MARIN CHAPTER
CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY

MARIN (and other chapters) CNPS NEWSLETTERS available online other CNPS chapter WEBSITES Join the California Native Plant Society Marin CNPS Field Trips and Hikes Saturday, July 11 Abbott's Lagoon with leader Doreen Smith Marin CNPS Plant Lists, newly updated for Bull Point, Carson Ridge, Ring Mountain, and Rare Plants of Marin David Herlocker's MCOSD Naturalist Outings Plant of the month by Doreen Smith Navarretia viscidula sticky navarretia "I'm pleased to report that on Sky Oaks MMWD the sticky navarretia, Navarretia viscidula, is in peak condition and coloring violet once-bare patches of the flatlands called Lagunitas Meadows. There are masses of this small but beautiful wildflower interspersed with the brown dried annual grasses that cover the areas with somewhat deeper soils." Marin CNPS Membership Meetings Marin Sightings Report (email us) your Marin native plant sightings and photographs For information and more photographs of California native plants, go to Calflora or CalPhotos. All reports from 2008-2009 season click on images for full photos Mary Stevens and Norbert Jeske report July 2: " Leopard lilies and Western Azaleas are blooming along the road below the Bootjack parking lot and in Portrero Meadow." Trevor Simon reports July 1: "We just saw a nice patch of the stream orchid growing in Papermill creek across the road from Devils gulch. Really pretty." Robert Hall reports June 29: "I biked to the top of Tam starting at Phoenix Lake and noticed that there are still some wildflowers. Of course, monkey flower is blooming everywhere but coyote mint is ubiquitous too. I also saw pearly-everlasting, fading patches of Ithuriel's spear, western morning glory and one pitcher sage in bloom." Doreen Smith reports June 23: "The Lilium maritimum should be flowering for this Saturday's Bull Point trip." She also sends a picture of Rosa spithamea taken by Roger D. Harris on her Ring Mountain walk. John Conley reports June 21: "The Blue Gentian (Gentiana affinis var. ovata) is in full bloom along the bluffs above Drake's Bay and Drake's Estero. There is still some Sidalcea in bloom there, as well as some Ceanothus. Brodiaea terrestris is still in bloom, but is beginning to fade. Lots of Paintbrush, Lotus, Blue-eyed Grass, Ithuriel's Spear, and Gumweed continue to bloom, and our native Blackberries (Rubus ursinus) are just ripening. "The Coyote Mint (Monardella villosa) is currently making a nice show on the path from Drake's Estero to Horseshoe Lagoon." Dave Strauss reports June 20: Monardella villosa blooming along the Fish Gulch trail above Phoenix Lake. Doreen Smith reports from the Marin CNPS/RockGarden Society hike to Ring Mountain, June 7th: "There's still time to see the Calochortus tiburonensis before it goes to seed, but for only about one more week! This year was a good year to see plants with multiple blooms. Other notable flowering spp. seen on this date were yellow spring tarplant, Hemizonia congesta lutescens; white tackstem, Calycadenia multiglandulosa; creamsacs, Castilleja rubicundula lithospermoides; pale pink Marin western flax Hesperolinon congestum; purple coyote mint, Monardella purpurea; rose-pink Tiburon buckwheat, Eriogonum luteolum caninum; ruby chalice clarkia, Clarkia rubicunda and the red-flowered Silene lacinata californica. Two new species were located to add to the plant list: bright pink Sonoma rose, Rosa spithamea and a pale green rein orchid, Piperia transversa. " We visited the Bull Point trail June 4th with David Herlocker's Marin naturalist group. The rosy linanthus, Leptosiphon rosaceus, made up for the small size of each plant by occuring in vast numbers and mixed colors of white, pink and rose. The stream orchids, Epipactis gigantea, were flowering in great shape but were nearly trampled to death by their admirers. "The Carson Falls area is still worth visiting, the new trail off from the main fire-road is much easier to negotiate than the old one. The waterfalls continue to flow and the rare foothill yellow-legged frogs (don't disturb them) sunbathe in the shallows of the pools. Rock-lettuce, Dudleya cymosa, flowers there on the rocks (of course) attract hummingbirds." Dave Strauss reports June 6: "Today we saw a very nice collection of Calochortus luteus at Camp Tamarancho along the Serpentine trail just below the junction with the fire road to Cascade Canyon. I saw Clarkia amoena at the junction of the White Hill fire road and B-17 extension at Camp Tamarancho." More reports from 2008-2009 season Gardening with Native Plants in the San Francisco Bay Area Native Plants that Attract Birds Invasive Alert - Lepidium latifolium Pt. Reyes staff have been finding scattered new populations of Perennial Pepperweed in Tomales Bay and would greatly appreciate reports of any plants seen around Tomales Bay. Please contact Ecologist Lorraine Parsons at Lorraine_Parsons@nps.gov. with information as to the location (as precise as possible), size, and life stage (flowering, fruiting, etc). Lepidium latifolium description and photos Volunteer Opportunities Point Reyes National Seashore- Habitat Restoration Program Workdays are normally held on the second and last Sundays of each month. Contact Ellen(Ellen_Hamingson@nps.gov,415-464-5196) for more information. Audubon California and the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge have partnered to enhance and restore 65 acres of tidal marsh, sub-tidal, and marsh-upland transition environments at Tubbs Island and Tolay Creek. Volunteers will have opportunities to learn ecological monitoring and species identification. A 1-3 day/week commitment is sought for Tidal marsh vegetation monitoring from July 20-August 14. Additional opportunities for planting will resume in the Fall. Please contact Mike Perlmutter, Audubon California: 510-601-1866 ext. 231 or MPerlmutter@audubon.org. Point Reyes Weed Watchers Point Reyes Weed Watchers patrol park trails, detecting and mapping weeds as they first invade. If you enjoy leisurely hikes through the parks but also want to help protect the unique natural resources, then this is the perfect opportunity for you. Weed Watchers is appropriate for adults and teens. For more information, call 415-464-5201 or Natalie_Howe@nps.gov. SPAWN" (The Salmon Protection and Watershed Network) Every Saturday, 10am - 1pm, Creekside Habitat Restoration - Join us as we plant, prune, remove invasives, and improve endangered coho habitat in the San Geronimo Valley! Its a wonderful opportunity to learn more about salmon and share rewarding experiences with like-minded folks of all ages while restoring our local ecosystem. Location varies, please visit SPAWN"S upcoming events for more details! Every Friday, 10am - 1pm, Native Plant Nursery Day Come out and help SPAWN volunteers at our very own Native Plant Nursery! We cultivate beautiful plants destined for restoration sites throughout the valley - everything from native blackberries and grasses to majestic redwoods and Douglas fir. Be a part of transforming creekside habitat from the ground up! Bolinas Lagoon Preserve, Audubon Canyon Ranch Your help is needed in restoring native plant communities and wildlife habitat in the coastal riparian forests of Bolinas Lagoon. Please join us for our weekly Volunteer Work Days: Thursdays 9am- noon in Volunteer Canyon. Contact Leslie@egret.org, 415-868-9244 for more information and to RSVP more Volunteer Opportunities New and Revised MARIN FLORA We are pleased to announce the arrival of the long-awaited, revised edition of John Thomas Howell's classic 1949 Marin Flora. The new edition is co-authored by Wilma Follette, Catherine Best and Frank Almeda, Senior Curator of Botany at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, and is a joint project of the Marin Chapter of the CNPS and the Academy of Sciences. This updated edition has added 416 line drawings to assist in keying species, new well-tested dichotomous keys, and color photos of plant communities in Marin. There are new maps along with satellite images of Marin County. As much as possible has been preserved of Howell's original plant descriptions that have long delighted botanists as well as his insights and poetic observations. Cover illustration: "Mt. Tamalpais from Corte Madera Creek" by Tom Killion © 2004 Hard and soft cover books will be available for purchase at chapter meetings or you can Order Marin Flora from the Marin Chapter CNPS Marin Chapter members have contributed many hours of volunteer labor and expertise; work was carried out at the Academy where plant specimens are retained. Publication was made possible by Tom Howell's generous remembrance of the chapter in his will when he died in 1994. Lost Plants of Marin by Doreen Smith Marin CNPS Photo Gallery Common Bay Area Spring Wildflowers Common Bay Area Shrubs Arctostaphylos species of Marin County Orobanche species of Marin County Some Native Orchids of Marin County Delphinium bakeri pictures and article Plant Communities of Marin County Order Plant Communities of Marin by David Shuford and Irene C. Timossi CNPS Posters Junior Botanists Program E-mail questions or comments to Marin CNPS

