EB Blog
Finding Biodiversity With California Native Plants
As part of April’s focus on sustainability in celebration of Earth Day (which included La Semaine Verte (Green Week) Zero Waste Challenge and a Swap Meet), the month closed out with a PEN (Parent Enrichment Night) focused on native plants, sponsored by the EB Eco-Elders.
Bring Your Garden to Life with California Native Plants featured guest speaker Jennifer Dirking, a veteran local organic gardener and Chair of the Wildflower Ambassador program at the CNPS-Santa Clara Valley Chapter, for a lively session discussing the best California native plants for boosting biodiversity in our gardens.
Is your garden a ‘bar’ that only offers nectar to adult butterflies but no food for their offspring? Do the birds and bees visiting your garden have everything they need to raise the next generation?
By growing California native plants that feed your local ecosystem, you can:
- Attract more bees, butterflies, birds and other wildlife to your garden
- Help save local species that are in decline
- Enjoy a lush, low water landscape
- Engage children in activities that connect them with nature and develop a sense of empowerment to build biodiversity where they live and play
- Collaborate with neighbors to build back habitat throughout your community
| VIEW THE SLIDES |
About the Speaker
Jennifer Dirking has been an organic gardener for over 40 years, but only recently transformed her garden from a food desert to a habitat oasis in her suburban San Carlos neighborhood. Inspired by Doug Tallamy’s “Nature’s Best Hope,” she has reached beyond her garden fence to develop partnerships and inspire hundreds of others throughout the Bay Area to begin their own native gardening journey. She is currently the Chair of the Wildflower Ambassador program at the CNPS-Santa Clara Valley Chapter. This group of 40 volunteers has distributed over four thousand native wildflower seed packets with informational handouts to date. Jennifer is also co-admin for the Native Plant Resource Teams, a program of the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour.
Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley
Elementary School Campus
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