Chapter Meeting Holiday Potluck and Photo Share

Come eat, drink, and be merry with CNPSSD!

Tuesday, November 19th 2024 6:00PM - 9:00PM

Room 101 Casa Del Prado, Balboa Park

Please bring a delicious snack to share along with your favorite native plant pictures (a max of ten per member) from 2024 and the stories behind them.

Please send your 10 best photos to avtech@cnpssd.org by 11/16/24 to have them displayed on the projection screen!

Please email us at programs@cnpssd.org for more information.

4th Annual Julian Natural Wonderfest
Saturday, October 26
2PM - 11PM 
(Volunteer shift 1PM - 5PM)
All ages, dogs welcome!

Hosted by the Volcan Mountain Foundation, this event is a great festival of booths that support the local Julian area, especially the non profits and businesses that call the mountains home.  Come for the great food and wine, meet the wolves of the Julian Wolf Center, and stay for the Dark Skies Star Party (weather dependent).

Outreach Volunteers needed!

CLICK HERE FOR EVENT PAGE

ReWild Bird Park - A Native Garden Workshop & Fundraiser

Saturday, September 21, 2024

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Check-in - 8:30 AM at Bird Park, next to the children’s swings.

28th St and Thorn St, San Diego, CA 92104

Workshop Fee: $40 | Limited Spots Available

Can’t join us? Consider making a donation to support our cause.

Join us at Bird Park for a day of hands-on learning and garden creation with Greg Rubin

and Leo Hernandez of California’s Own Native Landscape Design. Mike Madewell with Hunter Irrigation will give a short presentation on irrigation updates for the native garden. 

The Garden Committee invites you for a hands-on workshop and learn how to design

and install a dry stream bed, from selecting the right rocks for a natural look to sourcing

materials and creating the illusion of flowing water. Discover how to strategically place

sitting and stepping boulders to enhance your garden’s enjoyment.

We’ll also cover choosing native plants that thrive in both dry and wet conditions,

perfect for areas around and beyond the stream bed. Plus, learn how to design DG

pathways and install a wildlife water feature to attract local wildlife

Although this workshop is open to everyone, it presents a unique and valuable

opportunity for students, landscape professionals, and others in the trade to learn from

top experts in native plant gardening. Participants will not only gain the skills to

incorporate native plant gardens at home but also contribute to a teaching garden that

will educate visitors once established.

All proceeds will support the expansion of “feather” plots in Bird Park, helping us

create a thriving habitat for pollinators, birds, butterflies, and the community.

Support Options

$10 – will buy one native plant (does not include event ticket)

$50 – will buy five native plants (does not include event ticket) 

$100 – will buy a small streambed boulder (does not include event ticket)

$200 – will buy a large sitting boulder (does not include event ticket)

Support Our Work at Bird Park - make a donation in any amount (does not include event ticket)

For more information about Bird Park, go to https://chapters.cnps.org/sandiego/bird-park/

Presentation:
Miramar Vernal Pools Recovery - 2 years later
Ecology changes and volunteer activities 
By CNPS San Diego Committee Chairs

https://chapters.cnps.org/sandiego/miramar-vernal-pool-preserve/

Two years after beginning our clean up and protection of an 8 acre vernal pool site in Miramar, the partnerships and efforts have grown alongside the plants that have recovered wonderfully.  Many recall that over a hundred CNPS volunteers removed tons of waste and refuse from a former encampment following a process to notify the residents there.  The following spring of 2023, the plants came back with an unexpected resiliency!  With good rainfall continuing into 2024, what has become of the Preserve space?  What challenges does it still face?  How are the efforts going with the money raised from many of you t take down the "Dirty Dozen" eucalyptus negatively impacting some of the pools?

Come out for an informal night of banter and awe at great progress slides and data.  We'll have discussions about the ecology of one of San Diego's finest examples of endangered habitats saved from a slow death by our members.  Thank you and I look forward to seeing everyone there!
 

• Chapter meetings are free and open to the public - welcome to all who share a love of wild places, diversity of life, and new friends!

• Browsing & Socializing – Check out the books and merchandise for sale, chat with knowledgeable members, find volunteer opportunities, grab some fantastic snacks and drinks, & grab deals on seeds and bulbs (availability not guaranteed)

In-person meeting
Casa del Prado Room 101, Balboa Park
Across Village Place from the San Diego NAT
in the Casa Del Prado Inner courtyard

Chapter meetings are free and open to the public
 

6:30PM Browsing & Socializing

7:00PM Meeting Announcements 

7:15 to 7:30PM Presentation (May begin a little early)

8:30PM+ Wrap up & Thanks before closing at 9PM

Seed Sorting Party 
TUESDAY September 17th, 2024
10 AM - 1 PM

 

Location:  Tecolote Nature Center

Our next sorting party will be from 10 AM - 1 PM on TUESDAY September 17th to package up our fall bulbs and I can't wait to see you there!  If we finish packaging, we may move on to cleaning seeds if time allows.  If we do not finish packaging, there will packaging jobs to take home to finish.

