tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66944632011-12-14T19:13:18.300-08:00California Native Plant ExpertJeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.comBlogger371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1083427024331939732006-12-31T14:30:00.000-08:002005-06-06T20:42:23.423-07:00

Serving the San Francisco Bay AreaHorticulturist with an ecologist's heartJeff at workGarden and LandscapeEvaluation, Design, Renovation, UpkeepExpert in:Wildlife GardensCalifornia Native PlantsRegenerating Historic Habitatsphone: 408 741-5430email: ecosys@neteze.com

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1118116827781294052005-06-06T20:43:00.000-07:002005-06-06T21:00:27.786-07:00

Even in downtown San Jose there are elements of wildness, proving that if the habitat is there, the creatures it serves can survive. Early this afternoon I discovered scrub jays nesting on the rafter of a dilapidated shed behind a Victorian house just a few blocks from San Jose State University. It struck me as a clever place to nest, fairly secure from predators, in a part of the backyard

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1115005949676849442005-05-01T20:33:00.000-07:002005-05-01T21:21:35.126-07:00

We've had a lot of rain this year. And it seems that most people have watertight containers in their yards which have caught some rainwater -- often something along the side of the house or out in a neglected corner. Mosquitos have been breeding in most of the yards I've worked in the last several weeks -- those "wrigglers" in an unused garbage can or an open plastic storage box on the side of

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1111542548332229032005-03-22T17:29:00.000-08:002005-03-28T12:12:35.433-08:00

Europe's natural history interests me and I hope to study it firsthand some day. The flowering, as it were, of wildlife gardening and amateur biological study in Great Britain has been an influence in my life.BioImages - Virtual Field-Guide (UK) -- runs the gamut of the five kingdoms of biota, with photographs of "natural history objects, mostly British" -- everything from purple sulfur bacteria

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1110694665037887332005-03-12T22:16:00.000-08:002005-03-12T22:48:54.583-08:00

The California Oak Foundation sponsored this popular book:Their latest offering is:The Oak Woodland Bird Conservation Planby Dr. Steve Zack and published by California Oak Foundation California oak woodlands rank among the top three habitat types in North America for bird richness. This book is a guide for conservation policy and action on behalf of oak woodland habitats and wildlife. 126

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1110488827160869792005-03-10T12:53:00.000-08:002005-03-11T10:10:19.400-08:00

What is the key to the appeal of indigenous plants? "Notes on Development of a Philosophy For Use of Native Plants in the Landscape (An uncompleted paper evolving in development)" is an obscure article written by the great plantsman J. C. Raulston. It appeared in Newsletter #5 (May 1982) of the then North Carolina State University Arboretum, now known as the JC Raulston Arboretum. I'm not sure he

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1110395199489889792005-03-09T10:22:00.000-08:002005-03-09T13:51:24.776-08:00

"Suburban plant junk" is one of my stock phrases. It aptly characterizes most residential neighborhood landscapes. I picked it up from Judith Larner Lowry, author of Gardening with a Wild Heart: restoring California's native landscapes at home. To the discerning eye most woody plants in Californian suburbia look somewhat unhealthy -- and so they are. Most began life in containers. I believe

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1108878311254982712005-02-19T19:50:00.000-08:002005-02-24T00:34:06.230-08:00

California Buckeye. Aesculus californicaHIPPOCASTANACEAE. Buckeye or Horse Chestnut Family.California Buckeye trees are leafing out. At lower elevations on the San Francisco Peninsula it started about a week ago and most are already almost fully leafed out. They're the first native deciduous trees to leaf out, always a pleasing sight for me. One of my favorite colors is the shade of green of the

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1108777427759595512005-02-18T17:10:00.000-08:002005-02-19T23:09:15.270-08:00

"Monarch butterflies' numbers drop sharply" was an article in the newspaper today. This winter there's about a 75% fewer monarchs observed on their Mexican overwintering grounds. Tree poaching in their mountain fir forest overwintering preserves may be partly responsible for the reduction. Adverse factors in their summering ground in North America -- genetically modified crops and a much cooler

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1108769362116137442005-02-18T14:43:00.000-08:002005-02-23T09:50:22.613-08:00