Our logo is the Tiburon Mariposa Lily (Calochortus tiburonensis). This extremely rare lily can be seen blooming from the end of May through mid-June among the serpentine rocks of Ring Mountain in Marin County, California. In fact, this is the only place in the world it has ever been found growing in the wild. It was first noticed by botanists in 1971 when the small patch of land on which it lives passed from private into public hands. The plant is now in cultivation and can be seen in botanic gardens. Try your hand at identifying the parts of this flower: or View more photographs of this lily in its native habitat or Visit the College of Marin's "To See A World Project" to learn more about Ring Mountain The California Native Plant Society is a non-profit organization of amateurs and professionals united by an interest in the plants of California. Its principal aims are to preserve the native flora and to add to the knowledge of members and the public at large. It seeks to accomplish these goals in a number of ways, including: monitoring rare plants; acting to save endangered areas through publicity, and on occasion, legal action; setting policies and guidelines on conservation issues; providing expert testimony to government bodies; supporting financially and otherwise the establishment of native plant preserves. The work of the Society is carried out primarily by the volunteer efforts of the members of CNPS chapters throughout the state. Money at the State level is provided by the dues of members. Local chapters raise money through plant sales and poster and book sales. The California Native Plant Society has 9,000 members statewide. The Marin Chapter, which was founded in 1973, has approximately 500 members.

The Marin Chapter of the California Native Plant Society thanks Geology Professor Jim Locke and the College of Marin for hosting our Web Pages.