CNPS-SLO

Features of Asteraceae

David Krause — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 21:32:41 +0000

Link to Dr. Keil’s Presentation on Asteraceae Features in the April 2, 2026 Asteraceae Workshop

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Building a Pollinator Garden

David Krause — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 16:53:49 +0000

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Invasive Species Report: Purple Ragwort (Senecio elegans)

David Krause — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 00:59:02 +0000

An attractive member of the Asteraceae (Sunﬂower) family Senecio elegans is an erect annual herb, up to 1 ft. tall and to 1.5 ft. wide. It is native to Southern Africa and is distributed along coastal California. In northern San Luis Obispo County there are groups at San Simeon Point and at the other end of the county in the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes.

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The Morro Manzanita Chaparral Natural Community

Melissa Mooney — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 00:16:42 +0000

Morro manzanita is the dominant vascular plant species of a rare natural community known as Morro manzanita chaparral, the Arctostaphylos morroensis Shrubland Alliance, as deﬁned by the Manual of California Vegetation. This is an example of a natural community that is dominated by a listed species. Not all sensitive natural communities are.

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Meet our Social Media Intern, Kieran

David Krause — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 01:06:01 +0000

Kieran Althaus joined our team last fall doing Social Media work along side Judi Young for the chapter. He is soon going to start his Masters Degree at Cal Poly in Biology with Dr. Matt Ritter and Dr. Jenn Yost. In the mean time he is staying occupied with the Plant Science Club at Cal Poly, as well as working on a variety of Botany projects.

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Poetry Initiative for the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day

David Krause — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 00:50:12 +0000

This is a Call for Ecological Poetry/Prose/Art and Discourse throughout SLO County to unite with the cause initiated 50 years ago. Gathering stories to be Stewards of the Earth, this perspective can help direct hope for Earth, Forever. If you have a venue or poem and would like an Earth Day Poem reach out to muebersax61@gmail.com Mary Uebersax, EarthTones Gifts, Gallery & Center for Healing 805-238-4413

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Garden Maintenance

David Krause — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 00:46:28 +0000

My garden is small compared to the ones I manage in my horticulture business, but it’s still a hideaway for the birds, bees and native plants. It’s calming and is […]

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A Few Rare Dune Natural Plant Communities

David Krause — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 01:15:24 +0000

San Luis Obispo County dunes, and the Oceano dunes surrounding Oso Flaco Lake in particular, are awesome places that are full of rare plants and at least three rare natural communities, as defined by the Manual of California Vegetation ...

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Invasive Species Report: Poison-hemlock (Conium maculatum)

David Krause — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 02:06:31 +0000

A member of the Apiaceae (Carrot) family Poison-hemlock is a biennial native to the Europe and North Africa and is a common weed, widespread in California. Poison-hemlock may germinate throughout the year. First year plants are low-growing and may overwinter in mild climates and plants resemble carrot plants.

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What Does Low Rainfall mean for Your Garden?

David Krause — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 01:31:41 +0000

Well, with our rainy season half ways over, the outlook is dire. Looking at the “up-to-date” records, we have received about half of normal rainfall, season to date. So what does this mean for those of you who have just put in those natives after the plant sale?

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Garden weeds

David Krause — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 01:20:38 +0000

January is by far the best time for weed control in the garden. Nights are cool and the seedling weeds are small and easy to hoe under. Here are a couple of tips for weeding: First, wait two or three days after a rain event to weed, as wet soil is hard to hoe or hand pull weeds from. The soil will fall off pulled weeds easier when the soil is drier; Second, go after the largest weeds first, as these are usually the grasses which set seeds first.

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Try Eating The Weeds

David Krause — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 01:14:10 +0000

Ethnobotany Notes Great, now you have planted your native plants, and maybe some vegetables. There are also some wonderful edibles that will come up as soon as it rains which […]

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Where are the flowers

David Krause — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 04:42:22 +0000

Participate in the new effort to use digital images to investigate phenological change in a biodiversity hotspot - California.

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Using the Consortium of California Herbaria website

David Krause — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 04:22:38 +0000

How many of you have photographed a manzanita in the field, or brought back a leaf, and then had trouble identifying it
using a key? There are many manzanitas in the County, and a lot share common features. You ask yourself if what you have matches what is described in the key. One helpful tool is to use something like the CalFlora web site to see what other people thought as a match to the species name, but those photos may not flag key diagnostic features from the key.

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Invasive Species Report: Bull thistle Cirsium vulgare

David Krause — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 04:15:25 +0000

A member of the Asteraceae family, bull thistle is an annual herb native to Europe and is widespread in California and listed as a noxious weed in Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington. It is found in every state in the U.S. and on every continent except Antarctica. It is a problem in some natural areas such as Yosemite National Park, California

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Spread the Joy of Native Plants

David Krause — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 04:03:23 +0000

Introduce your friends and family members to native plants this holiday season with a gift from our chapter sales table at the December 5 meeting. When you buy items from the sales table at our meetings and events, you are supporting our chapter and getting a good deal because the chapter pays the sales tax.

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Your spring wildflower garden

David Krause — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 03:55:35 +0000

It’s time to start thinking about planting your wildflower garden with the winter rains coming soon. As in years past, we are beginning our rainy season late with a dry fall so far. This doesn’t mean we will have a dry winter, but this dry pattern is important when it comes to sowing our wildflower garden.

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Tetragonia tetragonoides (New Zealand Spinach)

David Krause — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 03:45:54 +0000

New Zealand spinach belongs to a family of flowering plants, Aizoaceae, that is primarily native to the Southern Hemisphere. New Zealand spinach is, in fact native to Southern Africa but has spread to New Zealand and is apparently a serious weed throughout southern Australia. Obviously, it has also been introduced into North America and Eurasia.

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Wildland Fire Buffers

David Krause — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 05:24:14 +0000

The impact on plant communities due to mandated vegetation clearance at the Wildland-Urban Interface appears to be extremely variable, even along individual sites such as the pine forest in Cambria. In some areas we have been told that all small trees and shrubs were removed, and in others they were selectively preserved. CNPS urges members to photograph treatment areas, so that we can better estimate the long term ecological effects.

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Ethnobotany Notes: Catalina Cherry

David Krause — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 05:04:35 +0000

You may recognize this as a fruit tree genus including cherries, apricots, plums, and peaches. It attracts butterflies, bees, and pollinating flies. One of my favorites is the Prunus lyonii, or Catalina cherry.

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