This news release says much about why I, as much as I love gardens teeming with life, am reluctant to encourage the use of "bird feeders". I maintain this reluctance despite the fact it would probably be more advantageous for me, business-wise, to promote birdfeeders. I advocate feeding birds by creating a garden that "grows" plenty of food for them to find. If you do use feeders, please do so

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1108079681739298482005-02-10T15:06:00.000-08:002005-02-18T10:38:24.510-08:00

When you're having a "professional" take care of something for you, don't check your brains at the door. Mistakes are made -- routinely! Ask questions!Near the top of the list of typical designer foibles that annoy me is the specification of a vine without provision of means of support. Vines climb, but not anywhere, any how. Different sorts of vines have different means of climbing. A landscape

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1107911892386256082005-02-08T17:07:00.000-08:002005-03-22T15:37:39.513-08:00

Online articles about wildlife gardening:from Yerba Buena Nursery in Woodside:Record of native bees found in the Greater San Francisco Bay Region, with some of their likely plant hosts, compiled by Laura ArnesonDeer-Proofing Your Bay Area Garden by Kathy Crane, owner of the Yerba Buena NurseryDeer Repellent Spray Recipe from Yerba Buena Nursery…………………Fromthe Yerba Buena Chapter of the California

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1107729272517010932005-02-06T13:55:00.000-08:002005-02-06T14:57:16.193-08:00

I just ran across some news stories that confirm what a difference it makes when gardeners are friendly to wildlife. Wildlife gardening is popular in the United Kingdom, bolstering the numbers of some species of birds. A British Trust for Ornithology study notes that gardens make up more than twice the land area of the country's nature preserves. Their report says "wildlife friendly gardening is

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1107682613304031232005-02-05T22:22:00.000-08:002005-02-06T16:57:50.180-08:00

When reading lists or whatever, for photographs of a species, enter its botanical name in “Images” search field at: Google Growing Native: topical articles chronicling interviews with California native plant gardeners: basics of growing native plants, grasses, medicinal plants, oaks, clay soil, small spaces, birds and butterflies, etc. Growing Native, P.O. Box 489, Berkeley, CA 94701. “

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1107224014597356042005-01-31T17:44:00.000-08:002005-03-22T16:23:07.776-08:00

Native plants and wildlife gardens are my specialty, but I've been gardening for decades with non-natives as well as natives. I even cared for the formal rose garden at Knott's Berry Farm for a few years. Over the years I've pruned many fruit trees. At times I've done restorative pruning of roses, fruit trees and other plants compromised by improper pruning or many years of neglect. My

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1107221446704906032005-01-31T17:18:00.000-08:002005-03-22T17:25:32.733-08:00

Today (31 January 2005) I personally confirmed my theory that gophers are significant dispersal vectors for the bermuda buttercup, a serious invasive exotic weed, put forward in the article Oxalis -- Bermuda Buttercup Dispersed by Gophers.I was working in a Saratoga garden infested with both Oxalis pes-caprae -- bermuda buttercups -- and botta pocket gophers. In a couple of places there were

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1107136592299127902005-01-30T16:19:00.000-08:002005-02-20T00:40:03.390-08:00

Native ants were much more in evidence back in the late 50s and early 60s when I was a boy. Even in those days the coast horned lizard, which specializes in eating native harvester ants, was rare in the Cupertino area -- but at least I ran across a few. The introduced Argentine ant has mostly driven the native ants out anywhere near "civilization". Their extirpation has had an impact on the very

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1107122731152258162005-01-30T13:19:00.000-08:002005-01-30T18:21:46.156-08:00

A few years ago I was called to consult on a large backyard in Los Gatos. The entire yard was covered with Bermuda buttercups -- Oxalis pes-caprae -- one of the most troublesome and invasive weeds in our area, even if colorful in bloom. It was also completely riddled with gopher burrows. This led me to believe that the weed is a prime food for gophers. Not long ago my deduction was confirmed

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1107119888171004502005-01-30T13:01:00.000-08:002005-01-31T18:31:28.886-08:00

