From The Santa Cruz Sentinel
September 29, 2005

Abbie Blair: Native Plants

Do you know what’s in your watershed? Equipped with pencils and paintbrushes, the students at Watsonville Charter School of the Arts, Linscott and Alianza Charter Schools in Watsonville, and other schools in the county are unleashing their creative talents to express their watershed education and burgeoning love of nature.

But you don’t need to wait for a school program to teach your children, or yourself, about the wonders of nature. It’s all around you and resources are as abundant as the cattails growing in the Pajaro River.

Check out what they are discovering then get out and investigate on your own.

River of Words
"I like to show kids that teaching nature is cool," says Linda Cover, an environmentalist from Watsonville. Six years ago, Cover discovered the River of Words National Art and Poetry Contest and thought it would be a great way to motivate students to learn about their watershed while gaining a sense of accomplishment.

She has been implementing the program to help students from kindergarten through eighth grade create poems and artwork that reflect what they experience in the natural world. The national contest lends validation to student artistic accomplishments. When the students see their work displayed throughout the school, at libraries and local public places, "They feel good about themselves. They know that they have accomplished something," Cover says.

Kids get a kick out of natives
The younger grades connect first with plants. Horsetails and cattails are favorites with kindergarteners and first-graders.

"They love it when animal names are used for plants," says Cover. "Horsetails are one of the oldest plants. They were here when the dinosaurs were here. They can be used to scrub pots or make whistles out of them," Cover explained.

"The fluff of cattails was used as baby diapers by the Native Americans. The roots are edible, and they can be woven into baskets." From these stories, the youngest students in the program see the outdoors in a new way. It "gets them past the place where they are ignoring everything," Cover says.

Cattails

Spring green
Coffee brown
Soft like a cat
And
Smells good like a rose

Jackie Naranjo, 2003 first grade

Widening the view
From plant basics, students begin to realize how everything is interconnected. "What is sitting on the cattail, is it a bird?" Cover asked. Wildlife, terrain and neighbor plants all get in the picture. Insidious poison oak takes on new value when students learn that its deep root system holds the hillsides from eroding away. Tall redwoods become more awesome when one knows that their shallow but expansive root systems interlace to keep them from toppling in the wind.

Back in the classroom, the art begins. "They are not drawing from their imagination," Cover says. Their drawing and writing must define accurately what they saw.

For example "green can be farmer green or spring green, but not just green," Cover says, laughing.

The learning is cumulative. As students go through the program a few times, "They learn to think more carefully about what they are experiencing in nature." One of Cover’s kids has been chosen as a finalist in the national contest each year.

Investigate your watershed
Begin your adventure to get more in touch with nature, like the kids. Become familiar with the native plant community and build from there.

Get walking and "explore your own neighborhood," suggests Fred McPherson, past president of the Santa Cruz Chapter of the California Native Plant Society.

"Find natural areas, look for margins of natural spaces along with community spaces and see what is growing there."

Take along "Plants of the Coast Redwood Region," which contains color photographs that take the guesswork out of plant identification.

"Take a walk," agrees Mary-Ellen Irons, CNPS board member. There are great places to experience natives: "Pogonip, Spring Street, the local parks and Fall Creek are all nearby and easily accessible," Irons suggests.

"For community spaces, utilize trail guides like the ‘Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Book,’ " recommends McPherson. "It has nice maps of the trails and tells how long they are and what to expect."

Tap into educational opportunities at our local parks and museums for kids of all ages. Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park hosts an extensive nature center along with a variety of programs, including the Little Ones Nature Club for preschoolers, Junior Rangers Programs and adult docent training programs.

Visit the Nature Center at Ramsay Park in Watsonville to view their indoor display and take a weekend birding walk. Drop into the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History to learn more about our animal neighbors. The museum hosts tours for schools and families, and conducts a summer camp for children, says Alison Brovold, education coordinator for the museum.

Grow ’em like you see them
Many local natives are available commercially for the garden. Start with plants kids already know like California poppy. "Every kid knows it; it’s our state flower," says Irons. Connect children with practical and wildlife-attracting plants. Milkweeds attract butterflies while lupines attract birds. Yerba buena is known for its fragrant leaves that can be made into a tea. "It grows great in pots, just let the runners grow over the side," Irons suggests.

Resources, places to visit
PLACES:SANTA CRUZ MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

1305 East Cliff Drive Santa Cruz, 420-6115. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $2.50 adults, $1.50 seniors, free for children under 18.

HENRY COWELL STATE PARK

101 North Big Trees Park Road, Felton.

Nature Center open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekends, holidays and summer; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. winter weekdays. Nature Center, 335-7077. Parking fee $6.

WETLANDS NATURE CENTER

30 Harkins Slough Road, Watsonville. Guided Exploration Walk Sundays, 1:30 p.m. Phone 768-1622 call for hours of operation.

RESOURCES:

RIVER OF WORDS

2547 Eighth St., 13B Berkeley, CA 94710

www.riverofwords.org or call 510-548-7636.

‘PLANTS OF THE REDWOOD REGION’

Kathleen Lyons and Mary Beth Cooney-Lazaneo. Looking Press Boulder Creek, 1988.

‘SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS TRAIL BOOK’ NINTH EDITION

Tom Taber, the Oak Valley Press San Mateo 2002.

‘WILDFLOWERS PETERSON FIELD GUIDE COLOR-IN BOOKS’

Roger Tory Peterson, Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston 1982.