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Poppies and Clovers and Toyons, Oh My!

On a sunny, spring afternoon I hiked and skipped along through the neon green grass of

the hills near my neighborhood. My friend and I, both well acquainted with navigating trails, set

out to see something new and enjoy all of the new growth. As we went, I stopped every few feet

to take photos of all the beautiful California springtime blooms. To this day, I still reminisce

about the purples, yellows, and whites that speckled the vibrant green hills we explored.

On another occasion I hiked with my family and some friends to find a hidden field

exploding with California native wildflowers. I was impressed by the wide variety of blooming

flowers and excited that after a year of memorizing and learning about plants I knew and

recognized several of them. Seeing native plants in their natural habitat was eye opening after

growing them in my backyard or seeing them polka-dotting the hills.

I have always been fascinated by the world around me. I love being in nature and

learning to understand it. In my family we go outdoors a lot and visit many beautiful places.

While there, I relish exploring and taking photos of my surroundings, especially of the plants I

find. I spend hours searching new places and learning about what makes them unique.

Examining the coloring of the landscapes, the intricate details of nature, and small treasures

hidden between rocks captivates me. I have taken hundreds of pictures of the magnificent

flowers in several large public gardens. In addition, searching for wild plants brings me a sense

of discovery and delight because it allows me to comprehend a plant’s true habitat. I love to

admire the considerable variety of wildflowers and their funky shapes, sizes, and vivid colors.

On a trip with my family, I downloaded an app that identifies living things as I take

photos of them. My quest to study plants is now more enjoyable because I can learn the scientific

names of what I find. Since then, I have been able to recognize more and more plants myself.

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Over the years I have been introduced to some rare, vibrant, and delicate plants, some of which I

have been able to discover in nature. I learn about their anatomy and coloring and love to take

walks and tell others all about the plants that we are passing. I hope that by our shared

knowledge they can have a desire to take care of and preserve these plants as I do. The memories

I have collected from my hikes and researching has led me to take interest in the question: How

does educating people about native plants aid in their preservation?

Many people may not know much about native plants and wonder why their survival is

so important when they can be so easily replaced.. What people should know is that, “California

hosts approximately 6,500 species, subspecies, and varieties of plants that occur naturally in the

state, and many of these are found nowhere else in the world” (“Native Plants"). That is a

remarkable number of plants endemic to California, but because of issues like lack of education

about plants and the environment, invasive species, or destruction of land, native plants' ability to

grow is hindered. This means that without the help of people these plants could disappear

altogether. According to the National Audubon Society, native plants “are the ecological basis

upon which life depends, including birds and people. Without them and the insects that

co-evolved with them, local birds cannot survive” ("Why Native Plants Matter"). So why are

these native plants so important? They are a key part of the foundation of the ecosystems they

live in. In an interview with my mentor, Michele Stanton, M.S., a retired horticulture and crop

science educator, when asked about why preserving native plants is crucial to an ecosystem she

replied, “I think we're still just discovering how interrelated everything is…I think our

well-being is connected with the well-being of the plants and animals around us.” Native plants

are an essential part of every ecosystem; they change everything from the soil to the animals that

roam the lands. In California alone, there are thousands of native plant species but they are

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becoming scarcer which is why they are in need of protection. One plant, the Mount Diablo

Buckwheat, was believed extinct from 1936 until 2005. It has been rediscovered but has a small

population which buts this plant in danger, especially because it only grows on Mount Diablo.

(iNaturalistUK) This plant is a great example of a plant who was once found on Mount Diablo

and then managed to disappear for nearly seventy years.

