Xerces Society – Page 3 – Heather Bernikoff

Waiting for Monarchs, Water Quality and Rain Comes

Since turning around, dumping my vacation for a chance to see more monarchs, I waited on my patio for days. No monarchs. One remarkable note is that my neighbor said she saw a monarch flying down hill from my house the day after the turn around. There is nothing else this time of year that could look like a monarch, so I decided she wasn’t mistaken. I celebrated! I have not seen a monarch in Hornitos in nearly 10 years – so no matter what, this was incredible. The sighting preceded the news that monarchs have been seen in greater numbers at the overwintering sites than last year, and it is still several weeks before the traditional “Thanksgiving Day Count”. Let’s be clear, the numbers are still abysmally low. Intervention remains critical. I am very grateful to Xerces Society and other monarch supporting organizations for their relentless work to expand habitat and get the word out about the decimation of this crucial and iconic butterfly.

Recently, I have seen a painted lady, two admirals, several of what I think are a hairstreaks, yellow cabbage and some white sulfur butterflies. Combined with the other butterflies earlier in the year, though less in number than last year, I am calling the work I have done here a win.

Spoiling Water

As much as I love cattle, they have no awareness to not urinate and defecate in their water. They also trample the banks making soil tumble into the creek. It makes the water go from clear to muddy and promotes algae growth from all of the organic material. This is why there are programs to help ranchers fence off riparian areas – to help keep water clean, give plants a chance to grow and propagate and stabilize banks.

Clean beginning to the spring. Note the berm keeping the poop from the spring entry.

American Indian Council of Mariposa County Starts their Pollinator Program

Earlier this month the American Indian Council of Mariposa County hired two young women – Nellie and Kristie – one as a Pollinator Advisor and one as the Garden Designer. Both are young, strong Southern Sierra Miwuk women and will contribute much to the Council’s vision of starting a garden to help feed elders and using the garden as well as their Healing Center focus to expand pollinator habitat, especially for the declining monarch butterfly. These positions were made possible by the Resource Conservation Grant awarded in part to support the Walappu’ ‘Uuchuthuu project. Their first projects will be to design a garden, plant Xerces Plant kits, and install a native plant garden at the Mariposa History Museum. I am so excited to see what these young women do! Stay tuned for more on this technical assistance part of the project.

Xerces Society Does It Again

Angela Laws (Left) and Jessa Kay Cruz of Xerces Society distributing pollinator plant kits

There are a number of groups and individuals doing what they can to help increase the numbers of the monarch butterfly population. From my perspective, one of the most effective and exciting efforts has been the Xerces Society pollinator plant kits program. They have scaled their plant work into the 10s of thousands of plants, with corresponding increases in the number of individuals partnering with them and acres planted. These women, including Deedee Soto (the Xerces biologist who has been mentioned many times before in this blog for her outstanding assistance to me on my Walappu’ project), are truly heroes for their tireless work to help many pollinator species come back from the bring of extinction.

I picked up the pollinator kits for me, the Tribe and Irene, a young Southern Sierra Miwuk woman doing her own restoration work. My truck was completely FULL. The two hour drive home from the distribution site smelled great. Thank you Xerces Society!

Loading the truck at the distribution site

Water for the New Plants

I am finally growing up. I am getting an adult rainwater catchment system – well almost adult. It has only taken me 20 years to find the right firm and have enough financial resources to get it done. It is just in time too. My body just cannot make it through another year of hauling water all around. I hired local Watershed Progressive to perform the design and work for the system. Two young women came out to dig trenches and do all the plumbing work. It was great meeting these strong young women who know so much about water. I plan to showcase this system to folks who want to learn more about rainwater catchment. We all really need to be capturing some rain water to irrigate our plants in the west. Drought conditions are too frequent and destructive.

Fencing to Protect the New Plants

It has been quite the journey at Site 8. I have thought through so many fencing types to protect the plants, spring and creek banks from the cattle. What a circuitous road! We finally settled on a t-post fence with Wedge-Loc corner systems to allow for strength across the entire span of fence. While I did finally get an NRCS contract to build permanent riparian fencing, it is expensive to build that type of fence, and I have to front the money and get paid in arrears. This t-post fencing is a good stop-gap fence – although it is so much work I am thinking maybe it will be permanent!

Originally, I had planned to use field fencing to fence off a section of the creek from the cattle and do wildlife friendly fencing up stream where access to the spring was critical for wildlife. Since we were going to stretch wire anyway, I thought, “Let’s just do the wire for the entire span.” This is the final configuration.

A red tail spirit comes to check our work

A wildlife friendly fence is essentially having a smooth wire at the top and bottom of the fence instead of barbed wire. This way wildlife can scoot under or jump over the fence with no catching or scrapes. The barbed wire comprises the center two wires in between to discourage cattle. This creek will be planted with all kinds of milkweed and nectar plants. Hopefully, the Xerces kit plants I planted last year along the creek will reemerge next Spring. That was a huge amount of work last year, including building the branch fence.

For those cattle ranchers that read this blog, and I know there are at least two of you, you will be thinking, “Oh no! How will cattle get to the water?” Great question. Here is the plan. Just below the fenced off area, you may recall a flatter area where the spring water and rain water pools. This is where I want to drive the cattle to access water. In this way, they are not crushing soil off steep banks and into the creek. I am also hoping for wider access to water so more than a few head at a time can access water. Here are the key elements to accomplish this: 1. With less soil intrusion, and even with more plantings, the spring water will have greater volume, be cleaner and pool in the watering area. 2. I plan to build a beaver dam analog (essentially a human created beaver dam type structure) early next year to slow runoff and retain moisture in the soil behind the dam, which will allow for pooling of water. I cannot wait to share the results of the beaver dam analog. I am planning to host a clinic here for other ranchers and property owners. After doing much research on these, I think this solution can be a game-changer for drought resilience, feed growth (which equals weight gain) and pollinator habitat. Thanks to Jesse Bahm of NRCS who first mentioned this once mysterious concept to me back in 2019.

