California Native Plant Society

Science Sunday: July's Rare Plant of the Month
Menzies' wallflower (Erysimum menziesii)

Have you ever seen Menzies' wallflower in person? Read the new CNPS blog post about this beauty (California Rare Plant Rank 1B), which is only found in one part of the state: https://bit.ly/4bTiwCe

Life with Plants: Firewise design

If you’re wondering how you can help your home stay safe during fire season, begin by getting rid of invasive weeds, which can ignite quickly in a blaze. You’ll also want to think about tree and plant care, as well as their locations.

Calscape.org has beautiful firewise landscape designs, created by Miridae Landscape Architecture & Construction. Visit https://bit.ly/4bTcEsH and scroll down to the middle of the page.

The designs follow best practices for firewise landscaping and indicate the ember resistant zone, home defense zone, and reduced fuel zone, along with tips on pruning, planting, hardscaping, and irrigation. You can download them and use them to plan a design. Even better--you can also create a Calscape account and use the Calscape plant finder to choose the native plants best suited to your location.

It's time for —learn about a furry new ally in sustainability, the world's largest wildlife crossing, a DIY yard transformation, and more!

https://bit.ly/4bPa5Yv

Fan palm (Washingtonia filifera) with paper wasp nest; Image; Keir Morse

Spotlight On 🌟
Naturehood: Container Gardening 101
Thursday, August 1 at 5:30PM

Can native plants thrive in containers? Yes, they can--with the right care and conditions. Learn all about it in this month's free Naturehood webinar. Experts from CNPS's Horticulture and Conservation teams will explore what plants grow best in pots and cover watering, pruning, and soil needs. Whether your garden is a windowsill, a balcony, or a patio, this Naturehood is for you!

Register now: https://bit.ly/cnpsgardenwebinars-f

The 2021 Caldor Fire was one of the severe wildfires that gripped California that year, decimating parts of the El Dorado National Forest in El Dorado County. Three years later, rare and re-emerging plants are growing. “I’m very hopeful for what we found here today,” says Rare Plant Program Manager Kristen Nelson. “Life finds a way.”

CNPS and the U.S. Forest Service are collecting valuable data about the native plants growing in the wake of the burn. “We trained almost 60 volunteers just for this project,” says Kristen. They’re looking at how plants are affected by fire and how they are recovering, as well as collecting seeds for some plants that grow only in the El Dorado Forest. Watch the story: https://bit.ly/cldrfire

Introducing —where CNPS sends you off into the weekend with news and stories from the native plant world. Take a look and let us know what you like!

https://bit.ly/462TVJO



wild cucumber (Marah macrocarpa) Image: Keir Morse

Naturehood: Regenerating Landscapes
Tonight! Thursday, July 11 at 5:30PM

Tonight's free Naturehood webinar is about the healing power of nature. Join CNPS and Doug Kent, author and environmental specialist, to discuss how urban landscapes can improve everyone’s health and quality of life. Growing and crafting the materials that sustain us can create wellbeing. Doug will explore fire resilience, cultivating and capturing comfort, personal health, and a wide variety of tangible necessities, such as craft items, landscape materials, and energy. Learn how your garden, in whatever form it takes, can sustain you.

Register today: https://bit.ly/cnpsgardenwebinars-f



Native plant garden in Los Angeles: 📷 Amina Sharma

Love "Life After Lawn"

If a California native plant has survived for thousands of years--since the Ice Age--maybe it can withstand the changing climate today? Find out more in the Los Angeles Times article on Ice Age survivors! https://bit.ly/iceage24

Then take it further with the CNPS piece on the critters that ATE those Ice Age plants. If it was good enough for a giant sloth, it's probably good enough for your garden. 😉
https://bit.ly/4cpsvQB

Naturehood Webinar: Regenerating Landscapes
July 11 @ 5:30 pm-6:30pm

Join Doug Kent, author and environmental specialist, who will discuss how urban landscapes can improve everyone’s health and quality of life. Growing and crafting the materials that sustain us can create wellbeing. Doug will explore cultivating and capturing comfort, personal health, and a wide variety of tangible necessities, such as craft items, landscape materials, and energy. Learn how your garden, in whatever form it takes, can sustain you.