Preservation and protection are words that frequent many conversations today, in topics

that range from history to recycling, so much so that people may not take these words very

seriously, and therefore will not put actions and research into finding out why they are so

important or how preservation is being done, and how they can help on any particular issue. For

people to help protect and preserve native plants, they must understand why and how it can and

is being accomplished. An important reason native plants must be preserved is because “[t]he

extinction of even a single plant species may result in the disappearance of up to 30 other species

of plants and wildlife” (Roberson). This is shocking, but shows the impact of just one flower or a

type of grass can have on the habitat in which it resides. It also illustrates the value that each

living thing has within its ecosystem, especially plants that are "keystone species", which are

plants crucial to the survival of many other species. One keystone species native plant is the

Coast Live Oak, a tree species that helps "feed the young caterpillars of approximately 90% of

butterflies and moths" (National Wildlife Federation). This shows how important the role of this

keystone species is because it aids in the growth of many other species in its ecosystem. Another

shocking statistic, “Approximately 80% of the nation’s coastal ecosystems have been damaged

or destroyed by development…Less than 10% of northwestern ancient forests remain intact”

(Roberson). These facts together demonstrate the severity of the situation for native plants and

why people must protect what is left of them. Another issue in plant protection is that people are

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not protecting them, but are destroying and limiting their habitats which can be very harmful to

them. When asked about the necessity for plant preservation Stanton stated:

Well, I do think it's an important issue. So the challenge, I think, is that there are so many

causes its climate, its land use its global spread of pests, and diseases, it's human diets

and agriculture, pollution, all kinds of things. And so to concerns that I would name and

there's probably a lot more, when native plants become threatened and their numbers are

reduced, then there isn't the genetic diversity in a particular population of plants. And if

you lose that genetic diversity, then as changes continue to occur, the plants that are left

may not be able to adapt to the changing conditions. Yeah, so that's one thing that

concerns me.

She also highlighted more reasons that have led to the decline of native plants such as climate,

pollution, or spread of pests. Another valuable reason mentioned is that they need to be kept in

abundance so that their beautiful variety is not lost by only letting a few species survive. For

example, in the plant family Boraginaceae, there is a genus called Nemophila within which are

found two beautiful California native wildflowers. These are the Five spot and Baby blue eyes,

one is baby blue and white while the other is white with a deep purple spot on each petal. If one

of these species went extinct the world would lose a whole plant species that is distinct and

unique. Each native plant is unique and helps to support all parts of its ecosystem.

Tying into this list of reasons for plant preservation, and the need for people to be

educated about them is the issue of invasive species, which over the years has been a rising issue

and harmful to ecosystems and native plants. The Center for Biological Diversity and California

Native Plant Society, worked together to create an informative resource that also states some of

the threats to native plants. They spoke about invasive species as an example: "Invasive

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non-native species, excessive and poorly planned logging, mining, and other activities also

besiege native plants" (Roberson). So what about invasive species? Well for starters, "[o]ne of

the ways non-natives destroy ecosystems is by getting a head start on native plants" (Oder). For

this reason some restoration and preservation projects involve the killing of many invasive plants

to give native plants a chance to grow. This is an example of one protection technique in practice

today through human involvement to save native plants. A recent article about Delaware

legislation set in place to help native plant species says, "Environmental advocates who blame

invasive species for disrupting native ecosystems can take heart in a new Delaware law. The

legislation, which took effect July 1, 2022, bans the import, export, sale, transport, distribution,

and propagation of 37 non-native invasive species, and puts other potential invasives on a watch

list" (Oder). This is a great way to try and prevent further damage to the native plant species

population and narrows down the issue to recovering what is still left in the ecosystem after the

impacts of invasive species. The article takes a positive stance and finds hope in the idea that

"...one way to ease the pain of the environmental damage caused by invasive species is to see the

new law as an opportunity for nurseries to replace non-native plants with natives, and for

homeowners to use natives in their landscapes to provide food and nesting places for wildlife"

(Oder). This is a great example of what many other states could be doing in order to save native

plants and preserve our country's natural and native beauty. In another interview I conducted,

Anna Halverson, who has a Masters Degree in Public Horticulture, expressed excitement and

hope in the recent development of more native plant nurseries encouraging people to purchase

plants from them just like they can at regular garden store, except these plants can grow without

nearly as much required attention as other plants. There are huge benefits to having native plants

grown in peoples gardens. Through these nurseries more people can be educated about the

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reasons they should grow them, but will also understand why they are important to protect, how

they can use less water than other plants, why they help during droughts, support other local

wildlife, and so much more.