Please let me know if you will attend. Please feel free to bring snacks, seeds to donate or potted plants to share with the group, and please bring your own drink!

Please be sure not to come if you are having Flu or COVID symptoms.  We can set up tables outside for folks who would rather work outdoors. 

Our volunteers make seed fun happen!  Hope to see you there!

- Cindy Hazuka

Directions to Tecolote Nature Center
Google Map:  https://goo.gl/maps/tn49Zzp845wQBWoH9
From Interstate 5 take the Sea World Drive/Tecolote Road Exit and travel east. The road looks like it ends but there is a driveway/narrower road that keeps going East with a bunch of baseball fields to your right.  Get on the narrow road and proceed to the end of the road.  The Nature Center is on the right at the end of the turnabout near the Tecolote Canyon Trailhead.  We will be in the M. Eloise Battle Learning Center near the bathrooms.

CONTACT:

Cindy Hazuka
CNPS-SD Seed and Bulb Coordinator
cnpssd.seeds@gmail.com
https://www.cnpssd.org/seeds-and-bulbs/
https://www.canativeseeds.com/

Wonderland at the SD Natural History Museum
Friday, September 13
6:30PM to 10:30PM; Doors at 7PM
Adults only! Age 21 and up

Disappear down a rabbit hole of bizarre fun with our scientists, artistic souls, and green-thumbed gardeners. Explore all exhibits, sip on craft cocktails and beer potions, indulge in fantastical food from local San Diego restaurants, and dance the night away with local musicians that will leave you grinning like the Cheshire cat. Bring your best top hat, pocket watch, or whimsy attire, you won't want to be late for this very important date.    

$45 for non-members, $35 for members
Free if you join our Outreach Committee and represent the Chapter

Limited Space in Outreach Booth

Container Gardening with Native Plants @ Walter Anderson Nursery

Join us for an informative session on container gardening with native plants, suited for both sunny and shady spots. Learn everything from selecting the right containers and soil to managing watering and fertilizing schedules. This is a FREE class!

With Christine Hoey and Sherry Ashbaugh

Walter Anderson Nursery

3642 Enterprise Street
San Diego, CA 92110

Date: Saturday, September 7

Time: 9:00 am - 10:30 am

Cost: Free

Organizer: CNPS-SD

There is NO Chapter Meeting in August! We’ll Bee Back - September 17th,2024

Banner Photo by Erika Daniel ©

CNPSSD Native Garden Committee Zoom Webinar - Desert Plants for the Urban Garden

With Don Rideout

You don’t have to live in the desert to enjoy gardening with desert plants. Don Rideout will guide you in discovering the beauty and diversity of desert plants that thrive in urban gardens. He will share tips on selecting the best desert plants for your environment and offer practical advice on how to care for them, ensuring your garden flourishes with the unique charm of desert flora.

Don Rideout began gardening with native plants in 1995 and some of those plants still survive today. Ten years ago, Don completely renovated his garden, creating five habitat zones adding plants representing each habitat. He volunteers with Batiquitos Lagoon and Anza-Borrego State Park. Don graciously opened his Encinitas garden for the 2014 and 2023 CNPS Native Garden Tours. His goal is to maximize the value of the garden for local wildlife and for his own enjoyment.

CLICK HERE - DESERT GARDEN WEBINAR SIGN-UP

Don’s presentation will be recorded and available later on the CNPS San Diego YouTube Channel at this link: https://www.youtube.com/c/CNPSSanDiego

Banner Photo by: Erika Daniel©

Presentation: Post-Fire Butterfly-Plant Community Recovery - Dr. Jolene Saldivar

july 16, 2024
6:30 - 9:00 PM

In-person meeting
Casa del Prado Room 101, Balboa Park
Across Village Place from the San Diego NAT
in the Casa Del Prado Inner courtyard

6:30PM Browsing & Socializing

7:00PM Meeting Announcements 

7:15 to 7:30PM Presentation (May begin a little early)

Jolene Saldivar recently earned a PhD in Plant Biology from the University of California, Riverside. Jolene is currently a UC Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Davis and will begin a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship at San Diego State University in August 2025.

Banner Photo of Monarch on Oak by Erika Daniel ©

“Yard Smarts: Transforming Landscapes with Calscape Know-How” With Anne-Marie Benz, CNPS Stewardship Programs Manager

Discover how the new Calscape redesign (calscape.org) can revolutionize your outdoor

space by helping you find the perfect native plants, innovative design ideas, and skilled

landscape professionals. This talk will delve into the smart tools and resources

Calscape offers, empowering you to create a stunning, sustainable, and personalized

garden that thrives in your local environment.

