Backyard Wildlife Habitat Resource Page
Speaker Series Presentation
by Mike Azevedo
Wednesday August 5, 2020
Organization information
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society’s Cavity Nesters Recovery Program
Nest box monitor trainings occur every February.
Contact: Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society programs@scvas.org
Mike Azevedo Californiabluebirder@gmail.com
California Bluebird Recovery Program www.cbrp.org
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluebirdrecovery
Doug Tallamy books: Bringing Nature Home, Nature’s Best Hope
Doug Tallamy’s Restoring Nature’s Relationships, talk given in February 2018 to CNPS-LA
Calscape
calscape.org
Butterfly information
Quino Checkerspot Article:
JULY 6, 2020
San Diego- Endangered butterfly in San Diego County is the focus of a new protection effort
https://phys.org/news/2020-07-endangered-butterfly-san-diego-county.html
Bay Checkerspot Resources:
Edgwood Park article on Bay Checkerspot- Bay Checkerspot Butterlfy- A mysterious disappearance
https://friendsofedgewood.org/learn-about-edgewood-park/bay-checkerspot-butterfly
Center of Biological Diversity Information page on Bay Checkerspot
Center of Biological Diversity “Saving the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly”
Source: Bay Checkerspot current and former range map
Places I recommended putting in Bay Checkerspot habitat gardens:
Hellyer Park, Las Lagos and along Coyote Creek to establish in place.
Lake Cunningham Park, Prusch Park, Kelly Park and Oak Hill Memorial Park for stepping stone spread.
Other local butterfly species in trouble:
https://sfbaywildlife.info/species/endangered.htm
More information about Tim Wong and his work with the Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly:
Patrick Pizzo introducing the idea of Native Plant Islands:
More information about the return of the Silver Digger Bee to San Francisco:
More information on Al Kyte’s California Native Garden:
https://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/al-and-barbara-kyte%E2%80%99s-garden
Video from Bogg’s Tract Community Farm PUENTES, showing the frenzy of native bees/butterflies on a patch of seed sprouted Seaside Heliotrope-
Videos on seedballs:
Audubon Guide on making Seed Balls
https://www.audubon.org/news/making-seed-balls-help-birds
Australian Seed Ball video
“3 simple and fun ways to make seed balls for your garden” (Specifically endorsed, the version including clay soil from your yard. Please use natural materials if possible)
Old Bay Friendly Landscape Guidelines book
https://rescapeca.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/BFLG-Complete.pdf
Model habitat gardens:
Al Kyte’s California Native Plant Garden, Moraga
Tim Wong (of Cal Academy of Science) Pipevine Swallowtail reintroduction project, SF
Ulistac Natural Area, Santa Clara Ulistac volunteers
La Loma Native Garden, Modesto La Loma Neighborhood
Cabral Ag Center Native Plant Garden, Stockton San Joaquin Master Gardeners
California Native Plant Islands, Jefferey Fontana Park, San Jose Neighborhood Park Patrick Pizzo
Primrose Way Pollinator Garden, Menlo Park Juanita Salisbury
SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED FROM THE August 5, 2020 SPEAKER SERIES PRESENTATION
19:16:59 From Shelter Team : I’m super excited to learn about Calscape
I was glad to be able to come in at essentially the perfect presentation length but sadly, to do that, I cut a lot of material and part of that is my talk on Calscape. I will try and put the full length talk up for those who are interested.
19:18:15 From Matthew Dodder : What does Mike this about Mantids and Ladybugs that are available for purchase? Doe he recommend this to control pests?
Native plants bring in a LOT of predators. These predators will not just stick around the natives but will be glad to hop over to your veggies when needed. As a biological control, purchased ladybugs are far superior to using sprays but my native garden had an unreal number of predator species, from insects to lizards, toads and birds. I recommend waiting to see what nature has to offer but if you are getting anxious, I’d rather you go the biological route than use pesticides any day, hands down.
19:21:36 From Matthew Dodder : Is it possible to create “serpentine-like” soils by mixing available soil mixes?
I’m no expert on serpentine soils but I take solace in the fact that the information I’ve seen suggest that a tertiary habitat without serpentine soils can be used for the Dwarf Plantain and that Calscape does not mention them in their description of the species of plants. What I do think we should do is take stock in where exactly these local serpentine soils are and be sure they are used for the purpose of habitat restoration. Somewhere, we have serpentine soils being wasted on non-native plants.
19:22:49 From Barry Langdon-Lassagne : Did they manually transport checkerspots to Edgewood?
