CA
buckwheat)
 Flowering stems are elongated
with scattered, head-like
flower clusters at the nodes or
tips (different look from CA
buckwheat).
 Color: delicate pink flowers -
turning to rust- colored seed
heads (fall color contrast w/
CA buckwheat)
© Project SOUND
Ashy-leaf Buckwheat adds
a touch of class…
 an excellent plant for the
natural, wildlife garden.
 Interesting ground cover
 Blends well with other gray-
leaved natives
 Good for erosion control on
slopes
 Excellent for seaside/
coastal areas
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/ashyleafbuckwheat.html
Although the species has long been in
cultivation, it is only infrequently found
in the garden today
© Project SOUND
Perennial sunflowers fill about 1/3 of the space

5/7/2017
33
© Project SOUND
Now we need to add masses of the 2 buckwheats
How much of a given species do you
need to provide good habitat?
 Depends on both the pollinator
and the plant species
 How many blooms
 Nectar production
 Good rule of thumb: at least
9-10 sq. ft. per species
 One large tree or shrub way
exceeds the minimum
 One medium shrub (4 ft
diameter)
 3 ft. patch of flowering plants
© Project SOUND
More is always better!
More species vs. greater area
More species – smaller
area for each
 Pros
 Can plant more of your
favorites
 Good for cottage garden
 May provide habitat for
‘picky eaters’ including larvae
 Hedge your bets; guard
against catastrophic losses
 Cons
 Can be messy looking
 May not provide enough food
Fewer species – greater
area for each
 Pros
 Often more elegant looking
 Better mimics local plant
communities – may have
important habitat benefits
 Provides more food for
generalists
 Cons
 May not provide for
specialists
 Possibility of catastrophic
die-off due climate, disease
© Project SOUND
A third option: local ecologic-style gardens
 Mass backbone species: often
shrubs or sub-shrubs (if using
local natives)
 Use masses of similar seasonal
color species, but with different
bloom seasons (to give garden
aesthetic stability over the
seasons)
 Fill with range of other plant
types and species designed to:
 Give a sense of place
 Provide habitat for selected
animals (or humans)
 Provide vertical interest
© Project SOUND

5/7/2017
34
Massing the seasonal color plants
provides lots of pollinator habitat
 ~ 250 sq ft of sunflowers (~ 60-70 per season)
 ~ 300 sq ft of buckwheat (~ 150 in summer and fall)
© Project SOUND
© Project SOUND
With lovely color mosaic though the seasons
Spring will be a medley of green and gold
© Project SOUND
Summer adds the masses of CA Buckwheat
© Project SOUND
Fall brings the rusts and browns od the season

5/7/2017
35
Want to fill the area densely – need
accents and fillers
 Accents add color or texture
to the garden
 They may also provide habitat
for specific pollinators
© Project SOUND
We can add some large accents
1. At the east end of the Coffeeberry hedge (Bush sunflower)
2. Near the corner of the garage (something different)
© Project SOUND
© Project SOUND
*California yerba santa – Eriodictyon californicum
© Project SOUND
Flowers are exquisite
 Blooms: in spring; usually Apr-June
in S. CA
 Flowers:
 Clusters of bell-shaped flowers
 Usually lilac color; sometimes
white
 Very unusual and showy
 Butterfly pollinated; loved also
by bees
 Seeds: Many small, dark seeds in
fall
 Vegetative reproduction: spreads
via rhizomes
©2009 Barry Breckling

5/7/2017
36
© Project SOUND
Plant Requirements  Soils:
 Texture: any, but prefers
well-drained soils
 pH: any local except alkali
 Light: sun-loving; full sun
 Water:
 Winter: needs good
winter/spring rains
 Summer: occasional: Water
Zone 1-2 or 2
 Fertilizer: fine with light
fertilizer
 Other: prune in spring or early
summer; don’t plant where
spreading is a problem
©2010 Genevieve K. Walden
© Project SOUND
CA Yerba santa
 Good for naturalistic plantings,
on slopes
 In pollinator gardens
 In an herb or medicinal garden;
makes a flavorful tea & was used
for many medicinal uses
©2011 Jean Pawek
©2015 Julie Kierstead Nelson https://www.newageincense.com/yerba-santa-sage/
© Project SOUND
Some taller, white-flowered accents would be nice
© Project SOUND
Cliff Aster – Malacothrix saxatilis

