Upcoming CNPS SCV Events and Activities - April 12, 2022

[CNPS-SCV News]

Dear friends,
Check out our chapter's upcoming events:

[1] Wildflower Festival - Save the date!
Saturday, April 23 10:00 AM to 3 PM
https://www.cnps-scv.org/events/wildflower-shows

This year's Wildflower Show, to be held at West Valley college has been canceled. Instead we are having a Wildflower Festival at the Dana Center at Hidden Villa. This year we are celebrating the flora of Mount Hamilton! This part of the Diablo range starts from the bottom of Mount Hamilton in San Jose and rises over 4,200 feet to the Lick Observatory before descending to the San Antonio Valley on the east side of the mountain. We are bringing the flowers to you!

The festival will also feature flowers from native plant gardens in our Chapter. Experts will be on site to describe different samples and answer questions. In addition to the floral display, we will have a variety of activities and vendors, including Coyote Brush Studios and Wild Jules Seed Balls. The Grassroots Ecology Nursery will have plants for sale as well. A full schedule will be posted soon on the link above.

[2] Habitat Restoration at Lake Cunningham
Saturday, April 16, 8:00 AM
https://www.meetup.com/California-Native-Plant-Society-Santa-Clara-Valley-Chapter/events/qvfrpsydcgbvb/

VENUE: Native Garden Parking Lot

Join us to restore habitat (weeding and mulching) in the Native Garden at Lake Cunningham Park, San Jose.

We follow City of San Jose guidelines for volunteering during the pandemic: face covering and social distancing. Bring your own bucket and a weeding hoe (and knee pad, if you prefer that). Wear a face covering, hat, gloves, sturdy garden shoes. Bring plenty of fluids and hydrate often. We start with a 10-minute orientation, then walk to the site, so please be on time.

First-timers: Bring a signed waiver form available at https://lakecunninghamnativegarden.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/2020-volunteer-status-and-waiver-of-liability.pdf

First timers: please follow directions in this meetup to get to the native garden. It is a very large park (200 acres) with two entrances. You want to head to the Google map pin for "Lake Cunningham Native Garden".

Workdays are sometimes rescheduled or canceled. Always RSVP to confirm, and check the latest updates Friday night. If you can't make it, please change your RSVP so we know and wait-listers get a chance.

Here are some events from other chapters and organizations:

[3] Bloom! Bouquet Bash
April 1 - 30
https://bloomcalifornia.org/public-events/

This April, CNPS invites you to celebrate National Native Plant Month and California Native Plant Week (April 16-23) by visiting Bloom! California partner nurseries and taking home beautiful native plants that will flower for years to come. For this special month, we're also bringing the flowers right to you with free floral arranging activity stations!

At the partner nurseries listed on the link above, you'll be able to craft and take home your very own beautiful native plant bud vases with pre-cut stems (while supplies last). What a great little date for a parent and child, a treat for yourself, or an excuse for gardening buddies to go shopping!

Grassroots Ecology, the nursery based on Los Altos Hills is participating in this event on April 15, from 12 PM - 2 PM.

Already grow native plants? Join the fun and create your own native plant arrangements. We encourage everyone to share their Bloom! Bouquet Bash creations using the hashtag #BloomBouquetBash. All submissions will appear on the Bloom! California website.

[4] Garden Worthy Grasses and Grass-like Plants for the Garden (online)
Thursday, April 14 7 PM - 9 PM
https://www.cnps.org/event/virtual-program-garden-worthy-grasses-and-grass-like-plants-for-the-garden

We eat them, drink them, build with them, and play on them. In this presentation, the emphasis will be on the ornamental value of grasses and grass-like plants. With a wide array of colors, textures, and sizes to choose from, California’s native grasses have much to offer gardeners. Some of the most desirable species will be illustrated, showcasing the many ways that they bring beauty, movement, seasonality, and wildlife habitat to our gardens.

[5] Climate Smart Restoration
Thursday, April 14 7 PM - 9 PM
https://www.cnps.org/event/climate-smart-restoration

Speaker: Dr. Chelsea Carey
At Point Blue, we have a long history of restoring riparian forests throughout the bay area. We take a climate-smart approach to our restoration projects, which means that we make sure we plant a diverse array of local species and that we include ones that have ecological traits to help them withstand projected conditions at a site. This talk will review the carbon and soil health benefits of riparian restoration, explore climate-smart restoration principles and design, and discuss a recent technique Pt. Blue has experimented with called inoculant-supported restoration.

[6] Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour (online)
Saturday, April 16 and Sunday, April 17 10:00 AM -3:00 PM
https://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/online-garden-tour-agenda-spring-2022-subject-to-change

This is an annual, free tour of native plant gardens in the East Bay. Inspirational speaker Doug Tallamy will kick the event off again this year, with a talk about oaks, our own ecological powerhouses. In addition, homes with native plant gardens and green home features will be showcased in this two-day long event.

Questions about any of the events? Do not reply to this email - instead, please direct your questions to: info @ cnps-scv.org.

For more information about chapter activities, be sure to check the latest Blazing Star and our chapter website - cnps-scv.org. We also recommend joining our Meetup group to receive a notification when we schedule new activities, including field trips.  Not a member of CNPS yet? Join here.

California Native Plant Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter
Find us on the web at cnps-scv.org, and follow us on Facebook, Meetup, Instagram, and Twitter.