Kirkland Community Wildlife Habitat

Do you recognize native osoberry (Oemleria cerasiformis) fruits ripening? Did you know there are separate male and female osoberry plants?

We talk a lot about the importance of native plants, but what exactly is a native plant?

A native plant is a plant that evolved in the local ecosystem. Local wildlife depend on native plants because they've actually built their lifecycles around these plants. For example, butterflies must lay their eggs on host plants that they know their caterpillars can eat, while migrating hummingbirds base their migration path on large masses of recognizable nectar sources. Plant species that got added to an area later by human development can't replace those pre-existing lifecycle dependencies.

We can make a big difference in wildlife survival by thinking about how to support plant-oriented lifecycles. In the case of butterflies, consider planting a native willow tree (such as the Scouler's willow in Brier), which can host dozens of pollinator species through the whole growing season. In the case of hummingbirds, consider planting a red-flowering currant, which lights up the Rufous hummingbird's migration path in early spring.

When planting for wildlife, try to avoid cultivars or "nativars" - native plants that have been bred by the nursery trade to deviate from the true species. A plant that's bred for aesthetics might have inadvertently lost the traits that originally made it well-suited for wildlife. Plant breeders don't usually test for pollen and nectar quality or leaf chemical compounds when they're breeding for appearance, but those are exactly the kinds of traits that wildlife rely on.

If you want to check if a particular plant is native, the USDA provides a fantastic plant database at https://plants.usda.gov/home - all you have to do is enter the name of the plant (use the scientific name if possible) and then zoom in on the map to see if it's native to your area. The USDA has recorded native plants on a county-by-county basis, so when you zoom in, you can even tell if a plant is native east or west of the Cascades.

To purchase native plants, look for a reputable source that's likely to have the true species. Go Natives (Shoreline), Tadpole Haven (Woodinville), and MsK Nursery (Shoreline) are all great resources for native plants around Brier!

Poor mother tenderly cares for her baby. Every creature deserves a safe place to live and raise their young.

Let's stand up for wildlife and their habitats before it's too late.

Join City of Kirkland naturalists for a free field trip (for grown-ups and families!) at Edith Moulton Park on Wednesday, July 24th from 6:30-7:30pm. Sign up at the link in the post below 🌱

Wetland Wander - A Field Trip for Grown Ups Join City of Kirkland naturalists for a free field trip (for grown-ups and families!) at Edith Moulton Park!

July 2024 Native Plant of the Month – Nodding Onion
(Allium cernuum)
by Marilee Henry

Our July plant of the month is a beautiful perennial that is found in a variety of niches in Washington State. Nodding onion (Allium cernuum) is a graceful member of the Amaryllidaceae family which contains culinary favorites such as garlic, leeks, and chives. All parts of nodding onion are edible raw or cooked. Indigenous people steamed or dried the bulbs eating them as delicacies and using them for flavoring. This plant is perfect for flowerbed borders, rockeries, and containers.

Nodding onion will attract many beneficial insects to your landscape. This plant is also a host to the larvae of several species of butterflies. While squirrels may like the bulbs deer and bunnies will avoid them like onions, so try planting them around tastier species as a deterrent.

Butterfly gardens, not butterfly releases!
Some may suggest a butterfly release as an alternative to balloons, but it is harmful to exploit these little beauties. Planting a native pollinator-friendly garden is a great way to honor someone.. adding more beauty and supporting life!

Thimbleberries are often a favorite of berry pickers.

The humble Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus) is a native thornless shrub found in Washington on both sides of the Cascades crest. It is known for its large, velvety leaves, white flowers, and red berries that resemble a thimble in shape. The berries are softer and more fragile than raspberries, but similarly have many small seeds.

These resilient plants thrive in a variety of conditions, from coastal areas to mountainous regions. Thimbleberry establishes quickly in disturbed habitats including forest fire areas. It was one of the first shrubs to establish after the Mt. St. Helens eruption!

You can spot Thimbleberry at Juanita Bay Park: https://www.kirklandwa.gov/Government/Departments/Parks-and-Community-Services/Find-a-Park/Juanita-Bay-Park
Learn more about Thimbleberry: https://nativeplantspnw.com/thimbleberry-rubus-parviflorus/

June 2024 native plant of the month
Cascade/Coast Penstemon (Penstemon serrulatus)

This beautiful blooming native species grows to about 2 feet in height with clusters of broad bluish-purple tubular flowers. Both beautiful as well as an effective pollinator, the cascade penstemon with make a stunning display, attracting moths, butterflies, bees, flies, wasps and hummingbirds for pollination. As long as it has decent drainage, Penstemon serrulatus is not too fussy about soil type or exposure.