Rain Comes and Log Pile Dams Work

The series of three storms came last week, including the “bomb cyclone” predicted to drop an enormous amount of rain. Well, it didn’t do quite that, but the resulting rain was greatly appreciated. We spent the Saturday before the storm cleaning up and putting things away. I had to roll the 250lb field fencing out of the creek where a cow kicked it – in case we did have a massive rainfall. Fortunately, I have really good leg strength to roll/push it up the bank and lodged it between two oaks. Per my rain gauge, the first storm was maybe 2 drops. The second was about an 1/8th of an inch. The third, and largest, was 2.25″. I’ll take it.

A day or two after the rains, I walked the ranch to see what had happened. The filed fencing stayed put (hurray), but the most incredible thing was that the log pile “dams” I had created along the Spring Creek worked. There was not enough water to move the logs. The piles had slowed the rain runoff to such an extent that there was standing water before each dam as compared to other similar sections on the creek that had no standing water. The standing water was not influenced by the spring. The heat had beaten the spring back quite a bit, and the standing water was much further downstream. The soil was very thirsty, but with the nearly 2.5″, standing water was possible. I am so encouraged and cannot wait to make that beaver dam further downstream.

Great blue heron perched on the east gate – gopher hunting – YES!

Dogs, Odds and [Tail] Ends

The days are finally cooler, with sweater weather at night. I love the smell of tarweed, moist soil and grass. It lifts me; it keeps me going to the next day, and then the next. I even like the smell of my neighbor’s fireplace. Smoke in smaller quantities and wood only (as opposed to buildings) reminds me of my youth, far away from most people on the edge of the Stanislaus National Forest. I would be gone all day, just my dog and I, a bota bag of water and a sandwich in my pocket for us to share, observing life, the movement of water, insects, birds and animal tracks. The smells of the forest make up the organics of my brain, its tissues and neurotransmitters. It is such a part of me that I can hardly remember a time without that memory. Walking with a dog (or two or three, or…) is so pleasurable – getting lost in memory, yet not being alone. Now that is living.

Taking Time to Appreciate

The weather is cooling. The wind is blowing the smoke away. It is a beautiful day on the ranch this Sunday. There is always so much work to do, but on such a special day, I had to take time to appreciate the honor I have to caretake this land, in this place, at this time. There is no better way to process these feelings than to walk the ranch. The smell of tarweed mixes with the dust of soil that is way too dry. Then cow pie. Then warmed oak bark. A little smell of stagnant water as I cross the Spring Creek and head up the hill. I notice the crunch of grass made brittle by drought. Top soil kicks up with each step of my feet and dog paws. As I get closer to the ridge, the wind kicks up tickling my skin. Although there is a lick of cool in the air, the sun is up higher now. The heat feels like a rug burn on my bare arms – hot and focused. As long as I keep walking, the breeze cools my skin. The dappling on the hillside give the dogs respite from the sun. Then, overhead, the call of a red tail hawk. It floats aggressively on the whipping wind – up high, then suddenly gliding close over the earth. As I watch in awe, a second red tail calls and floats close, over me. The dogs want to give chase, but they instantly know they are defeated as the wind takes the second hawk away as rapidly as it came. I come upon a slope of dead oak trees, victims to the last 5-year drought; there is a temporary grave site of a young hawk that likely chose the wrong territory to settle. Its flesh is no longer there, but its feathers are spread across the grass, reflective in the light. I give an offering and my thanks to the young hawk for its life and its feathers. Chiokoe uttesia in werweria, in jali’i. Se enchi nake. Se enchi nake. Ne te visawame. Its feathers will be used to do good, and in that way, its life will continue.

I saw just one butterfly when I got to Odom Creek. It was a little blue copper. I love those. The dogs took a swim in the large spring. It was a great morning.

Log Pile Dam Structure

A log pile dam is a low cost, low hardware method of slowing water down in a stream. I was able to build the pile mostly on my own. To get the larger logs into the pile in the creekbed, I used other narrower branches as leverage. Then, I used brute strength to edge one side or another of the log into place. Even with all the progress, there were several large, heavy logs I did not have the strength to move, but were needed for the top of the dam. I needed a stronger person than me — HEEYYY DAAAAVVVE!!

A photo burst of David at work. He is SO strong!

I am anxious for rain so that I can see how well this will work to back up water, even a little, in the creek. Thank you David for your help. I really needed it.

Va’am into Sewam (Water and Flowers)

In my last post, I lamented about a water dilemma. I am running out of rainwater but do not want to irrigate from my well. Finally, I made the heartbreaking decision to irrigate with the well water. In the end, I decided I could be super miserly on household water usage. This way, I would create less impact on the well and the oaks that depend on the groundwater. I am so close to the rainy season and so close to the dormant time for many of these native plans that it made sense to do this. David built the irrigation lines, and all the plants have a 1/2 gallon dripper on them. The system will be set to water so that the plants get 1/4 gallon maximum. Hopefully, the rain will come soon, and I will not need it long.

A wonderful advancement of this project will be working with the Watershed Progressive. They will be installing a professional rainwater irrigation system. We will also be adding another 2,500 gallon tank. The system will have high tech features to know the weather and the soil moisture so that water will be added only if needed. It also comes with an app so that I will be able to monitor system performance and needs. I am very excited. The system should be installed early in the “rain year”. I don’t want to miss too much rain storage. David is so happy to not have to set up my “poor girl’s” rainwater catchment system. The new system will allow me to expand my plantings, especially as the earlier plants mature and need less or no supplemental water. It will also enable me to continue to do this work without the limitation of the watering effort and the break down of my body. I cannot underscore how important this is to my continuation of this work.

