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Exploring the beautiful nature of California


California Nature:  Plants


California is home to 5,862 species, subspecies, and varieties of native plants. This figure is comparable to all the species in all the other states combined! Of California's total plant population, 2,153 species, subspecies, and varieties are endemic and native to California alone. This botanical diversity stems not only from the size of the state, but also its diverse topographies, climates, and soils. Some California native plants have extraordinary horticultural appeal. Sometimes the appreciation was greater abroad first, such as Lupines, (California Fuschias), and California Poppies being cultivated in British and European gardens for over a century.

Some of California's most interesting plants grow in the vast deserts areas. Desert Plants have it tough. They bake in the summer, freeze in the winter, and have to bear months without a drop of rain. It may not seem like much of a life for a plant, but surprisingly there is great diversity here. Since the desert is so young, geologically speaking, plants are still experimenting with different ways to survive.
Even in the California desert many plants grow and survive In the desert, there is often a thin line between dead and alive, and desert plants have a bag of tricks to stay on the living side of the line. Most have roots that reach wide or deep to get every drop of water they can. After rains, cactus swell like accordions, soaking up enough to see them through drier days.

Desert Cactus bristle with needles, but what's the point of all those spines? They make sharp defense against clumsy hikers as well as hungry animals seeking cactus fruit or flesh. But for cactus, needles have other good points, too. Cactus lack leaves, so their needles help shade the plants from too much sun. And they help keep cactus cool by acting like the fins on a radiator into the air. In some cactus, downward pointing needles collect mist and dew which drips down to water their shallow roots.

Some people believe the desert is a lifeless place. In their view, the few scraggly plants that grow here are of little value to people. This overlooks the fact that native peoples survived in the desert for thousands of years through their intimate knowledge and seasonal use of many desert plant species. Today, we are learning to appreciate desert plants for their stability to conserve water. Homeowners use native desert plants to landscape their homes and gardens. Instead of green, grassy lawns, yards now boast cactus, ocotillo, agave, palo verde, and other water-stingy plants.
It seems ironic that many of our native plants are more popular in Europe than they are here at home. What native plant list would be complete without the flower chosen as the state emblem in 1903? The California poppy is great for grassy slopes, foothills, along drives or in naturalized gardens. Cup-shaped yellow, orange or white flowers bloom from February sometimes through summer. A perennial more often grown as an annual, this wildflower is easily grown from seed and may intrude where it is not wanted.

Native plants have survived for millions of years and have adapted to survive in our particular climate and soils. Many have a symbiotic relationship with the native insects and animals for pollination. Most natives are low-maintenance and many of them are drought tolerant so you won’t be wasting precious water. Lastly, natives require no fertilizer and invite many pollinators to your yard; beneficial insects, backyard birds, hummingbirds and butterflies.
there is a vast array of Caliofornia plants including the yucca plant The Coastal Strand plant community hugs the immediate coast of California. If you can feel the salt spray, you are probably in the Coastal Strand plant community. If you can feel the sea breeze but never experience wet salt spray (feels and tastes like a salt water spray) you're probably in the Coastal Sage Scrub plant community.

These two communities are adjacent to each other in many areas, but it is usually hard to tell where one leaves off and the other starts. Wind- exposed areas can have many Coastal Strand plants, while wind- protected areas can have many Coastal Sage Scrub plants. Many coastal bluffs are covered with Coastal Strand plants because of salt spray; some are a hundred or more feet above the tide. We've seen knolls a mile or two back from the breakers that were partially covered with either Coastal Prairie or Coastal Strand plants.

The Coastal Strand plant community has been invaded in many parts of the state with nasty plants like Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana), Iceplant (Carpobrotus edulis) or European Beach Grass (Ammophila arenaria).
Mountain Meadows are a plant community found within coniferous forests throughout California. It is very similar to a seasonal marsh. Mountain Meadows are covered by snow in the winter and are abuzz with life in spring. Many forms of wildlife use and require this type of habitat. The surrounding forest provides cover for birds that use the meadow as a source of insects or seeds.

It is fairly easy to simulate a mountain meadow in your garden. Most of the plant species that occur in a mountain meadow can tolerate garden water as well as fertility. This is also one of the few California native plant communities that does not prefer mulch. One of the best places to put mountain meadow species is around your lawn edges, in sunny places. In this location you may need to watch out for invasive species.
 
 
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