Stewardship in Action: Celebrating Science and Planting Milkweeds for Monarchs

volunteers at milkweed planting
Staff and volunteers in front of hillside with many planted milkweeds. Photo by Haley Sutton

Stewardship Update

Written by Haley Sutton, Land Stewardship Associate and Kendra Smith, Education & Outreach Coordinator

Dr. Mary Bowerman Science and Research Colloquium

audience at the colloquium

Save Mount Diablo’s 2024 Dr. Mary Bowerman Science and Research colloquium. Photo by Emily Sherwood

On Friday, December 6th we held our 11th annual Dr. Mary Bowerman Science and Research colloquium.

More than 100 attendees joined us at the David Brower Center in Berkeley to learn about the fascinating work happening throughout the Diablo Range and beyond from our incredible lineup of speakers.

2024 colloquium

Photo by Emily Sherwood

2024 colloquium

Photo by Emily Sherwood

Numerous attendees shared that it was the best colloquium yet! Please see the list of speakers and topics in the graphic below and watch the colloquium presentations on our YouTube channel (more are coming soon!).

2024 colloquium presentations

Planting Milkweed for Monarchs

volunteer planting milkweed

Volunteer planting milkweed. Photo by Laura Kindsvater

This year we received 300 California milkweed (Asclepias californica) plants grown by The Watershed Nursery Cooperative with seed collected by our staff from around Mount Diablo.

We put all those plants in the ground at locations around Curry Canyon Ranch, where we’ve observed naturally occurring California milkweed, one of the host plants for the monarch butterfly.

As a host plant, milkweed is the sole plant where monarch butterflies can lay their eggs and the caterpillars can feed.

There are multiple species of native milkweed plants, including narrowleaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis), showy milkweed (A. speciosa), and California milkweed (A. californica), which can be found around the Bay Area.

Monarch caterpillar on California milkweed seedling

Monarch caterpillar on California milkweed seedling at The Watershed Nursery. Photo by Haley Sutton

By increasing the number of native milkweed plants in the region, and planting a variety of other native nectar plants, we are building habitat for monarchs during their larval and adult stages.

As we approach the end of the fourth year of our 10,000 Trees and Plants project, these 300 plants have us exceeding our planting and protecting goal of 1,000 plants for the year!

volunteer planting milkweed

Volunteer planting milkweed. Photo by Haley Sutton

We are grateful to all our volunteers that have braved the elements to help us plant, protect, weed, and mulch all our planting sites this year!

In the new year, we are getting another batch of native plants to continue to grow our pollinator gardens on a few different properties. We hope you can join us!

Stewards in the Field

Scout Landon and his newly installed bench at Curry Canyon Ranch

Scout Landon and his newly installed bench at Curry Canyon Ranch. Photo by Haley Sutton

Stewards removed trash from Lot 25, and reported downed tree branches at Wright Canyon and Curry Canyon Ranch.

Stewards observed a great horned owl at Curry Canyon Ranch and a harrier at Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve. The greenery is returning all around. Staff also bucked up and chipped fallen tree branches along the driveway and on top of the fence along the driveway at Big Bend.

A local scout partnered with Save Mount Diablo to install a bench along Knobcone Point Road at Curry Canyon Ranch for his Eagle Scout project. This bench will have plaques to honor Doc Hale, longtime steward of Mount Diablo, who was an Eagle Scout himself.

Discover Diablo

Winters Transformation in the Oak Savanna Hike

Winter’s Transformation in the Oak Savanna hike. Photo by Steve Balling

Winters Transformation in the Oak Savanna, December 1:

Participants ventured through the oak grasslands along the shoreline of Los Vaqueros Reservoir and saw the unique winter adaptations of the varied plants and animals living there.

It was a lovely outing and the first visit to Los Vaqueros for all the participants.

Blue Oak Woodland—Vales and Vistas, December 8:

Participants enjoyed this moderate loop hike from Borges Ranch into Shell Ridge Open Space through a beautiful blue oak woodland. There were lovely views of Mount Diablo and the surrounding area for everyone to appreciate.

Thank you so much to all our volunteers and supporters that make our land conservation success possible. Warmest wishes for a happy New Year!

Join us to save the remaining natural lands of Mount Diablo!

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