TA Portion of the RCD Grant Gains Steam

Staff at the Miwumati Family Healing Center, a program of the American Indian Council of Mariposa County (aka Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation, have been collaborating with me on the hiring of a Pollinator and Garden Advisor for the Center. The Tribe has been focusing on Indigenous food sovereignty programming, including starting a garden. The new hire will not only focus on traditional food systems, but will be learning about pollinators. They will then help others in the community expand their pollinator habitat. I will be working with this person as well as other experts to build this capacity. This is very exciting.

Thinking of the Future

As the growing season nears its end, I have a little more time to think about the future. The Xerces Kits will arrive in November. The Tribe’s Pollinator and Garden Advisor will assist me in helping others get the dormant plants into the ground. We will be focused on planting in typically wet locations – like creekbeds and springs. I also would really like to create a beaver dam analog on Odom Creek. I spoke with the Watershed Progressive about this. They are learning how to do this work themselves. There may be the opportunity to have a clinic on the ranch to help others learn about implementing these on their parcels for the benefit of wildlife as well as livestock, which can benefit from the flooded areas that will grow more grass. There is always so much to do, so many ideas. No matter the workload, it truly is an honor and a privilege to be on this land, to work with so many outstanding humans, and to be doing work that makes – at least this small part of the world – more habitable for butterflies and other pollinators.

Of Abigail Adams, Drought and Failure

Grasshopper on the California Milkweed

One of my many favorite classes at Humboldt State was US History. And, one of my favorite explorations was reading and analyzing the letters of Abigail Adams. Until then, I had not heard much about the women who were instrumental in establishing the United States. It was an incredible window into the life of a woman in the 1700s. Of course, Abigail has been defined in terms of her relation to John Adams, the second president of the US, and John Quincy Adams, her son, the sixth president of the US. It was not the men in her life that fascinated me most; it was her intelligence and determination in a time before corner stores, antibiotics and air conditioning. She often wrote to John about conditions on their farm in Braintree, Massachusetts, the children always being sick, lack of money and the farm failing.

Her words, or some semblance of them, enter my mind often these days. Not just because it is near the 4th of July, but because there are so many challenges here at Walappu’ ‘Uuchuthuu. We are beset by grasshoppers, and they are eating everything in their path. Especially in Site 2, the plants, the hours of work planting, weeding and watering, are nearly all eaten. Almost all were healthy and gorgeous just 2 weeks ago. The smell was uplifting, the growth progress a joy to see. We had sulfur butterflies all around. Now, there is chlorophyll carnage – leaves so tattered with holes they seem like defeated flags on ghost ships, empty stems bent from the weight of hundreds of grasshoppers per day gnawing on them, and the intact sagging under the knowledge that their healthy, glorious bodies will be next.

It is too sad to post photos. The ones I took two weeks ago to post with this entry no longer reflect reality, and I cannot look upon those photos without my eyes beginning to cloud. I thought, just maybe, the milkweed might be spared. You hear so much about its toxicity that I thought, “well, maybe…” Not true. The grasshoppers spare no one. They have eaten three of my dear huken (narrowleaf milkweed). In a last ditch effort, I placed a solar powered bird bath theorizing that perhaps it might bring more insect eating birds to the arroyo. I continue to water them in the hope that I can keep their roots alive through this dark time.

Drought

The drought is causing me to water twice per week to keep the native plants alive. I water the plants in pots daily. You know it is dry when there are a line of songbirds waiting for their turn to use the water bowl. I am not kidding. There was actually a line, and there is the most distinctive ring of bird poop making a circle around the dog dish.

Having water available for the wildlife is critical. Even if you live in an apartment, you should put out some vessel of water to help as many as possible survive. I have a bird bath on the southeast corner of the patio. It is always in use. The fountain bubbles 24/7, and I have a shallow dish on top of the slate to provide a shallow vessel for those that like that depth. Birds use both the deep eddies and the shallow dish. I provided a shallow amount of water in the stock trough on the north side of the enclosure, and the one on the south side near Tank 3. Then, there are the other two aforementioned vessels – the dog dish on the west side of the house and solar bird bath in Site 2.

Given the need to water twice a week and to keep more than the normal amount of water out for wildlife, I am concerned I will not have enough rain water to supply the plants twice a week through the summer. I have already begun backing off of watering the locations that did not sprout from the Xerces Kits. I am also limiting water for the plants I established last year figuring that they do not need as much as those that are newer. I am hoping to get by. Here are the latest tank levels:

Tank 1: 100 gal remaining (This is the tank that had the leak, and we lost half of the stored water). This feeds Site 2. Once it is depleted, I will switch the hose to Tank 2.

Tank 2: 2,213 gal remaining.

Tank 3: 1352

In May, so I could get water more efficiently to all of the sites (vs. hauling water in buckets from troughs), David rigged a watering system using a 25 gal sprayer onto my ATV. I had my doubts, but it has been working well and really has helped me deliver water faster to all of the sites. I do not completely fill the tank due to the weight of water. I generally fill it a little over half. All has been well until the other day. The metal platform arm on the ATV snapped. In truth, the ATV is a cheapo model; the weight limit is 300lbs. With my weight being far less than that, there is room for some water transport. All we can theorize is that the weld on this cheapo was faulty. Now I am back to hauling water by hand. Sigh…

Site Updates

Updated Site numbering, with “ac” meaning “A. Californica” (California Milkweed)

A. Californica sites: It has been a blockbuster year for California milkweed. The two main sites ended up with many more plants. The plant counts in order of closest to the house to furthest: From 7 to 12, From 16 to 21, 1 and 2. They have already set seed pods -except for the youngest ones. They will need to fight the wind, heat and grasshoppers now to complete their cycle. I am grateful for the early bloomers. They have some nice sized pods. Some plants have gopher damage and a few have wind damage. I want as many seeds going into the air and ground as possible.

