November 17—Native Plant Associations & Wildscaping
Speaker: Bob Allen
California is home to about 7,000 species of plants, southern California over 4,000 species (more than most entire states in the U.S.), and Orange County over 1,500 species (also more than many states). By comparison, our state hosts 47 amphibians, 77 reptiles, 600 birds, 209 mammals, and well over 30,000 species of insects! All of these life forms rely on plants for their survival.
Interactions among and between plants and other forms of wildlife are complex, variable, and fascinating. Some such as California lilacs, alders, and especially members of the pea family have an association with root-dwelling bacteria that capture gaseous nitrogen and convert it to a form useable by the host plant. Oaks and many others rely on some types of fungi that penetrate their roots and increase uptake of water and nutrients. Many invertebrates and vertebrates use plants for cover, shelter, food, and territory. Leaf-cutter bees carefully cut out circular pieces of leaves to build their nest. Many birds use plants as nest material, nest on plants, some even carve into the plant to make a nest. Several insects eat plant leaves, stems, flowers, roots, or fruits. Those insects are eaten by a broad suite of insect-eating arachnids, insects, frogs, toads, lizards, birds, and mammals.
We’ll review some of those associations, local wildlife involved, and discuss techniques for wildscaping – landscaping with native plants to attract and promote wildlife.
Bob Allen is a photographer, instructor, and entomologist/botanist/pollination biologist in Orange County. Raised in San Juan Capistrano, he studied insects from a very early age. In high school, he was introduced to plants, became hooked, and bought his first copy of Philip Munz’s Flora of Southern California at age 15. He is currently preparing his eagerly awaited, A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Orange County and the Santa Ana Mountains, co-authored with Fred Roberts.
Chapter meetings are held on the third Thursday of the month at the Duck Club in Irvine. The doors open at 6:45 PM for food, fellowship, interest centers, and more. The program begins at 7:30 PM.