When encouraging people to have a desire to preserve native plants they also could

benefit from understanding that an easy way to protect them is through growing them in one's

own yard. The book, Taylor's Guide to Seashore Gardening, highlights the great value of having

native plants. It says that the Pacific Northwest has an "...abundance of excellent native plants

and a benign climate that readily accommodates…the Pacific Northwest is one of the continent's

most fervent horticultural hotspots. A tremendous diversity of gardening opportunities and styles

occurs along the coast, in large part driven by topography and the various climatic regimes it

helps create" (Buchanan, Rita, et al. 4). The book also stated that there are so many native plants

that can thrive here allowing for beautiful natural-looking landscaping opportunities. Native

plants also are great when grown in their areas because they are low maintenance, do not need

pesticides or other big supports unlike other exotic or common plants. Mrs. Halverson, who also

talked about the idea of natural-looking landscaping, gave this insight when asked about the

value of planting native plants over others:

From an environmental side, the reason for me for wanting to plant native plants is more

for all the native fauna and insects, you know, like the depend on our native plants for

food, or forage or shelter. And I think that just realizing that that, like, sort of the unseen

parts of our, our ecosystem or habitat depend on are continuing to, to plant that those

kinds of plants and preserve their habitat that's really important. Like they're kind of

relying on us.

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This comment brings up a very valuable point: that people are responsible for helping keep

plants here so that all of the ecosystems with which they are intertwined can stay alive and

healthy. Wildflowers can be some of the most resilient plants, they grow where they are native,

and do not rely on human help to grow, but when there is human interference how are they

supposed to recover quickly? This responsibility applies to everyone and describes how all

people can take part of this work to try and help something that needs our help.

As has been reiterated, native plants play a crucial role in the ecosystems and also to the

environment. But without people being informed about them; how can we save them? Aristotle

once said, "Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” This quote

signifies the relationship between two things: education and appreciation. This is of value to the

issue of supporting native plants because if people do not know about something why would they

care about it, or in Aristotle's idea, there will be no heart in it. When people have no interest in a

topic, they have no desire to learn about it. But if they can grasp something that interests them

then they can appreciate it and students' hearts will be in it along with the teacher's. In an activity

done with a group of students in Arizona, children were taught specifically about one of their

region's native plants and shown one of its uses. The creators of the project highlighted one of

the important reasons for this activity to exist: "treating plants as just objects removes them from

our circle of ethical responsibility" (Merritt, Eileen, et al.). But when people have love for plants

like these educators, they have made it their job to inspire children so someday they will take

care of these plants and appreciate them as part of the ecosystem. This same group also brought

up the idea that, "This way of knowing [about plants] always considers individual objects in

relation to other organisms and is more holistic" (Merritt, Eileen, et al.). This is another subject

in which people can be educated about. That way they can understand that in the grand scheme

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of things, such as how one small flower can have a serious impact on so much around it. As

previously stated the disappearance of one plant from an ecosystem can have a very detrimental

effect on other plants and animals that rely on it, and people need to care enough about it to keep

it alive for future generations to enjoy.

So now that the link between education and appreciation is understood; how can we get

those who love native plants to also want to preserve them? John Muir once wrote, "So

extraordinary is Nature with her choicest treasures, spending plant beauty as she spends

sunshine, pouring it forth into land and sea, garden and desert. And so the beauty of lilies falls on

angels and men, bears and squirrels, wolves and sheep, birds and bees...." (Muir, et al.). In this

quote John Muir's appreciation for plants is present and evident. In his life of research he helped

to inspire others and come together with them to protect so much nature and natural beauty. In

my interview with my mentor, Ms. Stanton, she said something very profound that helps connect

the dots between these three stages of education, appreciation, and preservation. She beautifully

explained: "We will save what we love" (Stanton). From Aristotle it is known that education can

lead to appreciation, or having a love for something, but this quote brings the final step which is

preservation, and wanting to save something. Prior to her concise statement she had said "if you

can educate people about the value of our native plants, and increase their curiosity and increase

their appreciation of even just one thing, maybe it's California poppies, whatever it is, we will

save what we love. So if you can teach people that then that's a good start" (Stanton). This

summarizes one of the small and simple ways that anyone and everyone can preserve native

plants: educate others, try to inspire them to appreciate plants, and let their desire to protect what

they love help to preserve native plants. This all comes together beautifully as people are taught

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and take interest in a subject they will perpetuate its dissemination, helping to spread

appreciation and gaining protection for native plants.