Site 1a through g:

Detail of Site 1 using old satellite photo of homesite

Site 1a: Mostly deer grass. All are doing well. Two rose bushes, which are not being prioritized. New lilac tree transplant doing well. Honeysuckle bush brings bees to area.

Site 1b: Primrose doing very well. Two narrowleaf milkweed reemerged from original South Test Plot. They may end up as gopher food. Crossing my fingers they won’t this year. Pacific aster looks healthy, but no blooms yet. There are still some poppies, which bees and flies love. I am continuing to water them a little.

Raised bed is a tough place. Rabbit or gopher still around causing trouble. Three of four milkweeds that were snipped have reemerged. Showy milkweed that was snipped reemerged. All look healthy. Original woolly pod milkweed did not come back. One of two woolly pod transplants is still growing. (Rabbit got the other one). Heartleaf milkweed transplant is still alive but not much growth. Transplanted the two yerba santas and two primrose; all transplants were in gopher shields. Transplanted sunflower starts using gopher shields. Still, rabbit is snipping some of the plants from the top. Sulfur buckwheat and California fuchsia are surviving, but do not look 100%. Installed a t-post windbreak with shade cloth. It is working for now. While installing it, I got hit in the head with the t-post pounder. Fortunately, it was not moving fast. It was all my fault. I walked behind my husband who was pounding in the t-posts. I was cleaning up some broken composter pieces. He turned just at that point, pounder in hand, and my head was at his hand level. Then…well you get the idea. It hurt. 18lbs of steel.

Site 1c: Everything is doing really well. Lots of blooms, including from my own herb plants. We lost one lupine, but the other silver lupine is doing really well.

Site 1d: Three of four coyote bushes survived. The fourth is a stick, but I am still giving it some water in case the roots are alive. The biologist said the location is very exposed, and the wind may have been too much for it.

Site 1e: This is the hedgerow kit from Xerces. Most of the dormant plants did not emerge. Some of the bushes have had a hard time. The manzanita, coyote bush, coyote mint, one toyon, and a few other bushes are surviving. I planted sunflower starts in the mesh bags where other plants did not emerge. Since the sunflower is an annual, if the original Xerces kit root is still alive, it will be fine for next year. Better to repurpose than dig more!

Site 1f: Most of the plants are doing well here. I lost one narrowleaf milkweed. I am still watering it in case it comes back – as a second one did in this location. The sages, California fuchsia, buckwheat, yerba santa, monkey flower and milkweeds are doing well. Deer grass is surviving. The California rose has failed to thrive. I don’t know what happened. It is just a stick now and lost all its leaves.

Site 1 g: The milkweeds are doing very well on this north-facing slope. The sages and yerba santa did not do well at all. The California fuchsia, monkey flower and buckwheat are doing well. One A. Californica transplant is thriving. The other is not doing well.

Site 2: I can’t talk about it.

Site 7: The deer grass bunches are all alive and well.

Site 8: This was the site decimated by wild pigs and where I planted some of the Xerces riparian kit milkweed. None of the Xerces kit milkweeds emerged. The two survivors from the pig attack were doing well. Two weeks ago, I found the narrowleaf milkweed nosed out of its hole. There was no sign of wild pigs, so I surmised that a calf nosed it out. Fortunately, I got to it in time before the root ball dried out. I reburied it. It has stayed green and has continued to grow since then. There is also one showy milkweed, which is going well.

Site 9: This is the area with most of the Xerces riparian kits surrounded by a branch fence. I rebuilt the fence last weekend. The mulefat and two wormwoods are all still alive. The pacific aster was eaten as was the golden current and mulefat during the cow break in. A second golden current looks like it has dried out where I hid it under some brush. There is still water in this area of the creek. There is a chance it will come back. The cottonwood is growing suckers, and most of the oak seedlings are surviving hidden under the brush piles I created months ago.

Site 10: Three of the four willows planted are surviving. I was not able to find the fourth. Perhaps a cow or deer got to it. The one mulefat I planted there is thriving. It has grown significantly and is a beauty. I will need to get some water to those plants. I will need to haul it in buckets from the large spring that is fairly close by.

Administrative Work

Last week, I learned that I was awarded 10 more Xerces Kits. I have two ranch sites, plus mine, and maybe the Southern Sierra Miwuk office building space. We will get those into the ground in November.

I presented to Tribal Council, and they approved moving forward with housing the Technical Assistance work through their Miwumati program. I need to design a project plan and timeline, work with their team to get a young person hired for August to December, and connect them with the RCD and Xerces partners. I am excited to mentor a young person on this work.

Two weeks ago, I signed for my first NRCS grant. This is funding that comes through the Farm Bill, to the USDA and into a variety of ag programs. I am focused on providing ecological services under this program. These services on my ranch will help address climate change as well as improve soils and water for the ag operation. It is a win win. More on this as I get started.

Biologists Perform Site Visit

My heroes – the Xerces biologists – come for a site visit (l-r: Jessa, Deedee and Maddy) visit

Two Fridays ago, the team from Xerces visited. I took them to all of the sites except Site 10. They provided some good feedback and then went to look at Deedee’s experiment she has on Odom Creek. Before they left, they said everything looked good and that I was doing a good job. This meant a lot to me. As you have read in this blog, I’ve had a litany of disasters lately, and sometimes adapting is not enough to win the day. Like Abigail Adams, I have felt like a failure – that everything around me is being held together by bailing wire, hope and determination. I have not seen one monarch since I began this work in 2019. With the heat, drought, grasshoppers, the failed Xerces plants, the ATV busting, bonking my head, it all feels like it won’t be enough to help. What’s more, I have seen only one butterfly in weeks – a yellow sulfur. If we have another horrible, smokey fire season, I don’t know what I will do.

