carnage

Fourteen young women and one teacher from Santa Catalina did a very nice job ripping out hemlock on the levee between upper and lower Cattail Swale during a day of environmental stewardship. They left the piles to rot in the middle of the trail. Students from Santa Catalina school worked on this levee last season too.

In the exposed bare soil, we planted needlegrass and other native plants. We'll keep plugging away at this levee for the next several years, working our way around the two freshwater ponds, restoring native vegetation and removing invasive weeds.

Soil cores help determine plant palette

It looks so innocent and poetic unfurling from the soil. But it's hemlock. This seedling along with hundreds of other seedlings (mostly hemlock and radish) are popping up from several soil cores taken from a new "pocket" restoration site (more on pocket restoration sites later). I'm trying to determine if we have any natives left in the seed bank. I'll need to wait at least two seasons to account for dormancy. So far, the only natives to germinate are sky lupin.

Not surprising since this plant is regularly seen on disturbed sites, as this particular restoration site is.

The soil cores were taken from around the site, mixed together, then spread atop sterile seed germinating mix and placed in the greenhouse. If any particular native plant community expresses itself, I'll go in that direction when planning the revegetation. If not, I'll take cues from the nearest intact native reference site.

I realize this may not be the most riveting process in the world to read about. But the act of getting to know a site intimately is actually very engrossing. I find myself going to these trays every day to see what's come up.