The cooperation between insects and flowers seems to hit a peak in May and June, when plants such as Buckwheat, Milkweed and Coffeeberry bloom. These plants appear to be the most popular with butterflies and bees, although I have seen Holly-leaf Cherry covered with insects in sunnier places elsewhere.

(Variable Checkerspot – Happy Canyon Road, May 14, 2008)

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Another year has passed, and it was a privilege to put together the third newsletter for the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration. Once again I was impressed by what was accomplished by CCBER since the last newsletter. The activities of CCBER were reviewed by the Oversight Committee in December 2007, and in a report it was stated that “CCBER is a jewel of an institution on the UCSB campus, dedicated to education, research, and outreach related to the region’s biological diversity and restoration.” One of the recommendations was to set up a “Friends of CCBER” group.

As a once-a-year volunteer activity, the newsletter is a very enjoyable and manageable (and educational) task amidst other activities. The newsletter can be seen here:

• The Nature Press

One of the more interesting articles was that about “Invaders, Restoration and Resistance—CCBER and Beyond” by Carla D’Antonio. The overgrowth of fennel, radish, harding grass, etc on More Mesa has frequently filled me with a sense of despair about how much has been damaged. It is always nice to visit other areas where there are fewer invaders. However, I was very disappointed on Sunday to see harding grass on Figueroa Mountain for the first time. This is a very dangerous plant, and once it becomes established, spreads relentlessly. What to do? There are only a dozen plants in this area now, and removal would be manageable and successful. I would take a pick axe there if it were permitted, but it is probably not. In May, I saw star thistle in many places, and pulled a few when I stopped to take photos – but on the last trip last Sunday, the thistle seems to have dried up and disappeared – unfortunately leaving seeds all over the place to grow again next spring.

(Harding Grass – Figueroa Mountain, Jun 08, 2008)

In March and April, vast expanses of blue lupine, orange poppies and pink shooting stars cover the hills and valleys. In May, rocky areas are covered by patches of orange monkeyflower. Purple clarkia appear in large groups on many banks along roadsides. A number of Clarkia species are called “farewell-to-spring”, to the point of confusion, because they appear at the end of spring. Four species of Clarkia were seen on Figueroa Mountain, and can be seen in the slideshow. Other flowers blooming en masse in May, are the more subtle colors of purple sage, white sage, deerweed, chamise, golden stars and golden yarrow. Butterflies are also more numerous in May.

(Purple Sage – Figueroa Mountain, May 18, 2008)

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