I am trying to focus on the positive – all the other pollinators and butterflies that have sought food and thrived, the beautiful blooms, the incredible smell of it all. This is really all I have to cling to – that what I am doing is helping something. There is still so much I don’t know, and it can be tough to see the forest for the trees – or rather the Monarch migration for the milkweed. Hopefully, it will all end up making a difference.

Full moon over the dry hills

Let the Blooms Begin!

It truly is amazing how blooms happen. Overnight, they just appear. Although I have been seeing the stems for a couple weeks, I woke up Saturday morning to a proliferation of purple. In fact, there are many plants sprouting blooms or new leaves. Early nectar is an important habitat element for monarchs as they begin their journey from the coast northeast. I say this as if it is a sure thing. The truth is – the monarchs may never come. The Xerces overwintering count was less than abysmal. There were almost no monarchs overwintering. From millions to under 2,000 individuals, this is a major crisis. I keep having this fantasy that they are adapting to climate change and habitat loss, that their course is shifting, that they have chosen moderate habitats inland. It is simply a fantasy that helps keep me moving forward, a trick of the brain. While it is possible, it is not likely in numbers anywhere near the millions. So, I keep moving forward knowing that my work also impacts other pollinators – butterflies, bees, flies and really…everything.

I was so pleased to see that the majority of plants I planted are settling in, beginning to leaf-out. The buckeye is really leafing out. The cottonwood is still dormant, but I am excited to see that tree thrive. The redbud seedling is beginning to leaf-out. I am really excited to see it in bloom. If she likes it here, I will plant more. I am really excited about this shrub as well as the big leaf maple I just planted over the weekend. Ron Allen (mariposanativeplants.com) included the maple as a good option for pollinators in my latest order. I will plant another when the seedling is ready. Planting trees is crucial for carbon sequestration and helping reduce climate change. However, it is important to consider water availability when choosing what tree and where to plant. Ron said the big leaf maple is indigenous to California and is found in Southern California tolerating drier climates. With this in mind, I decided to purchase and plant it.

I chose to plant the maple along the arroyo near the swale pond. I plan to install more swales along the arroyo in the future, and felt that there would be sufficient moisture to maintain the tree(s) over the long term. Since it did not have leaves yet, I did not feel an urgent need to immediately place protection around it. I had a lot to do this weekend. I will build a cage around it this week. I already gathered the materials so they are ready when I have a two hour time slot.

Loaded and ready to go with fencing equipment on standby

All of the first set of plants are planted. I created a new milkweed/nectar plant “island” near the southeast corner of the house enclosure. I added the mugwort to the plantings of Site XR1.

I also took the time to monitor and weed around old plantings, especially the Xerces hedgerow kits. Some planted areas needed significant weeding. Several revealed some new growth way, way down at the dirt level. I am not sure if they are the plants I planted. Many were dormant at the time of planting. All I can say is that the sprouts look different than the typical grass I am familiar with, so I did not pull them. The riparian kit plants, that I can see, appear to be thriving especially the golden currents and mulefat. There is also an aster that retained its leaves all winter (i.e. nothing ate it).

On Friday, I saw two types of butterflies. They came and went so fast that I did not have time to attempt a photo. One was larger and black. The other was lighter, not quite white. Needless to say, I was overjoyed. It is proof that what I am doing is working. We also had a large number of European honeybees and a large bumble bee. They are loving the arugula flowers. Still no a. California, but I continue to look. Also, I am improving my knowledge by attending the Community Alliance wit h Family Farmers annual conference. There are some great topics, including carbon sequestration, composting, indigenous ag and many others. Check out the conference page.

Technical Support

A very small portion of the grant I helped write with Melinda Barrett of the Mariposa County Resource Conservation District (RCD) is for technical assistance helping others plan, choose and implement planing of pollinator friendly plants, particularly those appealing to monarch butterflies. I am leveraging my experience, with the expertise of Ron Allen and Melinda Barrett, to help connect people, land, plants and butterflies. My friend Carolin has been following the Walappu’ ‘Uuchuthuu posts on Facebook and wanted to participate. Ron and I helped her pick good plants for the monarchs and her location in Catheys Valley. She purchased some plants and got them into the ground right away. Carolin had some help though! Two of her children and the family fur-child helped too. See their photos below – and cuteness alert!

Astrid and her younger brother Siggi (clearly cold) help give the monarchs a future

Monarch plantings are a phenomenal way to engage with family and teach children about their role as stewards in this world. A big “thank you”to Carolin and her family for jumping in as change makers and for sharing these great photos. Hopefully, there will be many more families and individuals participating in planting a’woo’atee (butterfly food). If you want to be a part of this change making project, contact me through the “contact” page on this blog.

Brush With Disaster

Cow break in into the enclosure – Near disaster!

I woke up Sunday morning to a cold room. I started the electric fireplace, plugged in the Christmas tree and let the dogs out the front door on the west side of the house. It was cold, so they returned quickly. I turned from the door, still rubbing the sleep from my eyes and put the kettle on for tea. My husband emerged from his slumber in our room, stretched, yawned, looked outside to the east and said, “Is that a cow inside the fence?” I was opposite of him, with my view to the southeast. I only saw cattle up against the fence, but safely on the other side. I told him, “No.”, but in a split second, I scanned the other direction. Sure enough a cow was inside our enclosure – the enclosure that provides protection for over 100 butterfly plants.