They did… thousands of caterpillars. I included several articles in the resource page that go into detail about the Bay Checkerspot situation.
19:25:32 From Matthew Dodder : Creating habitat for the Bay Checkerspot sounds like a great idea. It would connect the two areas where it is found… is someone working on it?
Sadly, I stumbled upon this. I don’t know. I live out of the area now or I’d be the spearhead. For now, all I can do is use this as an example of what could be. I have to imagine that someone is looking at it but on the other hand, I would bet the brunt of what people are doing is to maintain the current reservoir habitat. Since my talk was about creating new habitat, I felt it appropriate to suggest that it was something we should look at outside of the current efforts. I’m betting they are not, outside of Edgewood Park. If I were going to do this, I’d first start by getting in touch with the leaders of the Edgewood program and maybe even look up Paul Erlich. I do know one thing, those butterflies will never make it back to San Francisco without an effort like this.
19:36:39 From Ginger : We have been inundated with ground squirrels and lizards (western fence & alligator lizards) since the cornfield near our house has been under construction for 52 new housing units in Sunnyvale, next to Caltrain’s Lawrence station. A good place for more housing, but the animals have to go somewhere!
Like you said, they have to go somewhere. This is the kind of thing that happens all the time when animals have to relocate. Very sad. A lot of those animals will starve. Had I answered this question in person, I would have mentioned the real issue with anticoagulant rat poison. A situation like this should be a boon for raptors. But we often kill raptors secondarily by poisoning them in our efforts to kill the squirrels and we end up with worse rodent problems than ever as a result. I imagine that the red tailed hawk population will grow in your area as raptors from all around will see all those squirrels with less space and shelter than required for the complete habitat I mentioned. I suspect the same will happen for the lizards, though I suspect they will begin to spread further out in the neighborhood and life won’t be easy.
19:46:59 From Shelter Team : Oh, we want that plan, Mike.
19:47:02 From Barry Langdon-Lassagne : Very cool. I didn’t know about those
19:47:15 From Matthew Dodder : Hi Davena. Glad you could make it!
19:55:19 From Matthew Dodder : Do you have a percentage of native vs non-native you would support in a back yard?
Interesting question. People I respect have differing opinions but I think I have a solid answer.
My sources for this would include Doug Tallamy who points to the importance of native plants (one side), Professor Art Shapiro, who is known for leading the longest study on lepidopterans in the country if not the world, who likens the movement to go native as “native plant nazis” (the other side) and who considers it in the same vein as a ban on immigrants, and Tara Rocha, founder of Pollinator Posse who has offered up a well-thought-of compromise of 70% native plants.
It also should be mentioned here Doug Tallamy’s idea that perhaps every plant in your garden should have a purpose. Native plants have a purpose as pollen, nectar and host plants. Vegetable plants provide food. Other plants may provide a wind screen and let’s face it, there are plants that just make you happy with their beautiful aesthetics. But if there is a plant that offers nothing as a non-native, pull it and find a good native plant that can perform a more purposeful part of your garden.
19:55:39 From Matthew Dodder : Does Calscape tell you where to purchase native plants?
Calscape gives a list of nurseries and seed companies that have stocked that species. As I may have mentioned (or left on the cutting room floor, I don’t know), plant nurseries can’t be held to a standard of having all it’s annual stock available at all times. It was ambitious to provide the service of telling us who stocks different species and it is definitely a good way to see if anyone is propagating a plant and the general popularity of a plant you are viewing on Calscape. Don't drive long distance for a plant that seems like it might be kind of rare without trying to check first.
19:56:17 From Mary and George : where is the resource page?
Resources: https://scvas.org/backyard-wildlife-resources
19:59:41 From Sharon Spieler : Lindavistanatives.com (Linda Vista Native Plants) in San Jose is a great resource for native plants
Thank you, yes it is. And as hard as it has been in the past to get native plants, nowadays in California, the curtain is lifting! It is getting easier and easier to get natives!
19:59:48 From Mary and George : If you plant native milkweed, you will (get) ladybugs and other bugs.
That’s been my experience. Absolutely!
20:01:48 From Ginger : Maps of serpentine soil may be available from UC Santa Cruz’s Earth Sciences dept.
Thank you. That information is out there. I did look but I ran out of time. I have been doing tremendous research on the Purple Martin, a bird that appears to be in trouble. It will take the same kind of research and effort to help the Bay Checkerspot. I’m hoping we can find serpentine soils that perhaps have been neglected and get them back to doing what they do best.
20:06:06 From Peter Cross : CNPSSanta clara Valley will have fall sale October but online. Check their website
Great news!!