Castor bean is a perennial shrub that can grow rapidly to be anywhere from three to fifteen feet in height. With thick, palm-like leaves, castor bean plants can shade the surrounding native plants, preventing the native plants from getting the sunlight needed for growth. Though the leaves are typically deep green in color, some varieties have a reddish tint and have an odor when crushed. Castor bean plants contain small, green flowers with separate male and female flowers present on the same plan. The fruit produced is a small, round, spiny capsule, often red and containing smooth seeds inside that can be fatal if consumed.
Maintaining healthy plant communities is essential to preserving biodiversity on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. Native plants have a close relationship with and are dependent on native wildlife, but invasive plants and animals can disrupt this relationship, creating degraded habitat over time. That is why it is so important to remove non-native and invasive plants, like castor bean (Ricinus communis) which can be found throughout Southern California. The spread of castor bean plants is one of the leading causes of native biodiversity loss because they spread quickly and displace and prevent growth of native plants.
Castor bean is a perennial shrub that can grow rapidly to be anywhere from three to fifteen feet in height. With thick, palm-like leaves, castor bean plants can shade the surrounding native plants, preventing the native plants from getting the sunlight needed for growth. Though the leaves are typically deep green in color, some varieties have a reddish tint and have an odor when crushed. Castor bean plants contain small, green flowers with separate male and female flowers present on the same plan. The fruit produced is a small, round, spiny capsule, often red and containing smooth seeds inside that can be fatal if consumed. Native plants are the foundation of diverse ecosystems throughout the Landmarks, and restoration efforts rely on native plant materials to create healthy and resilient habitats. IRC’s Plant Material Development program is designed to produce the plant materials needed for a wide range of restoration projects in Orange County, like the butterfly habitat enhancement project currently underway in OC Parks’ Limestone Canyon.
Sunny Saroa, Project Manager in the Plant Material Development program, helps facilitate the production of native plants and seeds for IRC’s restoration and enhancement projects by overseeing seed production at IRC’s Native Seed Farm, container plant production at our nurseries, coordinating wild seed collection, and maintaining an inventory of container plant and seed. Together, Sunny and the Plant Material Development team work to keep a robust inventory of native plants and seeds on hand at the Native Seed Farm to cultivate enough plant material to support major restoration projects. The Native Seed Farm currently has around 40 different plant species in production. With recent enhancement efforts to butterfly habitats in OC Parks’ Limestone Canyon, Irvine Ranch Conservancy has been focusing on the monitoring of these local pollinators to track population growth after recent nationwide declines. The monitoring efforts have been steered by IRC Project Coordinator, Catherine Le, who is responsible for analyzing wildlife activity throughout the Landmarks and works closely with teams of volunteers to enhance knowledge of wildlife patterns and study the effects of land management.
Butterfly monitoring in Limestone Canyon, where Catherine and her team of dedicated volunteers visit on a monthly basis, began years ago and includes data from as early as 2012. This abundance of data from over the years has shown a decline in butterfly populations, especially following recent wildfires in Limestone Canyon. During their monthly patrol, the volunteers are split into different groups that visit four separate routes, observing and recording the number of butterflies and flowering plants that are visible. Irvine Ranch Conservancy is regularly involved in habitat restoration and enhancement projects that help restore and protect habitats for native plant and wildlife species. One current project includes managing and caring for a population of Western Pond Turtles living in City of Irvine’s Shady Canyon. What was formerly a cattle pond has been reconstructed to better hold water and provide more habitat for the turtles to hopefully support a threatened species in Orange County.
The Western Pond Turtle (Emys marmorata) is a freshwater turtle with shells averaging between seven and nine inches in length and can be recognized by their yellow stomachs and black spots and lines on their heads. Though these turtles could once be found all the way from Canada down to Baja, California, the number of Western Pond Turtles has significantly decreased over the years and populations can now be found mostly in southern Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada. Today is World Wildlife Day–a day to celebrate all of the wild animals and plants in the world and the wonderful things they contribute to our lives and the health of the planet. The Irvine Ranch Conservancy is honoring this international day by highlighting a local, furry friend that can be spotted on the Landmarks: bobcats!
In celebration of World Wildlife Day, follow @irnlandmarks and follow the giveaway instructions for a chance to win an exciting prize perfect for outdoor enthusiasts! |
AboutWelcome to the Irvine Ranch Conservancy "News from the Field" blog. These articles are written by Conservancy staff about activities and projects in and near the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. Archives
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