Ann-Marie is the Stewardship Programs Manager for CNPS, where she gets to spend

her days supporting native plant communities and their people. She holds a deep

passion for plants and landscapes, having served as the Executive Director of ReScape

California, a nonprofit educating the large-scale landscape industry throughout Northern

California on planning, constructing, and maintaining sustainable landscapes.

Anne-Marie’s presentation will be recorded and available on the CNPS San Diego

YouTube Channel at this link: https://www.youtube.com/c/CNPSSanDiego.

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZArcumgrzguH9A2IN28Ss6hr-f3WndFzLa9

ZOOM MEETING: Tuesday, July 2nd @ 6PM - 8PM
Send a request for the link at conservation@cnpssd.org

WONDER HOW CEQA, AGENCIES AND YOU CAN PROTECT RARE PLANTS AND CRITICAL HABITAT?
CNPS HAS LAUNCHED THE CONSERVATION ADVOCACY TOOLKIT

Get growing with us. Spend a day in Balboa Park learning about our region’s beautiful and beneficial native plants during our Garden Fair featuring community partners and conservation organizations. Learn more.     

Join us on Saturday, June 29 from 10 AM-2 PM in our newest outdoor exhibit, the Nature Trail, a brand-new public garden featuring plants from Southern California and the Baja California peninsula.   

Among the flora and fauna of our garden, you can meet community partners, learn more about planting native, pick up seeds to jumpstart your own garden, play a GIANT game of chutes and ladders that focuses on Southern California wildlife, enter raffles, and more! This is a perfect opportunity for families, garden enthusiasts, and anyone interested in learning more about the natural world.  

This event is free and does not require Museum admission, though we do hope you visit us inside to learn more about local wildlife and habitats (and to see our new T. rex film, debuting that weekend). 

 
Rose Canyon from University Village Park
7100 Florey St
San Diego (University City), CA 92122
Trailhead is on Cather Ave.  Meet at trailhead by sidewalk.
 

DIFFICULTY: EASY to ADVANCED  (May be hot; steep slope or strenuous conditions)
PLANT KNOWLEDGE: Novice to Professionals are welcome
ACCESS: Open to all, no charge.  Attendance may be limited given the sign up response - first to RSVP via email, first reserved.
REQUIRED FEES: None.
AMENITIES: Public Restrooms are available at the University Village Park (if open).
DOGS: Trained dogs are ok, but please keep in mind that they will have to remain on trail and on leash.  Rattlesnakes are well known in the canyons. 
WEATHER: RAIN or SHINE unless weather is inclement or emergency situations occur.

 

CNPS San Diego supports and shares the goals of restoration and education with the City of San Diego Open Space Division of Parks and Recreation and Environmental Protection.  By working with the Open Space Rangers, we are able to ethically collect native plant seed from the open spaces for propagating new plants with local materials, & outreach and educational opportunities.  By using CNPS principles, the seed is remanded back for non-profit purposes for restoration by the rangers and Friends of Rose Canyon.  

Training will include plant identification, phenology evaluation, and mapping.  We will collect species that are appropriate for the season and label them for cleaning.  Skills learned can be built for job advancement or placement, fun and hobby, or contribution to the health of the Chapter, City, and Environment at home and abroad.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Any member of the committee is welcome to come help out at the Tecolote Nature Center anytime they are open (closed Sundays and Mondays). Sign up with City of San Diego as a volunteer and reach out to Ranger Steven for details if you are coming out for the first time.

Sign up for updates and Committee announcements by emailingpropagation@cnpssd.organd requesting to be added to the contact list.

Banner Photo by Erika Daniel ©

THIS EVENT REQUIRES PRIOR TRAINING BY OUR HABITAT RESTORATION COMMITTEE

If you are interested in volunteering for the Habitat Restoration Committee, and would like to train for future events - please contact restoration@cnpssd.org

This week we return to eastern Lusardi Creek to treat isolated pampas grass and tamarisk.  We will also survey areas for newly sprouting Carnation spurge (Euphorbia terracina). 

New spurge is appearing at a greatly reduced rate now that that ground is drying up in midsummer.  But the fact that a very large area has been infested requires that we must be vigilant in order to prevent new seed from being generated.

Active/Trained Habitat Restoration Committee Members receive further information about Exact Time and Exact Place to meet for events via email.

Banner Photo by Justin Daniel ©

This event requires prior training by our Habitat Restoration Committee

If you are interested in volunteering for the Habitat Restoration Committee, and would like to train for future events - please contact restoration@cnpssd.org

This week we return to eastern Lusardi Creek to treat isolated pampas grass and tamarisk.  We will also survey areas for newly sprouting Carnation spurge (Euphorbia terracina). 

