The Native Seed Farm is in full bloom and now is the time to register for a program to help plant and harvest seeds amidst vibrant rows of wildflowers.
 
Spring is in the air and the Native Seed Farm is in full bloom! Thanks to the efforts of volunteers, rows and rows of colorful wildflowers are growing across the seed farm, and there’s never been a better time to register for a stewardship program to help care for native species. Harvesting seeds and growing seedlings is vital to the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks, and creates a self-sustaining process that keeps local plants and wildflowers thriving from season to season. Take the opportunity to connect with nature while enjoying the surrounding scenery and join a stewardship program at the Native Seed Farm!
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The Native Seed Farm is nestled in the City of Irvine, located on Jeffrey Road just north of Portola Parkway. The farm offers convenient parking near the farm entrance, and is a flat, easy-to-access site with shade available. A hub of the Landmarks, the farm harvests as much as 1,000 pounds of seeds per year which fuel various restoration projects throughout the lands. This year, California goldfields—a flowering plant in the daisy family—were planted for the first time, and their yellow blooms were a welcome addition to the farm. Pink hues of Owl’s Clover can also be seen, along with the cylindrical, purple blooms of Arroyo Lupine. Orange Poppies are also growing abundantly on the farm, supporting the growth of California’s state flower.

Explore the wide variety of native plants in the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks.

From the towering chaparral yucca (Hesperoyucca whipplei) to the miniscule California plantain (Plantago erecta), the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks is home to a large number of unique and sometimes rare native plants. Native Plant Week, which is April 16-24, celebrates these species that support a diverse collection of local wildlife. 

​Not surprisingly, the Landmarks contain a wide variety of plant communities, including coastal sage scrub, chaparral, valley grassland, oak woodland and riparian forest – all home to many native plants. Native plants are species that are indigenous to a certain area, and have not been introduced by human activity. In the Landmarks, some of the most common native plants include California sagebrush (Artemisia californica), coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), laurel sumac (Malosma laurina), and purple needle grass (Stipa pulchra).

Tecate cypress seedlings planted at the Fremont Canyon Staging Area need volunteer support to thrive.
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The rare Tecate cypress needs fire to reproduce. The seed cones use fire as an ecological trigger to know when to release the seeds, a process which optimally happens every 30 years or longer. When mature trees burn, the cones pop open, and the seeds are released, germinate and become seedlings to replace the mature trees. However, if another fire happens before the young plants can mature, the grove is destroyed before new seeds can be produced.

From the dark leaves of coastal scrub oak and black sage, to the bright hues of coyote brush and coastal prickly pear cactus, St. Patrick’s Day green is a common color around the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks this time of year. Recent rains and the winter season – when native plants come out of dormancy – have made the green shades even more prominent.
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There are a variety of activities out on the Landmarks the week of St. Patrick’s Day to spot green in full force, whether during a fast-paced hike, an interactive outdoor adventure or volunteer opportunities giving back.

Celebrate the new farm’s opening by planting seedlings that will be harvested for future habitat restoration.

The New Year brings new beginnings for all, and 2016 is off to an exciting start with the opening of an expanded Native Seed Farm. The original 12-acre farm, created in 2009, has relocated and expanded to 14 acres, with 8 acres of growing area ready to be planted. You can help get the new farm site off the ground by planting seedlings that will be harvested for future habitat restoration projects throughout the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks.

Winter is the optimal season for native species planting, and 15,000 native plant seedlings need to be in the ground at the new farm site by the end of February. Public support has been crucial to the farm’s success from day one, and will continue at the new site with twice-weekly volunteer opportunities tailored to fit each season. Irvine Ranch Conservancy staff have spent the past year planning and preparing the site, and now members of the community have a unique chance to plant tiny seedlings that will have a huge impact on successful habitat restoration.

Garden offers opportunity for up-close learning about native plants. 

Bommer Canyon is one of the most popular sites in the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. Visitors wander along the trails on foot and bicycle, enjoying the natural habitat. Many people want to know more about the plants and animals that live in this canyon, and the new Bommer Nature Garden will help visitors get up-close to the flora, fauna and history of this natural area.