I found a salamander! I've been renting a room in an Eichler neighborhood in Cupertino for about a year. It was a small housing development in 1961. There are few native plants in the neighborhood other than a stretch of remnant riparian forest along an urban creek a few hundred yards away and several coast live oak street trees on the next street over. There are no native plants in the yard

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1105667566902259132005-01-13T17:39:00.000-08:002005-01-20T23:47:53.026-08:00

Native bees are mostly in mind when I think of bee-friendly gardens, rather than honeybees, which are not native, though marvelous for their honey, beeswax and other benefits. Honeybees are the “cattle” among the insects – tended by man, providing him benefits, sometimes at the expense of other creatures. When it comes to actually effecting pollination, many of our native bees are far superior to

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1105585722088165372005-01-12T18:58:00.000-08:002005-03-12T20:57:26.560-08:00

with San Francisco Bay Region wildlife gardening in mind, especially ...Bay Nature Native Plant Gardening ResourcesExcellent resources for San Francisco Bay Area native plant gardeners … and habitat gardeners are sure to enjoy the magazine, as well!California Native Plant SocietyHuge Web site includes links to local chapter Web sites (many feature resources for local native gardening) -- check

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1105571258831658792005-01-12T14:31:00.000-08:002005-01-20T12:10:32.286-08:00

Amme, David. “Creating a Native Meadow” in Grasslands, A Publication of the California Native Grass Association, Volume XIII, No. 3, Summer 2003, pp. 1, 9-11. 1-866-456-CNGA. Definitive information from a pioneer of native meadow making. Baines, Chris. How to Make a Wildlife Garden. Elm Tree Books, London, 1985. Classic why and how of wildlife gardening, Baines really started something in Great

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1105574364722530162005-01-12T03:40:00.000-08:002005-01-20T23:07:59.170-08:00

These are either in print or still easy to get. You will find my name in the acknowledgments of the first two on this alphabetical list. For links to books on Amazon.com please look in the right-hand column. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bauer, Nancy. The Habitat Garden Book: Wildlife Landscaping for the San Francisco Bay Region. Coyote Ridge

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1102404592713361092004-12-06T22:52:00.000-08:002005-01-20T12:32:03.490-08:00

These rates were calculated from wholesale grower recommendations for per acre seeding rates ... which vary widely species to species because some plants have many seeds small and light, while others yield few seeds large and heavy ... but each seed can produce a plant! Amounts of viable seed --evenly spread -- to cover the area with plants: Achillea millefolium, yarrow ------------- one ounce

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1102399870976364982004-12-06T21:40:00.000-08:002005-01-20T23:19:46.376-08:00

I’m interested in understanding the values native plants have for wildlife. The data discussed here was derived from a survey of the larval hosts the microlepidoptera of the San Bruno Mountains on the San Francisco Peninsula. Microlepidoptera are small moths, mostly “leaf miners” -- their tiny caterpillars “mine” tunnels in leaves. Typically, the caterpillars of each species of moth eat

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1102393190222169332004-12-06T19:50:00.000-08:002004-12-06T20:20:36.463-08:00

In many ways, native plants lend themselves to creating beauty and meaningfulness in the garden! Are not gardens, at best, created for beauty and meaningfulness? Beauty and meaningfulness are closely allied. 1.The natives of a circumscribed area --as opposed to the bewildering array of all the possible plants that might be cultivated on a site -- comprise a more easily mastered set of "likely

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1102367012212631762004-12-06T11:38:00.000-08:002005-02-10T14:08:13.213-08:00

Annual wildflowers complete their lifecycle in less than a year, usually germinating in the fall or winter, flowering in the winter, spring, or summer, and then setting seed and dying before the fall rains return. California poppies may live longer, but often are sold or treated as “annuals” in the garden because they come into bloom in their first year of growth. Our native annuals are among

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1102120213242391482004-12-03T13:14:00.000-08:002004-12-03T16:30:13.243-08:00

Fresh water is essential for many creatures and providing it improves the habitat value of most gardens. A birdbath works well for the small garden: best is one of variable depth, much of it quite shallow, with a substrate that provides secure footing; dripping or other sound and movement is the best enhancement. A bare branch to hop to close by improves security, as does dense cover a few feet