5/7/2017
37
© Project SOUND
Wonderful with its
natural partners
 Welcome spot of white against
darker foliage in a mixed bed
 On slopes, cliffs, hillsides
 Natural partners (mostly
Zone 1/2):
 Salvia mellifera & leucophylla
 Diplacus aurantiacus
 Quercus agrifolia
 Native clovers
 Many spring-blooming annual
wildflowers
 Charming plant – should be
used more in local gardens
© Project SOUND
Summer could use some lacey white (as well
as some tall, dramatic accents)
© Project SOUND
Blair's Wire-lettuce – Stephanomeria (Munzothamnus) blairii
Donald Myrick © California Academy of Sciences
© Project SOUND
Blair’s wire-lettuce/Munzothamnus - attractive sub-shrub
 Size:
 2-4 ft tall
 3-4 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Sub-shrub with woody base and
herbaceous new growth
 Semi-evergreen (stress
deciduous)
 Stems thick & fleshy
 Foliage:
 Bright to medium-green leaves
– medium size
 Mostly clustered at the base or
at ends of branches
 Quite attractive, even when not
blooming
© Rick York and CNPS

5/7/2017
38
© Project SOUND
Flowers are fantastic
 Blooms:
 In summer - usually July-Aug,
but possible into Sept.
 Flowers open over several
weeks
 Flowers:
 Aster-like (or Wire-lettuce-
like) heads
 Lovely pale pink or purple – nice,
old-fashioned color
 Nectar attracts hummingbirds,
bees, butterflies and other
insects
 Seeds:
 Small, sunflower-type
 Seed-eating birds love them
Robert Potts © California Academy of Sciences
© 2005 Dieter Wilken
© Project SOUND
Blair’s Munzothamnus is a
nice flowering perennial
 Has not been used much in gardens
due to rarity.
 Lovely in an old-fashioned mixed
native perennial bed. Looks like an
English garden plant.
 Try with Cirsium occidentale,
Delphinium cardinale, Mimulus
aurantiacus, Eriophyllum nevinii
(another island endemic)
 Does fine in a large pot (at least
for several years)
 Flowers make nice cut flowers
© 2005 Dieter Wilken
Also a good habitat plant
For garden drama, you can’t beat Annual Sunflowers
 Cottage gardens, backs of
beds
 Along fences & walls
 Specimen plant or mass
plantings
 Bird & wildlife gardens
 Large containers
 Around a compost pile
 Scent garden
 And many other
possibilities
© Project SOUND
We’ll learn more about accents & fillers in July

5/7/2017
39
Lessons: pollinator habitat in a front yard
1. Any garden, no matter how small, can provide pollinator
habitat
2. To attract the most pollinators, choose a sunny area
© Project SOUND
http://www.hgtv.com/design-blog/outdoors/surround-yourself-with-pollinator-friendly-garden
3. Be sure to include enough evergreen plants – chosen for
their habitat value as well as beauty
4. Choose some plants that everyone can relate to
© Project SOUND
5. Choose plants that attract a wide range of pollinators: the
‘pollinator magnets’ in Sunflower, Buckwheat & Mint families
6. Less is more, aesthetically (at least for the predominant
plants)
© Project SOUND
7. Choose an array of habitat plants that provide bloom from
spring through fall
8. Plant in masses – for habitat and aesthetic reasons
© Project SOUND
http://www.gardenista.com/posts/leaves-of-grass-9-ways-to-create-curb-appeal-with-perennial-grasses/

5/7/2017
40
9. Bring others into the game with signage
© Project SOUND
© Project SOUND
Share with your neighbors: three simple things to
make your neighborhood pollinator friendly
 Provide a range of locally native
flowering plants that bloom
throughout the growing season
 Plant in large blocks
 Create nest sites for native
pollinators
 Avoid using pesticides
Remember, it takes a neighborhood to
provide habitat
© Project SOUND
Next month, Kelley will talk about pathways
© Project SOUND

Pollinators 2017notes

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