Doug Kent is the author of several influential books, including Firescaping: Protecting Your Home with a Fire-Resistant Landscape, the bestselling guide on homesite fire protection in the U.S., and Foraging Southern California, an award-winning nature guidebook perfect for beginning and intermediate foragers. His book California Friendly offers a comprehensive maintenance guide for landscapers, gardeners, and land managers, covering essentials like irrigation, plant care, stormwater systems, and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights from a leading expert in sustainable urban landscaping!

Click here to register: https://bit.ly/cnpsgardenwebinars-f

Thank you to everyone who spoke out in support and helped defeat the proposal to cut $45 million from the Habitat Conservation Fund. The HCF was created by voters and has provided consistent support for habitat conservation and restoration in California since 1990.

But with severe budget cuts across the board, we risk losing our ability to meet state and federal mandated goals of protecting 30% of our land and water by 2030. Now is the time for a climate bond. Read more about why it's important: https://bit.ly/climbond



Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens): 📷 Yann Kemper; Anna's hummingbird with Manzanita spp.; 📷 CNPS

Education and Community Science Manager
Accepting applications until Monday, July 22
Full-time hybrid position based in Sacramento, CA
Learn more and apply: http://bit.ly/cnpsjobs-f

CNPS is seeking a highly motivated individual with excellent people and program management skills to serve as the Education and Community Science Manager for our Education and Stewardship program.

The Education and Community Science Manager will perform and coordinate program management duties and provide support and direction to a team, including the Education Specialist - Youth and Community Programs, Education Specialist – College and Professional Programs, and the Community Science Coordinator, and serve as a key member of the Education & Stewardship team, which includes the Education and Community Science team, the Stewardship team, and the program director.

The Education and Community Science Manager, reporting directly to the Education and Stewardship Director, is responsible for overseeing the implementation of high-quality educational programs that engage individuals in learning about and forming deeper connections with native plants; and community science that meets the needs of communities and addresses gaps in biodiversity science. This position will be responsible for helping the organization to secure resources to enhance the impact and sustainability of our education and community science programming.

Bitter root (Lewisia rediviva); Image: George Morris

Rare Plant of the Month
Merced monardella (Monardella leucocephala)

**2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the CNPS Rare Plant Inventory (RPI), an invaluable resource that has helped protect approximately 2,450 rare plant taxa in California since 1974. To celebrate, each Rare Plant of the Month in 2024 is a plant that joined the RPI 50 years ago. ** 🌿💫

Merced monardella (Monardella leucocephala) is a native plant that's only known from the San Joaquin Valley; it belongs to the mint family (Lamiaceae). It was documented in only three locations within the Merced and Tuolumne river drainages of Merced and Stanislaus counties. You’ll notice the use of the past tense here. Sadly, Merced monardella has not been encountered in over 80 years. It was last seen in 1941 and has been presumed extinct (California Rare Plant Rank 1A) since it was added to the CNPS Rare Plant Inventory in 1974.

Never widespread, this beautiful little plant once grew in sandy soils on both uncultivated lands and grain fields near La Grange, Merced, and Delhi. The soil where Monardella leucocephala grew near Delhi is known as Delhi sand, with sand dunes and alluvial fans derived from granite. Over time, people used the land where it grew for more intense agriculture (such as almond orchards) and dredged them for gold.

Just because a plant is “presumed extinct” does not mean that it is actually extinct. Since 1974, many of the 40 plants that were presumed extinct in the first edition of the Inventory have been rediscovered (🎊), while others have been added to the 1A rank. In 2024, there are 21 CRPR 1A plants. Merced monardella may yet be rediscovered on unsurveyed land with sandy soil. We live in hope.

Visit the Rare Plant Inventory to learn more about Merced monardella at: https://bit.ly/3xvXQlz

An image of a herbarium specimen of Merced monardella (Monardella leucocephala) from the UC Davis Center for Plant Diversity hosted at the Consortium of California Herbaria

Thank you on behalf of the nearly 60 California native rare plant species that call Chuckwalla home!

📢 Exciting update!

