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Ecological LandscapingMiriam R. Sachs Martnm.sachs.martin@gmail.com

Landscape should provide...What have you learned so far?Habitat Biodiversity preservationEnjoyment human habitatDo no harmInvasive speciesCarbon impact

Hayfield tarweed with pollinator. Photo by Richard Bicknell.

Quote from Jeffrey Caldwell on Gardening With Natives discussion list: One of my favorite phrases I got from Judith Larner: "suburban plant junk" -- which pretty well describes the average or even most landscapes in suburban or urban areas. What I hate most are entire landscapes that require the production of a huge amount of air pollution to keep every plant hacked into unnatural shapes and sizes at frequent intervals. One of the world's most miserable jobs is to be producing as much air pollution as twenty Toyotas all day long, operating extremely noisy power edgers, lawn mowers, gasoline hedge trimmers and backpack blowers to maintain ugliness that is an ecological monstrosity every which way. An excessive amount of water is required to keep the growth going against the endless noisy hacking assault so that more waste can be trucked to the landfills!*

HabitatLocation

Structure

Function

Composition

Native Plant Garden in Campbell, CA. Going Native Garden Tour

Habitat for whom?BirdsInvertebratesSmall mammalsHumansLocal scaleLarger scale

Image from Glencoe.com

Stepping-stone habitatImage 2009, Asian Development Bank

Benefits of ConnectivityMaintain native plant populationBioregion-specificProvide food / nectar for birds and invertebratesCan buffer edge effects

Graphic from Gregory Brown, Principles of Landscape Ecology Lecture

Habitat how: FunctionPosition function is more important than individuals.Pollination, nutrient cycling, predation, stream connectivity.Situation-specific.Invasive plants are benched.

Photo from Raiders.com

Habitat how: StructureDiverse and complex structureVerticallyMicrotopographyResting places

Photo from www.aventinoapartments.comPhoto from Going Native Garden Tour

Top photos of Central Coast Wilds landscapes

Habitat how: CompositionFor every invasive plant, there is a native (or non-invasive) which can be used.Cal-IPCCal-IPC

Composition: NO invasives!Content from Cal-IPC

A very few of my favoritesLeymus triticoidesWet meadow ryeGrindelia camporumGumplantBaccharis pilularisCoyote brushQuercus and SalixWillows and oaks

Photo by Tom Cochrane

BiodiversityFrom the proposed US Congressional Biodiversity Act (1990), Biological diversity means the full range of variety and variability within and among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur, and encompasses ecosystem or community diversity, species diversity, and genetic diversity.

Genetic diversity: the combination of different genes found within a single species. Coastal populations of Douglas fir are different from Sierran populations due to genetic adaptations to local conditions (i.e., coastal fog, summer Sierran sun).

Species diversity: the variety of different organisms in an area. A ten acre area of Oakland contains different species than does a similar sized area in San Bernardino.

Ecosystem diversity: the variety of habitats that occur within a region. One example is the variety of habitats and environmental parameters that constitute the San Francisco Bay-Delta ecosystem: grasslands, wetlands, rivers, estuaries, fresh and salt water.

Content adapted from: http://biodiversity.ca.gov/Biodiversity/biodiv_def2.html

Biodiversity (plain English)Many different (native or non-invasive) speciesGenetic diversity within each speciesDiversity of ecosystems and habitat types

California Soil Resource Lab

Biodiversity how (function)Native, bioregion specific speciesGroup similar function or habitat species togetherWatershed specificity!No invasives not co-evolved with local fauna.

It All Ties TogetherWildflowers:poppies, yarrow, buttercups, blue-eyed grass, wild onion, buckwheat, saniclesPerennial native bunch grasses:Red fescueCA needle grassCA oat grass

Photo from natureinthecity.org. Plants from: sustainablecity.org/articles/presidio.htm

Skills and PracticeGo hiking. Lots. Wander around the neighborhood and the parks.Look at maps and species lists.Learn your plants. Cultivate a list of favorite habitat-friendly alternatives.Advocate with clients, nurseries, and professional organizations. This is a work in progress.

Difficult ?s, No Easy AnswersIn addition to habitat and biodiversity, consider:Carbon impactSourcingSustainability (water, chemicals, maintenance type)

Extra work - Why? 4 EsEducationEthicsEcologyEconomicsNatures servicesPollinators = foodMedicineAir/water regulationEnjoyment

Questions, discussion

Quote from Jeffrey Caldwell on Gardening With Natives discussion list: One of my favorite phrases I got from Judith Larner: "suburban plant junk" -- which pretty well describes the average or even most landscapes in suburban or urban areas. What I hate most are entire landscapes that require the production of a huge amount of air pollution to keep every plant hacked into unnatural shapes and sizes at frequent intervals. One of the world's most miserable jobs is to be producing as much air pollution as twenty Toyotas all day long, operating extremely noisy power edgers, lawn mowers, gasoline hedge trimmers and backpack blowers to maintain ugliness that is an ecological monstrosity every which way. An excessive amount of water is required to keep the growth going against the endless noisy hacking assault so that more waste can be trucked to the landfills!*