Instead of panicking, I jumped into my boots and and thew my jacket on all the while David telling me to stay calm, that we could replant is she ate the plants. I more rapidly sashayed than ran outside. The cold was palpable since I was still in my shorty pajamas. There is a distinctive smell to the cold. If only there was more moisture and a little colder temperature, we would have had snow. The first frost of the season was on the ground, and the crunch of my step was audible as I carefully navigated the cow out of the enclosure. She was lively and not pleased about being asked to leave the prime, untouched (by cow) grass. I had to be very delicate. She was easily pressured and responded to even a wide berth being given. When you move cattle around, you get a sense for what level of distance will elicit movement and how far in one direction or another will result in the cow moving the direction you want her to go. It is a precise calculation done more by feel and observation than numbers in your head.

I had opened the east gate before herding her, so was able to move her through that gate. She stopped just on the other side of the gate, looked back at me and began to run down the hill with one buck of her back legs sending a clear communication of her complete displeasure. After closing the gate, I had to walk the fence line to see where the heck she had gotten in. All the other gates were closed. I found the breech not too far a distance from the east gate. It was at the southeast corner – a weak point that had been fixed one or two times before.

The break does not look like much, but it may shock you how agile a full grown 1,300lb cow can be – especially when there is new grass available. I asked David to fix the fence while I checked all the plants. Fortunately, it appeared as though she was only in for a short while and chose to head north from the break. Had she gone the other way, it would have been doom for my butterfly plants. Everything was intact and healthy. I let out a sigh of relief. On a ranch, there is always something.

Xerces Biologist Visits

As I have mentioned many times, I am incredibly grateful for the expertise I have had available to me by many individuals and agencies. The Xerces Society has been a remarkable partner. Deedee Soto is a biologist with Xerces. Her expertise on plants is beyond comprehension for me as a mere mortal. She has provided helpful advice on where to plant, how to plant, and what to plant. She has also been extremely helpful in working with the NRCS on my project.

When she asked if she could use a place on the ranch to conduct a study of milkweed rhizomes, I did not hesitate to say “yes”. Last week, she showed up with equipment and a number of overstock plants from a native nursery for my project and two others in Mariposa. I was happy to take them. We walked around the hedgerow plants from the Xerces grant discussing the successes and the rough transfer of one toyon. This woman knows her stuff! I finally let her get on with her work, and I went back inside to go begin my work day. Below are photos of her rhizome project, which I hiked to this Sunday to take a look.

Still Dry

The recent storms did not drop much water here. Between the two, we received 1.25 inches. We did have some areas of standing water on the road, but the arroyos and the pond and much of the creek were still dry. The only water on the northern most side of the ranch are from the two springs – one on the spring creek and the other on Odom Creek. Fortunately, we have had dew most of the days this week. It has provided enough additional moisture to keep the grass growing. Poppies have also sprouted, which seems early.

Poppy greens in the foreground and a large clump in the background

Other Thoughts

The guys installing solar and David helping

Butterfly habitats do not occur in a vacuum. They, like everything else, are interdependent upon a healthy system. With every choice I make, I very much try to think about my impacts. Even modest shifts in the climate are devastating for many species, and we are seeing this now with the monarchs. Although I already have a solar array, I have been wanting to expand it so I can contribute more clean energy to the grid (and offset my own use). Fortunately, I have a “hook-up” in the family. My nephew works in the business. He and his colleague did my work as a side job. David and I handled getting the permit and completing the PG&E application. We saved some money by doing it this way. The panels are up, gorgeous and already producing clean energy. Thank you Ashtin and Rodney! Thanks to David for helping prep the panels and pass them up to the team.

Solar is not the only choice we all can make for a cleaner, healthier world. Saying “no” to plastic shopping bags, consuming less of everything, not using herbicides or pesticides, and planting native milkweed are all low to no cost activities that can help our incredible planet.

Besides the near disaster with the cow and the panel installation, things have been quiet. My back has had a break, and I have enjoyed walking the ranch, checking water and fence and dreaming of next year. I am looking forward to the planet alignment on Monday 12/21, the Solstice star. The raptors have been amazing. I am grateful to live here with my love, fur-babies, and all the wild creatures. To all of you out there who have been reading my blog, I wish you a beautiful holiday season filled with light and love – even if it has to be from a distance over Zoom – it is still love.

The Branch Fence Holds + Effects of Drought Visible

As planned, cows have access to the low sloped pool adjacent to Site XR2

Hurray – the branch fence David and I worked so hard on has held. Even with cows nearby drinking from the pool, they have not intruded into the planting area. Eventually, we will fence most of the upper section of this creek and some of the lower section for habitat restoration, and drive the cattle to water at the lightly sloped pool. This will reduce erosion of the creek banks and allow all the plants that are trying to get a start to grow to maturity.

I checked the Odom Creek plants as well. All were present and accounted for.

Drought Here Again

The soil is so dry that Millie kicks up dust while walking

I have included my concerns about drought in many of my previous posts as well as the confirmation we will be in a La Niña year this year. The effects of a lack of moisture are really evident. Pathways look like bare highways with no grass growth to replace dry grass worn away from use. The creeks are dry. My neighbor’s pond is dry. All we have are the two small springs keeping some moisture going on this side of the ranch. I don’t know how my neighbor’s spring is doing; I’ve not checked. Most of the cattle left today. Tom (the cattleman) and his family drove them up the road to another leased ranch with more water. He left behind a handful of cows with small calves.

With no precipitation or morning dew, I am back to watering the plants once per week. Although I’ve added another sixty-eight plants with the Xerces kits, many of the old plants and some of the new ones are already dormant. They don’t need as much moisture as those with leaves. After watering the plants near the house, I hooked up the cart, filled the bladder with water, and delivered clean rain water to the Xerces riparian plants as well as Site 8.