​In 1867, Bommer Canyon served as the hub of James Irvine’s cattle operations. More than a century later the cattle operations ceased, and then in the early 1980s the City of Irvine purchased the property to create an open space preserve. Today, remnants of the cattle operations infrastructure dot the hills, embedded in the natural space to remind visitors of the site’s history.

Asters are in bloom at the Native Seed Farm, and you can help harvest the seeds.

The Aster family (Asteraceae) is one of the largest plant families in the world, with nearly 24,000 unique species. These plants are also known as “composite” flowers, since their flower heads are usually made up of a cluster of tiny flowers surrounded by larger petals. Each of these minute clustered flowers forms a seed, and at the Irvine Ranch Conservancy Native Seed Farm, those seeds are ready to be harvested. Native asters are some of the last blooming flowers of the season, so you can see the final pops of wildflowers while helping restore native habitat across the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks.

​Volunteering at the Native Seed Farm is easy, and is even open to kids ages 8 and up. Volunteers receive training in native plant identification, information on how plants reproduce, and background on where the seeds go after they are harvested. All tools and training are provided, and the activities take place before the day gets too warm. Right now, there are three different aster species ready to be harvested at the farm:

Monthly nature walk in Baker Canyon offers the chance to listen to the natural sounds of the canyon.

Slowly walking along a meandering trail is a great way to shed away the day’s stresses. On Thursday, you can join a unique nature walk in OC Parks’ Black Star Canyon Wilderness Park that not only takes a slower pace, but also focuses on quiet enjoyment of nature’s noises. Take in the beauty of local wilderness while watching for soaring red-trailed hawks, listening to bird calls and inhaling the fragrance of the trailside sage plants during the “Shhh… Hike, Look and Listen” hike.  This monthly activity is designed to give participants the opportunity to hike quietly and meditatively while taking in the sounds of nature.

Learn about the many ways humans have used native plants throughout history.

On Saturday, April 25, you can celebrate the week of Earth Day by joining Irvine Ranch Conservancy volunteer naturalists for “Celebrate Cultures in Nature: Native American Flora Uses.” This informative and family-friendly hike will take place in the Baker Canyon area of OC Parks’ Black Star Wilderness Park, and visitors will have the chance to sample treats similar to the native plants people have been eating over the centuries.

During a short hike in Baker Canyon, docents will discuss how early settlers of the area survived and thrived on what nature has to offer. The trained naturalists will point out native plants along the trail and discuss how each species has been used in various ways over the years. Before the hike, participants can sample various natural treats that could have been harvested entirely from ingredients provided by local plants. While no actual plant ingredients can or will be taken from the protected wildlands, participants can see how similar ingredients from plants farmed elsewhere are still used in items you may find in your local grocery store.

Seeds used in habitat restoration on much of the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks are set up for success by using a “go local” approach.

Landscape-scale habitat restoration over hundreds of acres starts small-scale, with the seed. One seed planted will hopefully become a mature plant producing many more seeds, in turn becoming many more healthy plants. Active habitat restoration is all about making that first seed as successful as possible, and Irvine Ranch Conservancy scientists have developed a strategy to give as many successful seeds as possible back to the land. Their success weighs in at more than 600 pounds of farmed seed each year.

If you enjoy the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks, volunteering at the Native Seed Farm is the perfect way to say “thanks” to the land.

Thanksgiving time signals the end of the harvest season at the Irvine Ranch Conservancy Native Seed Farm. Seeds gathered there support habitat restoration projects across all of the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. With this seed, habitat restoration is easier and more cost-efficient -- benefiting the land, the wildlife and your enjoyment of local open space.

The best part is, it’s easy for you to help support this critical part of ongoing habitat health. Conservancy staff lead public volunteer activities at the farm on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. So, during Thanksgiving week, you have two opportunities to say “thanks” to the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. Volunteers at the Native Seed Farm next week will help collect seeds from California goldenrod (Solidago californica), Palmer’s goldenbush (Ericameria palmerii), California mugwhort (Artemisia douglasiana) and wild tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus). 

