Restoration Update: June 2022

In June, Jane was joined at the Riverside Bridge by a group of 10 committed volunteers and 21 curious campers from the Quaker Youth Program to further tackle estuary re-vegetation. Both groups focused on planting native plants, cutting down invasive grasses to mulch existing plants, watering newer plantings, pruning dead wood from native shrubs, and removing invasive non-native mustard.

The value of this re-vegetation project can be seen by the numbers of animals we find living and visiting the Estuary that are crucial to the San Lorenzo River environment. Innumerable birds feed on small insects and seeds on these plants.

• Hummingbirds to the Sticky Monkey Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus)
• Moths to the Lizard Tail (Saururus cernuus)
• Butterflies to the Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)
• Migratory Birds to the fall berries of the Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)
• Bees to the plantings of Bees Bliss
  • Bees Bliss is a hybrid cross between the native Salvia leucophylla and the native Salvia clevelandii. Both plants are native to Baja. Although Bees Bliss does support pollinators, the natives support more significant numbers of identified butterflies and moths and is more available in nurseries.

Additionally, many of the plants mentioned here act as ground covers, the importance of which cannot be overstated. These ground-covering plants not only sink deep roots to hold the soil against erosion but also shade the ground, reducing transpiration during these hot days of summer that follow our winters of less rainfall.