The soil was happy to receive the water. I can’t say as much for my attitude. Dry conditions worry me, and I’m feeling a bit grumpy. Maybe it is that and the COVID surge too. On the heels of a contentious election as well, it is all just extremely overwhelming. Not only do I feel pained for humans, I also feel pain for all my other plant, animal, insect relations. It has become clear why that beautiful blue heron has been hanging around. He has no water. His mate has not returned to start a new family near my neighbor’s now dry pond as they typically do. He is forced into eating gophers and mice. I’m not complaining about that, but I know herons prefer water. I’ve filled all the troughs around the hilltop for his consideration and use. Fortunately, I over planned water, and still have over 2,000 gallons available. I also had Tank 3 hooked up when the small rain storm came through last month, so I have about 40 new gallons there. With a bit of forethought, attention to science, and a kindness, derived from absolute love, which by its very nature results in sharing, perhaps all of us, David, me, the plants and the heron, will be able to survive this time.

Xerces Kits 100% Planted – Major Muscles Mandatory

David uses brute strength to haul out a 15′ downed oak limb

There are many ways for a spouse to say “I love you” – jewelry, taking out the garbage, cleaning up dog poops, watching a sappy period piece together, getting up in the middle of the night to feed a crying baby. But, for me, nothing says “I love you” more than hauling massive oak limbs to build a fence for your wife’s butterfly habitat.

I am a pretty strong women. I grew up in the mountains shoveling snow off my family’s steep driveway. I chopped wood, stacked it and hauled it inside. I lit fires, swam across lakes and held the family record for putting snow chains on our car tires. There are limits however, and I reached mine this weekend. No matter how I tried, how much I tried to use my brain to think of solutions, I could not haul the large branches I needed to make a branch fence for the newly planted butterfly plants. I needed help – in particular – my husband’s man strength.

I’ve been delaying planting the spring creek for a while due to fencing concerns and then the cow carcass. However, it was finally time to get the last 23 riparian plants into the ground – no excuses. After spending the morning digging holes and planting 18 of the 23, then hauling as much downed wood as I could around the planting site, I reached a stopping point. I dragged myself back to the house, mud in my hair, dirt on my face, a scratch on my leg, and soil coming out of my pockets. My strategy was simple – flattery. I found my husband on a ladder painting the garage. He took one look at me and just shook his head. I said, “I sure could use your super strong muscles. The plants need protection, and I just cannot make it happen. The logs are too heavy, but not too heavy for you [Eyelash flutter].” My husband, who has his own projects and largely leaves me to manage things on my own, recognized my desperation….and….maybe he was motivated somewhat by the chance to show off. He said he would help.

David uses his massive strength to tear a branch off a dead tree

The next two hours were spent hauling downed branches, sawing off dead limbs and shaking limbs off trees – then, as gently as possible, placing them on top of other base branches to form a fence around the planting area. David was magnificent. I would be lying if I told you I didn’t swoon a little. It is just something innate [eyelash flutter].

On Sunday, we needed to finish the spring creek barrier. Fortunately, the plants I installed survived overnight despite a not complete barrier. One of the currants was chewed on a little by some other creature though. David pulled more large logs; I pulled small ones. Together, we completed the barrier. I also called my neighbor to ask for his help. Up stream at Site 7, he had built the only branch fence that kept the cattle out. I needed his assessment on the quality of our work. He gave us an A+.

Spring creek Xerces plot X2 branch fence

After the good grade, I released David back to his projects at the house. Ric, our neighbor, and I went to Odom Creek to plant and protect the last five plants. As I mentioned in a prior post, part of the Xerces Riparian kit contained willow trees. For those more familiar with the weeping willow tree seen generally in urban areas in California, our state has many native willow trees. They are not as water hungry as the weeping willows, which are native to the more swampy southeast of the country. However, they still like water. The ones on the ranch can be found naturally in the creek beds of the larger creek where there is sufficient water resource to sustain them. This is why I chose to take these plants from the kit and place there in another location on the ranch. A willow in the small spring-fed creek would take too much water resource I think. In time, I will plant more butterfly plants in Odom Creek. I also plan to fence it to see what recovers there.

The cows watch us as we work to keep them from eating the plants

Above is a selection of photos from the planting. In addition to four willows, I also planted one mule fat from the kit. Ric generously offered to dig the holes. (Thank you Ric!!). He also hauled branches and cut larger branches that could not be pulled down in one piece. He brought his very cool electric chainsaw to help us in the work. I chose sites, hauled branches and planted my sweet little plug friends into the ground. I hope they will enjoy a good, long life in this space.

It’s California. Plants Still Blooming!

We still have salvia, fuchsia, sunflowers, marigold, primrose, and rosemary (not pictured) blooming. Lots of colors and choices. The coyote mint has grown more. The yarrow is still green and full. The Xerces hedgerow plants appear to be doing well. I say “appear” because many have gone dormant and no longer have a presence above ground. I am still watering some plants that look like they need it since the weather has been predominantly dry. I have not seen any butterflies, but the bees and a hummingbird or two, continue to enjoy the nectar. I am really getting excited for Spring!

Our Good Friends Still Here and Helping

A blue heron at dusk in an old oak tree just down the hill from the house

In the last post, I discussed the rescue of the plants by several feathered friends. They continue to watch over the hill. Since the great horned owl, blue heron and the harrier (who has now brought a husband here too) have been around, gopher activity has come to nearly a halt. In fact, the gopher that somehow got into my raised bed, decimating the unprotected roots of the butterfly plants each day, has stopped its death march. Maybe the owl got it (I hope). We really do have several someones watching over us.

A Tidal-wave of Plants – All Hands on Deck to Save the Monarchs

Heather speaks to Angela while picking up Xerces Kits at the NRCS nursery facility in Lockeford, CA

In the early summer this year, Melinda Barrett, the Director of the Mariposa Resource Conservation District (RCD), had generously included my project in their grant request for the Xerces Society pollinator kits. Also included were kits for the County and UC Master Gardeners, both working on spots in town on the Mariposa Creek Parkway. To pick them up was the least I could do, so I volunteered. David and I made the nearly two hour trip to Lockeford on November 3. The nursery site was gorgeous, sitting along side the Mokelumne River. There seemed to be over a thousand plants waiting to make their way to projects all around the state. It was clear Xerces was making a monumental effort to get plants into the ground as rapidly as possible. I felt very honored and humbled to be one small part of this massive effort.