SJR 16 has passed the State Senate floor! This important measure urges the President to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument. A heartfelt thank you to State Senator Steve Padilla and Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia for championing this cause—your leadership is crucial in preserving this natural and cultural treasure!

Image: Bob Wick

Happy ! 🐝🌼

Did you know that California is home to 40% of North America’s native bee populations? These incredible pollinators are essential for our food supply and the health of our ecosystems. Sadly, many of them are at risk, in large part due to habitat loss.

But you can help! By planting native plants, you can create habitats that help pollinators thrive. Calscape.org is a great resource to find plants that support specific native pollinators, whether you’re a gardener, farmer, or landscape professional.

Caption: An endangered Crotch's bumble bee (Bombus crotchii) perched on a Woollypod milkweed flower (Asclepias eriocarpa); Image: Rachel Allingham

Thank you to everyone who showed up on Friday to support the Chuckwalla National Monument! 🦎 At a community meeting hosted by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management, attendees advocated to preserve 627,000 acres of our beautiful California desert, home to species like Orocopia sage (Salvia greatae) and Chuckwalla cholla (Cylindropuntia chuckwallensis). We call on President Joe Biden and Secretary Deb Haaland to take action now to .

👉 Learn more and take action: bit.ly/ProtectChuckwalla
📸: Bob Wick

CNPS is here in Indio, CA for the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument public meeting! Follow us on Twitter for live updates: x.com/cnps

Today’s the day! We’re here in Indio, CA at the public meeting for the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument! ✨ We plan to go LIVE on Facebook around 9:30 AM today — join us to stay informed on this crucial initiative to protect our desert habitats.

⚠️ Update: Livestream starting closer to 10 AM!

With the heat and dryness of summer upon us, learn how you can reimagine your water-thirsty lawn. Get rid of that useless turf (and take advantage of any rebates your water district offers!) and turn your landscape into a vibrant, flower-filled haven of biodiversity. Learn how one family did it in this LA Times article and then head over to calscape.org to start planning your own redesign!

Read the article: https://bit.ly/45oXRnS

Naturehood: Online Tools for a Native Plant Garden 🌳
Join us TONIGHT @ 5:30 PM

While trowels and shovels do the hands-on work, some of the best planning can happen in the digital world! Learn how to use innovative online tools to plan and cultivate a vibrant, sustainable garden from CNPS Horticulture experts & .

Register now: https://bit.ly/jntrhood-f
All registrants will receive a recording after the webinar, along with links to recommended resources.

Oceanside front yard with bush sunflower (Encelia californica); Image: Maya Argaman

The stakes are high for California's beloved wildflowers and native habitats. The good news is that we know what to do. In this Sacramento Bee op-ed, CNPS Executive Director Dr. Jun Bando explains why 30x30 is critically important to holding back extinction and the worst effecsts of climate change -- and why action is needed now.

California has the highest concentration of plants at risk of extinction in the nation | Opinion State leaders must protect remaining native grasslands so super blooms and native plant diversity don’t fade into our history books.

Naturehood: Online Tools for a Native Plant Garden
Join us Thursday, June 6 @ 5:30 PM

What do pruning shears and the Internet have in common? They’re both excellent tools for a native plant garden! 🪴

In this month’s Naturehood webinar, learn how to use online resources to plan, design, and cultivate your own vibrant and sustainable native garden paradise. Experts from the CNPS Horticulture Program and SF Environment will demonstrate how online resources can help you create the garden of your dreams.

Register now: https://bit.ly/jntrhood-f

All registrants will receive a recording after the webinar, along with links to recommended resources.

Caption: Native plant garden: Image: James Soe Nyun

Thank you to the U.S. Forest Service for highlighting how they've used the CA Rare Plant Inventory to guide land management and conservation efforts, helping to protect these rare species before they become endangered. For 50 years, the Rare Plant Inventory has helped document California’s unique rare flora.

Discover how the Rare Plant Inventory supports land managers, researchers, and conservationists in preserving these rare plants for future generations: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r5/home/?cid=fseprd1176096

Today, we’re celebrating a few endangered species that the CNPS Vegetation Program has encountered during field work:

🌼 Menzie’s Wallflower (Erysimum menziesii): a mustard species that was first listed as an endangered species in 1992. Endemic to a few scattered populations in northern and central coastal dunes.