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1101496127148016232004-11-27T11:07:00.000-08:002004-11-26T11:27:44.136-08:00

May 1, 2004, San Francisco Chronicle "Uncovering the secret life of a blond bee" by Ron Sullivan List of plants in the garden described in the article Two years ago, Cynthia Typaldos sent a slightly off-topic note to our native plants e-mail list: "I saw an enormous orange bee yesterday in a grape vine. Twice as big as my resident bumble bees. All orange, and very furry. As orange as the

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1101514429204007922004-11-26T16:00:00.000-08:002004-12-03T13:12:34.486-08:00

I’m wary of artificial bird feeding, which can easily lead to an unnatural concentration of birds and the transmission of diseases. The nutritional values of almost all store-bought foods are inferior to that of the natural diet of birds, often markedly so. If you must feed birds, learn how to do it without creating disease hazards for them! Do it only if you have the discipline and dedication to

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1101511705732789492004-11-26T15:27:00.000-08:002004-11-26T15:59:39.766-08:00

Butterflies are far less commonly seen in local gardens these days than in decades past – in many neighborhoods they’re entirely absent! We even get reports of “butterfly gardens” sans butterflies! Why? In technical biological terms: limiting factors! Vast areas of our developed landscape are marked by a dearth of essential butterfly larval host plants -- the plants butterfly caterpillars feed

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1101509969125801452004-11-26T14:50:00.000-08:002005-02-20T02:03:20.840-08:00

A report from the Santa Cruz Mountains Bioregional Council meeting, Sept. 28, 2000Map showing known infestations of "Sudden Oak Death" in 2000.Dear friends,Oak Mortality Syndrome is the new name for what has been called "sudden oak death".Today the Santa Cruz Mountains Bioregional Council hosted a panel presentation and discussion: "Sudden Oak Death -- Dealing With a Potentially Devastating

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1101507048242177722004-11-26T13:57:00.000-08:002005-02-20T02:33:56.833-08:00

(Originally posted to San Francisco Fauna, a Yahoo discussion group.)A few weeks ago I spent a few hours pruning and "editing" a two-year-old garden of California native plants in south-central San Francisco. The owner was delighted to tell me that she has three garter snakes in her garden. Her latest prize was an absolutely perfect snake skin, 27 inches long! With the greatest of care she had

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1101502220296184592004-11-26T13:31:00.000-08:002004-11-26T13:52:04.473-08:00

With the possible exception of the coast redwood and white alder, most of our locally native trees deserve to be cultivated more often in the San Francisco Bay area. Many are beautiful and easy to grow--they are well adapted to our climate and soils. Native trees offer special values for wildlife as well. Big-leaf maple is a very attractive species, and also fast growing--it deserves a place in

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1101500646125019792004-11-26T13:06:00.000-08:002004-11-26T12:28:33.410-08:00

Choose species that flower and fruit at different times; with carefully chosen plantings, pollen, nectar, seeds and fruits of one sort or another will always be available. Be sure to include a goodly number of deciduous plants; their yearly abundance of tender new growth and decaying plant parts provide sustenance for many creatures. Many fast growers and abundant fruit-bearers fit in this class.

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1101497790404868332004-11-26T11:33:00.000-08:002004-11-26T11:39:11.486-08:00

One of the best ways to watch birds is to find native plants laden with ripe fruits of the sorts they love to eat. They often come out in the open to feed, and when there is plenty of good food they seem more at ease with human presence, or at least much less likely to fly far away. About two weeks ago I was gathering ripe coffeeberry fruits and was astonished at what a good look I was able to

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694463.post-1101496903378644892004-11-26T11:20:00.000-08:002004-11-26T11:24:42.170-08:00

Last fall I had occasion to do some drastic pruning of a large blue elderberry (Sambucus mexicana) and a coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) which had been planted for backyard wildlife habitat over twenty years ago. I didn't have any handy means of carting away such a large volume of prunings, so it became a good opportunity for me to personally test the wildlife value of properly constructed

Jeffrey Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14321878086337811862noreply@blogger.com1