Deedee Soto (Xerces), Melinda Barrett (MCRCD), and I meet with Waylon Coats at the Sarah Priest Tribal Allotment land in Midpines, CA.

I was allocated six kits from the Xerces grant. While four kits would be used for Walappu’ ‘Uuchuthuu, two could be used for community projects. Our first community participant came from the local Tribe. Waylon Coats is a member of the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation Tribal Council. His ancestors have lived along the Bear Creek in Midpines for thousands of years. When I discussed my project at the Council Meeting last Spring, as noted in a previous post, he was the first to volunteer his relation’s Tribal land for the project. Melinda, Deedee Soto (Xerces) and I paid a visit to Waylon to look at the site in mid October. He showed us a few options, but we chose the first site he thought would be good. It was gorgeous! Bear Creek was running. There were many pools of standing water, and a nearly dry spring that fed into the spot we chose. There were already butterfly plants in that area. In fact, as we spoke, a beautiful sulfur butterfly flitted from plant to plant in the dappled, peaceful section of creek we were exploring.

Waylon works with Native youth (He is very young himself.). He teaches them traditional practices, and this project was a perfect fit. The site had considerable invasive and overgrown species that needed to be cleared. He, and his youth group, planned to do the clearing work prior to me delivering the plants. I delivered the plants on Sunday 11/15, and the place was nearly ready to go. He had at least 18 relations there and ready to plant – not all youth. There were several adults too as well as little ones. So many indigenous communities are coming together to reclaim their knowledge and be change makers in healing the land. I know many butterflies will find their food and incubators, here, in this serene, protected place.

Planting Xerces Kits – a race against time

Heather plants the hedgerow kits early in the morning despite the continuing smoke of the Creek Fire.

The kits are comprised of nectar and milkweed plants designed for either drier areas (hedgerow) or moist creek areas (riparian). It was a strange growing year this year – probably mostly due to the smoke. The milkweeds started going dormant quicker than the Xerces team expected. What they have learned is that the milkweed transplants are much less successful after they go dormant. It was imperative that the milkweeds were put into the ground as soon as possible.

I picked up the plants on 11/3. My husband and I had made some of the holes prior to their arrival, but we did not get all of them done. The smoke has been difficult to work in. It limits my husband’s ability to work outside, in particular, due to his asthma. David is my primary hole digger. He is big and strong – and can get more hole digging work done so much quicker than I. Sadly, I was not able to have much of his time. Instead, I took the pickax and made an additional fifty holes over the next five days. [Yes, my back is still aching.] There are still about ten plants remaining to be planted in the riparian section – awaiting more fencing work to be complete in the next week.

We did receive a reprieve in the form of a small storm. This made digging holes much easier, not just from the moisture, but from the smoke being pushed out. Being able to breath is a huge plus when wielding a pickax. I prioritized the milkweeds from both types of kits. They were in the ground withing the first 48 hours. Next, I completed the hedgerows in time for the next storm. I had to be concerned about freeze as well. The temperatures dipped into the 20s here in Hornitos. Although the plants are on the covered patio, I did not take any chances. I placed a sheet over all the plants to keep them even warmer.

Below is a collage of images from planting both the hedgerow and riparian kits.

The hedgerow plants all received mesh baskets. At the creek, where gopher intrusion is much less, the milkweeds were planted directly into the ground. I placed downed branches over those plants that still had green sprouts to prevent cattle browsing.

Other Items of Note

Major shock! A gopher finds a way to access my raised bed and decimate unprotected plants.

My heart sunk when I found that a gopher had made it into my raised bed. I did not place any of the plants in mesh baskets inside the container, so they have become easy pickings. As of this writing, it got all five marigold plants, my one remaining woolly pod milkweed and a narrow leaf. I am nearly despondent about this turn of events. They were all so healthy. Some of these plants need to make it though so there are more mature milkweeds for the butterflies to choose from.

Fortunately, we continue to have blooms and butterflies continue to come. None of them are monarchs, but we recently had this green gossamer-winged beauty (photo above). The experts think this is an alfalfa sulfur butterfly.

We also had this brown beauty (photo above) arrive a week ago. The photo is brown because this was the week the smoke came back with an AQI reading of over 140. I think this is a common buckeye. So gorgeous. We’ve also continued to have the cute little lilac butterflies (read the post before this for more info and images) and white sulfurs. I am really grateful that they continue to come here and find food.

I am finding more and more oak seedlings. Those that are in especially good places, like where there is not a living tree adjacent or the nearby tree is dead, I am covering with downed branches. This helps to protect the seedling from being grazed by the cattle. I now have about eight mounds of branches protecting ten seedlings.

The final item I would like to share is that I was asked to speak about this project at the California RCD state conference. I am really happy to do so, but very much hope it is of interest to the audience. I will not be providing a scientific presentation. Rather, it is more about my story of how this project came together and how it is progressing. I will try to keep it lively and not make folks fall asleep! If you are interested, here is a link to the presentation in PDF form.

Like our work to solve the COVID-19 pandemic, we are only able to be successful if we work together. Instead of a virus, our shared challenge is convention and in some aspects greed. We do not have to do things the same way we always did. Even those ways were changed from the way things were before then. Nothing is static. The choice we have is whether we embrace change in a way that brings greater health to all or a greater profit and lifestyle for a few. I would rather live in a place that is healthier and happier for all living things. I hope you would too.