There are many reasons to keep native plants thriving in the environments people live in.

There is environmental protection, keeping history alive for future generations, and for the health

and well-being of people. It can be a challenge to protect and preserve these plants, so to help

combat this, when people are taught and learn about native plants they can gain a greater

knowledge of their value and develop an appreciation for them. When people appreciate

something they have a desire to hold on to it so it can continue to be there which can help to

inspire them to take action protect and preserve native plants like so many others are doing as

well. This is very important because as human beings people need to keep the connection

between themselves and nature strong because this affects so much of their lives. Each native

plant has historical and emotional significance, and has brought today's plants to where they are

today which is why they must stay preserved. Teachers must teach, students must learn, and

together everyone can help to protect what holds our ecosystems together.

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Works Cited

Buchanan, Rita, et al. Taylor's Guide to Seashore Gardening. Edited by Frances Tenenbaum,

Houghton Mifflin, 1996.

“Coast Live Oak (Quercus Agrifolia).” Bay Area Hiker: Coast Live Oak,

https://bahiker.com/plantpages/coastliveoak.html#:~:text=Bay%20Area%20Hiker%3A%

20Coast%20Live%20Oak&text=The%20Peterson%20Field%20Guide%20to,around%20

San%20Francisco%20are%20deciduous.

Halverson, Anna. Personal Interview. 12 March 2023.

Hunt, Lesley. “Mount Diablo Buckwheat Reminds Us of Why We Preserve Habitat.” California

Native Plant Society East Bay Chapter, May 2022,

https://ebcnps.org/news/mount-diablo-buckwheat-2022-05/.

Merritt, Eileen, et al. “Learning About Culture and Sustainable Harvesting of Native Plants.”

NSTA,

https://www.nsta.org/science-and-children/science-and-children-marchapril-2021/learnin

g-about-culture-and-sustainable. Accessed 28 February 2023.

“Mount Diablo Buckwheat (Eriogonum Truncatum).” INaturalist United Kingdom,

https://uk.inaturalist.org/taxa/77039-Eriogonum-truncatum.

Muir, John, et al. “Quotations of John Muir - Writings - The John Muir Exhibit.” Sierra Club,

https://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/writings/favorite_quotations.aspx.

Accessed 20 March 2023.

National Wildlife Federation. NWF GFW Plant List Ecoregion11.indd,

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https://www.nwf.org/-/media/Documents/PDFs/Garden-for-Wildlife/Keystone-Plants/N

WF-GFW-keystone-plant-list-ecoregion-11-mediterranean-california.ashx?la=en&hash=3

E9FE8BCCFEAF5CDD6D8DD6595ABB1B2635A69B8. Accessed 24 April 2023.

“Native Plants.” California Department of Fish and Wildlife,

https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Plants. Accessed 31 January 2023.

Oder, Tom. "Non-Native Invaders: A few states have formed front lines in the battle to defeat

non-native plants threatening our natural ecosystems." Mother Earth News, no. 314,

Oct.-Nov. 2022, pp. 54+. Gale In Context: High School,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A720240783/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=bookmark-SUIC&xid=79

bd8522. Accessed 28 Feb. 2023.

Roberson, Emily B., et al. “Barriers to Native Plant Conservation in the United States: Funding,

Staffing, Law.” Center for Biological Diversity, Native Plant Conservation Campaign,

2002,

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/protecting_native_plants/pdfs/BarriersToP

lantConservation.pdf. Accessed 7 February 2023.

Stanton, Michele. Personal Interview. 3 March 2023.

“Why Native Plants Matter | Audubon.” Audubon, National Audubon Society,

https://www.audubon.org/content/why-native-plants-matter. Accessed 1 February 2023.

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