Scene: California Native Plant Garden
The California Native Plant Garden has been growing for two years and over that time 75 percent of the species originally planted have matured to a size where they are no longer endangered by the deer, gophers, turkeys, and other animals that consider it the lunch stop of choice. We have replaced 25 percent of the original plantings, often with bulbs and rhizomes that can recover from herbivory (being eaten), and we have added a few annuals that reseed naturally. The result is a long blooming and seeding season, from March to October, which provides native pollinators and birds with a dependable resource and gives us some eye-pleasing variety across the seasons. We will continue to diversify the plant species in the garden, a resource for students in Ecology, California Flora and Communities, Environmental Science and the Integral Program.
–Carla Bossard
Bossard, professor of biology and an expert on the impact of invasive species on California’s ecosystems, created the California Native Plant Garden in front of Brousseau Hall.