☀️ Algodones Dunes Sunflower (Helianthus niveus ssp. Tephrodes): considered to be a state endangered species but has yet to receive its federal status. Endemic to a small part of the Sonoran Desert.

🌸 Franciscan Manzanita (Arctostaphylos franciscana): Pictured above is the only surviving wild individual! This species was presumed extinct in the wild until 2009, when it was spotted on a San Francisco highway shoulder.

It takes an average 11.5 years to get a species listed under the Endangered Species Act, which has caused dozens of species to go extinct while they waited for the protective status. This is why it is so crucial to make your voices heard when a species is in trouble!



Upper left: Franciscan Manzanita (Arctostaphylos franciscana); Right: Menzie’s Wallflower (Erysimum menziesii); Bottom left: Algodones Dunes Sunflower (Helianthus niveus ssp. Tephrodes); Images: Michael Heine

Naturehood: Online Tools for a Native Plant Garden
Join us Thursday, June 6 @ 5:30 PM

Gardening gloves, trowels, and watering cans are essential for a native plant garden, but don’t forget the digital tools that can elevate your green space to new heights! 🌻

In June’s Naturehood webinar, learn how to use online tools to plan, design, and cultivate a vibrant and sustainable native plant garden. From selecting the perfect plant pairings to designing your dream garden, our experts from the CNPS Horticulture Program and SF Environment will guide you every step of the way.

Register now: https://bit.ly/jntrhood-f

All registrants will receive a recording after the webinar, along with links to recommended resources.

Caption: Nancy Niemeyer's Clayton garden; Image: Saxon Holt

Calling all educators! On June 20, 2024, join the California Native Plant Society and Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County to discover the educational richness of California's native plants at this year's Summer Educator Conference: Planting Seeds, Growing Stewards! Dive into a day of immersive exploration where educators forge meaningful connections between native flora, students, and each other.

Tailored for educators of all levels – from pre-K to high school, administrators, homeschoolers, and informal educators – this event offers hands-on workshops, inspiring talks, networking opportunities, and outdoor adventures. Gain practical tools to integrate native plants into your curriculum and foster environmental stewardship among students.

Tickets are available now: https://bit.ly/sumedconf24

A limited number of scholarships are available.

🌿💼 CNPS is hiring a full-time Publications Editor!

We’re looking for a modern storyteller, experienced editorial professional and native plant advocate to develop and edit CNPS publications content, including our members-only magazine Flora. The Publications Editor will identify and give voice to the diverse topics and people of the native plant movement while ensuring our publications meet the highest editorial, stylistic, and journalistic standards. Reporting to the Senior Director of Public Affairs, this role collaborates with CNPS staff, editorial board members, designers, and subject matter experts to showcase the beauty and significance of native plants.

This is a remote position within California.

Learn more and apply by June 30: http://bit.ly/cnpsjobs-f

Image: Coutler’s Matilija Poppy (Romneya coulteri); Image: iNaturalist user uzun

So, it's been a few years since you filled your garden with those gallon-sized plants from a CNPS plant sale. Now they’ve grown beyond expectations. It’s time to grab those pruning tools and give your garden a winter haircut that’ll shape its future! 🌿✂️

Here are some tips to hone your pruning skills:

📆 Check the calendar: prune when your plants are dormant but about to push new growth. Timing matters for healing and aesthetics! Now is the perfect time for a structural cut to your pines and arbutus.

🤔 Think before you snip: decide what effect you want to create before you pick up your tools.

🪴 Reduce size before tackling inner density.

🌳 Prune out the 4 D’s in this order: Dead, Damaged, Diseased, and Deranged (those who cross other branches or break the rhythm of the structure).

⚠️ Safety first: wear gloves and eye protection and leave the big trees to a certified arborist!

Want to learn more about the science and art of pruning? We’ve got you covered. Check out our previous Naturehood webinar:, Pruning 101: https://bit.ly/3vBdmep

Image: Robert Hall