New spurge is appearing at a greatly reduced rate now that that ground is drying up in midsummer.  But the fact that a very large area has been infested requires that we must be vigilant in order to prevent new seed from being generated.

Active/Trained Habitat Restoration Committee Members receive further information about Exact Time and Exact Place to meet for events via email.

Banner Photo by Justin Daniel ©

JUNE 18, 2024
6:30 - 9:00 PM

In-person meeting
Casa del Prado Room 101, Balboa Park
Across Village Place from the San Diego NAT
in the Casa Del Prado Inner courtyard

6:30PM Browsing & Socializing

7:00PM Meeting Announcements 

7:15 to 7:30PM Presentation (May begin a little early)

Presentation:

Butterflies in your Landscape:
Fifty Plus Caterpillar Food Plants of the San Diego Area
By Dr. Gordon Pratt

Butterfly and skipper caterpillars feed on a wide variety of plants. Most butterfly gardens have focused upon nectar sources of butterflies. This talk will concentrate on the 50 plus specific food plants of butterflies and skippers in the San Diego County area. These plants are important food resources for many other insects so are important for food production for many insectivorous animals. How and where to plant these different plants to get the highest success of butterflies and skippers will be discussed.
 

Dr. Gordon Pratt studies systematics of the dotted blues (small, lovely butterflies in the genus Euphilotes), in addition to the biology of southern California butterflies and their larval food plants. He has also been involved in long-term butterfly monitoring at Joshua Tree National Park.

8:30PM+ Wrap up & Thanks before closing at 9PM

• Chapter meetings are free and open to the public - welcome to all who share a love of wild places, diversity of life, and new friends! 

• Browsing & Socializing – Check out the books and merchandise for sale, chat with knowledgeable members, find volunteer opportunities, grab some fantastic snacks and drinks (Courtesy of Hospitality Committee Co-Chair Mary Kiss!) , & grab deals on seeds and bulbs (availability not guaranteed)

Banner Photo of Tiger Swallowtail by Erika Daniel ©

Email: propagation@cnpssd.org to inquire about Training, Targets and Locations.

FRIDAY, JUNE 14TH 10AM TO 12PM

FULLENWIDER AUDITORIUM AT THE RIVERSIDE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS IN INDIO, CA.

Chuckwalla National Monument is a possibility, and with your help it will protect over 627,000 acres in Imperial and Riverside Counties from resource extraction, energy impacts, and overuse of OHVs.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?!?! With limited notice the Public Meeting Process has been announced for Friday, June 14th, 2024 from 10AM to 12PM at the Fullenwider Auditorium at the Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio, CA. We need protectors of the desert to arrive on time and speak up to indicate that you are passionate about our public lands and want to see them funded and protected!

CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION & RSVP

Garden Committee Potluck Meeting 

Tuesday, June 11th 5:30 - 8:00 pm 

Guest Speaker Greg Rubin

California’s Own Native Landscape Design

Whether you are new or experienced to native gardening, please join us for an engaging presentation on Tuesday, June 11th with Greg Rubin at Moosa Creek Nursery. Greg’s talk will focus on ways to overcome challenges to native landscaping and effective ways to make your landscape thrive. 

Bring a potluck dish to share and a folding chair. Moosa Creek Nursery will also have native plants for sale to create your own container pollinator garden! 

Sign up at this link: June Garden Committee Meeting 

Moosa Creek Nursery 27201 Cool Water Ranch Rd, Valley Center, CA 92082

The committee generally meets the first Tuesday of every month online via Zoom and in person from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Send a request for the link to conservation@cnpssd.org

Cabrillo National Monument is kicking off California Invasive Species Action Week (June 1st to June 9th)...and on June 1st, it’s also National Trails Day!

RSVP AT : https://www.volunteer.gov/s/volunteer-opportunity/a093d00000189TSAAY/weed-warriors-celebrate-cisaw

Join the Weed Warriors (habitat restoration) team in removing invasive plants and restoring its beautiful Bayside Trail. No special skills or knowledge needed. We will show you what to do!     Please wear long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, closed-toe shoes, and a hat—don’t forget sunscreen and a water bottle! If you love native plants and would enjoy a free day at the park, then mark your calendars: 

Where? Meet us at the top of the Bayside Trail after RSVPing with your available days

When? From 9:00 - 11:45 am each day on... 

🌻 Saturday, 6/1 – It’s National Trails Day!  

🦋 Tuesday, 6/4  

🌵 Thursday, 6/6  

🌷 Saturday, 6/8  

Due to the work’s requirements, volunteers under the age of 12 are not permitted. Volunteers under the age of 18 are required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Banner Photo by Erika Daniel ©