Credits: Marilee Henry for her descriptive write up
Photo Credit: University of Washington's Burke Museum Image
Collection, copyright 2014 Chris Wood.

Today is World Migratory Bird Day, dedicated to birds whose incredible journeys remind us of the intricate interconnections of biodiversity. The theme this year focuses on the importance of insects as essential food sources for migratory birds (as well as other animals and plants).

You know that habitat loss is a huge problem, and that growing local native plants at home helps the native insects that support native wildlife, including migratory species. But I also must mention a grievous reminder: Many of the hundreds of migratory bird species across America are suffering deplorable declines in population due to other human-caused threats, including pesticides, reflective glass, light pollution, free-roaming cats, and wind turbines sited in migratory flyways.

This little Wilson's warbler is a medium to long-distance migrant who spends the non-breeding season from Mexico to Panama, but also may overwinter along the southern coast of California and the Gulf Coast. This species has declined by 60% between 1966 and 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey.

Don't Squish That Bug! Free Natural Yard Care Class Learn how to encourage beneficial creatures to live in your garden and grow healthier plants without using pesticides.

Now, for the first time in its history, gardening has taken on a role that transcends the needs of the gardener. Like it or not, gardeners have become important players in the management of our nation’s wildlife. It is now within the power of individual gardeners to do something that we all dream of doing: to make a difference.
Doug Tallamy
Bringing Nature Home

May 2024 Native Plant of the Month
Bigleaf Lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus)

Take a hike and surround yourself in spectacular swaths of fragrant purple-blue bigleaf lupines!
- 🦸‍♀️Tolerant of poor soils and useful for nutrient enhancement
- 🏔 Among the first native plants to reseed themselves after the eruption of Mt. St. Helens.
- 🦋Perennial that is great at attracting many pollinators with its gorgeous displays.

We always love to see native flowers thriving in our community so please tag us in pics of your lupines. 📷

Pollinator Fest! - Pollinator Pathway NW Come spend the day at 21 Acres in Woodinville and enjoy a free family-friendly event focused on pollinators and featuring:Organic gardening tipsNative plant infoMarket vendorsHomemade craftsRelease of native beesPlant walksGuest speakersFood cartsRepurpose Coffee Company - Mobile coffee cartPatty Pa...

www.kirklandwa.gov

Consider planting western sword ferns where you live or work.

Fern fiddleheads are popping up across Kirkland. One of the most common and iconic ferns in our area is the Western Sword Fern (polystichum munitum). It grows in moist forests but is relatively drought-tolerant and can grown in open, clear-cut areas. It can grow large, up to five feet tall and has a long lifespan. An individual frond can live for up to 2.5 years! They are important understory plants in Pacific Northwest forests. Western Sword Ferns are often used in conservation projects as ground cover to control erosion. Indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest used many parts of the sword fern in games, ceremonies, as medicines, as bedding, and even as a food source.

Learn more about Western Sword Fern: https://www.wnps.org/native-plant-directory/203:polystichum-munitum

Photo taken at Watershed Park: https://www.kirklandwa.gov/Government/Departments/Parks-and-Community-Services/Find-a-Park/Watershed-Park

Have you considered shrinking lawn where you live or work?

“Honey, we shrunk our lawn!”

When we think about habitat loss, we often think about urban development and cropland, but don’t overlook the grassy lawn!

Grass lawns cover 2% of U.S. landmass and are the single largest irrigated crop in the country. However, grass lawns require maintenance, watering through drought, and they don’t have the flowers that pollinators and wildlife need to thrive.

Solution: Transform all or part of your lawn into a native wildflower meadow!

Creating a native wildflower meadow takes work and planning, but in the long run, requires less maintenance and fewer resources than a typical lawn. Less mowing, no fertilizer, and no watering means they’re more cost-effective than the traditional lawn.

When native wildflowers are added to a yard, there is a notable increase in pollinators, birds, and bats!

