The CNPS SCV Native Plant Lecture Series has something for everyone -- whether you're curious about native plants, an experienced or aspiring native plant gardener or a professional botanist, you will find something to interest and educate you in our offerings. From gardening to plant science to conservation to tours of botanical hot spots, if you're interested in California's native plants, there's something here for you. Most of our lectures are on Wednesday evening. Our talks are live presentations followed by Q&As with the viewing audience. They are live streamed simultaneously to Zoom and YouTube.
View past talks on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/CNPSSantaClaraValley
Upcoming Talks
Wednesday, May 11, 2022, 7:30pm
California Ethnobotany for Learners of All Ages, a talk by Jane Rieder
This talk will be live streamed on Zoom (requires advance registration) and YouTube (registration NOT required).
CNPS SCV 2021-2022 Research Scholarship Projects
Lauren Hamm, UC Berkeley (Graduate Scholarship Winner) Evolutionary Dynamics of Climate Stress ̶ Responsive Mobile Elements in Yellow Monkeyflower Yellow monkeyflower can be found surviving anywhere water is available. However, the steadily increasing temperatures and hyper-variability in climate across California may affect the survival of these populations as water becomes scarcer. Lauren will be using collections of monkeyflower from locations around the state to investigate how climate change affects the movement of transposable elements, also affectionately known as “jumping genes” because of their ability to replicate and move around the genome.
Recent Talks
Wednesday, March 16, 2022, 7:30pm
New Calflora Tools for Your Native Plant Ventures and Adventures, a talk by Cynthia Powell
Cynthia Powell is Calflora’s Executive Director. She graduated with her MS in GIS in 2010 forecasting Mokelumne River water supply based on MODIS remote sensing snow pack images. She’s been examining what was under that snow — plants — ever since. She coordinates all of Calflora’s programs, research, outreach, and advocacy, as well as fundraising and management.
This talk will be live streamed on Zoom (requires advance registration) and YouTube (registration NOT required).
Wednesday, January 19, 2022, 7:30pm
Treasure Hunting after the 2020 Fires, a talk by Amy Patten
Amy Patten is a staff member at the CNPS state office in the Rare Plant Program. Amy manages the Rare Plant Treasure Hunt, a community science effort which collects up-to-date information on rare plant populations to improve conservation and management and provides botany skills training to volunteers. Amy is a longtime resident of Santa Cruz County and is passionate about our local natural history and conservation. Amy earned a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from U.C. Santa Cruz in 2009.
This talk will be live streamed on Zoom (requires advance registration) and YouTube (registration NOT required).
Wednesday, February 2, 2022, 7:30pm
Picking the Perfect Plants for your Garden with Calscape, a talk by Vivian Neou
Finding the right native plants for your garden can be challenging. Calscape can make it easy. From showing you a list of plants that grow naturally at your site to picking the plants that will attract and support the most butterflies, Calscape provides a wealth of resources to help you choose and find the best plants. In this talk, Vivian Neou will introduce you to Calscape ̶ including how to create a customized plant list, how to choose the right tree, shrub or perennial, and where you can purchase the plants you want.
Visit Calscape, a CNPS site created with the help of many sources, at calscape.org.
This talk will be live streamed on Zoom (requires advance registration) and YouTube (registration NOT required).
Profile of a Garden: Martial Cottle Native Plant Garden, a talk by Stephanie Morris
January 12, 2022
Watch on YouTube
Community gardens can serve as native habitat havens, connecting people with plants and soil, and connecting wildlife with the spaces needed to flourish. Join us for a virtual tour of the UC Master Gardeners Native Plant Demonstration Garden at Martial Cottle Park and learn about one of the dedicated volunteers who tends this garden, Ann Finney. We hope this talk will become one of a series that profiles volunteers and community gardens.
Learn when this garden was established in San Jose and enjoy captivating photos by Hank Morales showing the plants in the garden, seasonal highlights, and wildlife. What is most rewarding for Ann as she volunteers at the garden? What are the challenges to be learned from? What are her primary maintenance activities and what aspects of the garden fuel her continued volunteering?
The garden includes a pollinator garden that is 100% California native, an area dedicated for large California native shrubs and trees, and some spaces that are combinations of native and Mediterranean plants. This talk was inspired by an in-person tour of this garden last year. It’s a place worth exploring again with our virtual audience as we also ponder: what makes a volunteer?
Stephanie Morris is a Landscape Architect with a focus on Native Plant Design. Ann Finney is a Master Gardener who volunteers at UC Master Gardeners Native Plant Demonstration Garden at Martial Cottle Park.