Don’t be fooled by this member of the cucumber family, they are strictly for the animals.

The Cucurbita foetidissima plant’s Latin name translates roughly to “stinking gourd,” and for those who have been up-close to this foul-smelling vine, using that translation as the common name makes perfect sense. The plant is found throughout the Southwest, where locals call it a variety of common names, but to nature lovers in Orange County the plant is most often called stinking gourd or coyote melon. As with many common names, both of these monikers have their own unique story.

Stinking gourd is a sprawling, low-growing vine that can spread up to 20 feet across. It produces very large roots, which after a few years can reach weights of over 220 pounds. Among the gray-green leaves, large, bell-like yellow flowers bloom and average 3 to 4 inches long and 1 to 2 inches wide. The softball-sized melon produced by the plant starts dark green with lighter green stripes, then turns yellow when ripe.

It’s acorn harvest season, and also time to check in on an innovative oak woodland restoration project.

In some cultures, the oak tree is sacred – a symbol of strength and longevity – and a coast live oak restoration project is underway in Limestone canyon to bring more of these sprawling and majestic trees to the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. After the first three years of growing seedlings through different methods, the Irvine Ranch Conservancy science team has found that the strength and longevity of a young oak is no match for a hungry mule deer.

The coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) is one of just a few large trees native to the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. They provide shelter and food to wildlife, and while people may see the spiky leaves as threatening, mule deer eat them right up. And now that the seedlings at the oak restoration trial area are about 3 to 4 feet high, the dark green leaves are at the perfect height for deer to wander by and take a nibble. With 160 trees initially planted at the site, the grouping of oaks has become a bit of a snack bar for mule deer. It’s one of the more surprising lessons from the project, which started in 2011.

Spring is the season for wildflowers on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. With the lack of rainfall, the amount of wildflowers may not be as good as in previous years. However, there is plenty of color to be spotted along trails. Many varieties have been seen recently, and with the recent rain more will bloom.

Indian Paintbrush, Castilleja affinis
Indian paintbrush is named for the top of the plant looking like it has been dipped into a can of paint. The tubular flowers are slender and clustered near the stem tips and are hidden among the colorful bracts. The bracts, or modified leaves, are usually scarlet-colored or occasionally yellow and are often mistaken as the flowers. Stems are woody and purplish in color, and like the flowers and leaves, are hairy. Indian paintbrush is able to produce its own food, but often supplements its diet by tapping into the roots of adjacent plants. Normal blooming time is February through May. This wildflower can be found growing on hills and is pollinated by hummingbirds and bees.

Shorter days and cooler temperatures are surefire signs that winter is coming. Luckily we have mild winters in Orange County, and it’s the perfect time of year to head outdoors to see the native plants that thrive in these conditions. An upcoming hike in the Buck Gully Reserve will bring you closer to winter flora such as Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) – also known as Christmas berry.

This large shrub can grow in average to over 15 feet tall, with white flowers in the spring and bright, red berries in winter. While not related to the true holly, the look of it is similar enough to be nicknamed California holly. In fact, Hollywood supposedly got its name from the abundance of toyon present in the area.  Because of this resemblance, local residents once used toyon in holiday decorations. This led to over-picking the plant, so California outlawed harvesting wild toyon it in the 1920s. 

How habitat restoration managers use science to spread native seed, and how you can help.

While hiking or out on a trail ride, have you seen colored wooden stakes and wondered what they were or how they got there? Tips of stakes can be blue, red, yellow or white, and are evidence of one of the many restoration projects being managed by the Irvine Ranch Conservancy.

The stakes represent planting done by Conservancy staff and volunteers in areas singled out for habitat restoration. In one such site, Bee Flat Canyon, the Conservancy is restoring over 80 acres of diverse habitat:  grassland, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and oak woodland. Bee Flat Canyon is located in OC Parks’ Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve. 

Winter is planting season across the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. 

The holiday rush is on: While many people are focused on decorations and presents at this time of year, the Irvine Ranch Conservancy is rushing to get seeds in the ground.