Worried about w**d ordinances, neighbors, or your HOA? Maintain a “grassy buffer” between your lawn and the sidewalk. Notify neighbors of your plans. Washington law (RCW 64.38.057) limits HOA restrictions on drought- and fire-resistant plantings.

So, shrink your lawn for the wildlife and you!

Get started transforming your lawn: https://www.nwf.org/-/media/PDFs/Garden-for-Wildlife/Gardening-Tips/Lawn-Reduction_web.ashx?la=en&hash=FAC102D0BDBBC0CCD97ECE01BB9A8E2F91E7C150 and https://xerces.org/publications/guidelines/establishing-pollinator-meadows-from-seed

Find more pollinator habitat resources on our Habitat at Home website: https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/living/habitat-at-home/pollinator-habitats



Image credit: R. Donovan

Good gardening advice in today’s Seattle Times.

How to protect bees and butterflies when you garden this spring As gardens turn over from winter to spring, clearing and cutting can take food and shelter away from one of the planet's most essential workers: pollinators.

The trilliums are flowering! Consider taking a walk on the Trillium Trail in Bridle Trails State Park to see these exquisite native flowers.

A message from our friends at Eastside Audubon: help migrating birds by reducing light pollution.

You can now preview the plants for Sunday's sale here: https://wnps-plant-sales.myshopify.com/ Please note there are no pre orders. All sales will be in person on April 14th at Bellevue Botanical Garden. Sale opens at 9am for WNPS members, 10am for non-members.

Also please note we are still in the process of updating the site. There are some plants that show multiple sizes at the same price and this isn't correct...we are working on correcting this.

We will have plants from our CPS nursery as well as several western Washington native plant nurseries. Please be aware that we may not have all of the listed varieties at our sale. Occasionally, the growers will experience a plant failure or the plants will be too small to sell. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

We also will have several partner organizations joining us in hosting education booths. We look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

For more details, please see our event web page: https://www.wnps.org/cps-events/central-puget-sound-spring-native-plant-sale?fbclid=IwAR1hFVLpC-4UsuiiVlAFOkn1ongZwcnTR6fVgYsHlz-vpnfvXf5C_8CtiYU_aem_ASlCmAGkPCkZRkFtghfyDH1HZ5q-3JRn8Ajg7NTIUqpxy77dmR2QSM-tht0bjrpDJb9L38Ccn8XQ7_xv3Lvllm2Y

If you're looking to add native plants to your garden, this is the perfect time of year! We're lucky to have several fantastic sources for native plants in our area. Check out Go Natives in Shoreline, Tadpole Haven in Woodinville, and MsK Nursery (at Kruckeberg Botanic Garden) in Shoreline for a huge selection of native plants. Plus, don't miss the native plant sale this weekend at the Bellevue Botanical Garden!

A great candidate is our native red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum, pictured), which is blooming now. These eye-catching shrubs provide a crucial early-season source of nectar for hummingbirds and bumblebees.

It's that time of year again!
Whenever possible, retain dead or dying trees (a.k.a. snags) to supply habitat for primary cavity excavators like this handsome northern flicker.

A talk well worth watching

Let Your Garden Grow Wild | Rebecca McMackin | TED Many gardeners work hard to maintain clean, tidy environments ... which is the exact opposite of what wildlife wants, says ecological horticulturist Rebecca ...

Thinking of dormant seeding a pollinator lawn this fall? Here’s two methods:

🌱 Overseeding involves spreading your seed mix directly onto your existing turfgrass. Overseeding is a good choice if your current lawn has thin or patchy growth, lots of bare spots, minimal w**ds.

🌱 New lawn renovation might be the way to go if your current lawn has thick grass growth and recurring, tough w**ds. This means removing your old lawn and spreading your seed mix directly onto bare soil. A new lawn renovation requires more time and labor, but ensures direct seed to soil contact.

For more tips on starting a pollinator lawn, check out the Turf Alternatives course in our free Resilient Yards online learning series: https://bluethumb.org/events/

Beginner’s Guide to Gardening for Wildlife with Native Plants If you're a beginner looking to start a garden that’s not only beautiful but also supports your local birds, butterflies, bees and other pollinators, then wildlife gardening with native plants is the perfect choice.

Before bird feeders were sold in stores, seed-eating birds got their seeds from the dormant indigenous plants of North America. Audubon says plant native for the birds! READ HERE: https://www.audubon.org/news/grow-these-native-plants-so-your-backyard-birds-can-feast