Winter is not the season usually known as the best time for planting, but if you are interested in planting native species, it’s the best time to plant seeds or seedlings. Native plants are adapted to our Mediterranean climate, with its cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. Native plants are waking up from their summer slumber and need the winter rains to get growing through the winter. 

In the air, the fall migration is in full swing, as migratory birds fly south to ride out the winter in a warmer climate. Birds such as the Cedar Waxwing and the Cinnamon Teal can be seen in flight over Orange County through December.  

There are fall-themed programs coming up across the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. More information and registration is available at www.LetsGoOutside.org.

Native Seed Farm will host volunteer opportunity during nationwide event.

The Irvine Ranch Conservancy Seed Farm will be one of more than 2,000 sites participating in National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 29. This is the largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands in the United States, with more than 170,000 volunteers expected to chip in across the country.

In parks, public and community gardens, beaches, wildlife preserves or forests, volunteers will give back to their local open spaces by participating in projects such as restoration, cleanup, maintenance and food harvesting. On the Native Seed Farm, volunteers will harvest seeds that will be used in restoration projects across the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. Their work will directly promote sustainable habitats within Orange County's only National Natural Landmark.

New educational hike travels along restoration sites and covers native plant basics. 

Restoring native habitats and leading public activities in the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks are two objectives of the Irvine Ranch Conservancy. Now a new hike combines recreation and restoration in one rewarding trek through Limestone Canyon.

On Saturday, September 8, Wildland Manager and Certified Interpretive Guide Henry DiRocco will lead "Habitat Restoration on the Irvine Ranch," a new activity hosted by Irvine Ranch Conservancy. The 6-mile hike begins with an overview of native plants and invasive weeds found in the area, and includes habitat restoration sites on Loma Ridge and Bee Flat Canyon. Those participating in this challenging, hilly hike will gain an understanding of restoration goals for these habitats while hiking through natural hills and canyons.

Families and groups can help wrap up the harvest season on the Irvine Ranch Conservancy Native Seed Farm.

An often-used phrase comes to mind this time of year on the Irvine Ranch Conservancy Native Seed Farm: "Separating the wheat from the chaff." This phrase has its roots in ancient agriculture, and is relevant on this special farm as piles of cut plants are turned into tons of seed for restoration within the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. 

This is the end of the harvest season, and volunteers on the Native Seed Farm are processing and cleaning seeds from poppies, lupines and other annual plants (such as bird's beak, shown here). Seed pods are separated from plant stems and collected for threshing to separate them from the chaff. It's a team effort, with one person loading the dried plant material onto the sieve, one person shaking the sieve and one person removing the chaff that has already dropped its seed.

OCTA recently approved grant funding for expansion of successful project on West Loma Ridge.

The last time the Great Valley phacelia was spotted in Orange County, John F. Kennedy was president. Now, an Irvine Ranch Conservancy habitat restoration project on Loma Ridge near Irvine has allowed this native plant’s dormant seeds to come alive again. The 63-acre project includes removal of non-native plants as well as planting native seeds, and the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) recently approved nearly $1.3 million in grant funding to advance the Conservancy’s work in the West Loma watershed.

The Phacelia ciliata was discovered by Fred Roberts, a botanical consultant with more than 25 years of field experience surveying rare plants in southern California. Roberts, who is Rare Plants Co-Chair of the Orange County Chapter of the California Native Plants Society, performed surveys in West Loma, where the rare small-flowered morning glory was spotted just last month. The West Loma project area is home to the largest population of small-flowered morning glory (Convolvulus simulans) growing in Orange County, according to Roberts’ research.

Native plant seeds are ready for harvest, and Irvine Ranch Conservancy seeks volunteers to help.

California poppies are beautiful, but what do they sound like? Hear for yourself while helping restore natural habitats at the Irvine Ranch Conservancy Native Seed Farm. Now through mid-June is a critical time for seed collection, and the Conservancy is seeking individuals and groups to take part in the harvest.

As you walk along the rows of orange blooms, you’ll hear a distinctive “pop” as the seed pods burst open. This is the California poppy’s way of dispersing seeds, and Conservancy staff hopes to collect seed pods from the poppy and other flowers on the farm now, just as they are beginning to disperse.