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Napa RCD Weekly Activity Digest - 15th Edition

Greetings from Napa RCD!

Last week we focused on the pollinators that keep our plants in business. But have you ever wondered what happens next? Once our plants have been pollinated, they go on to create seeds that will eventually become more plants. As we continue on into summer here in Napa County, you will notice more and more flowers and plants going to seed.

The ways that seeds move around and spread is a fascinating subject that many people have devoted their careers to understanding. Basically, there are 4 different ways that plants disperse their seeds - wind, water, explosion (yep- you read that right!), and animals. In many seed dispersal discussions, humans are included in the animal category, but sometimes they are separated out.

Here in Napa County, we do a lot of work to help encourage our native plants to spread their seed, and discourage nonnative plants from spreading too much. Nowhere is this more evident than through our Acorns to Oaks program, through which we are trying to restore the oak woodlands that are historically characteristic of Napa County.

Continue reading to learn more about seed dispersal and what you can do to help be part of the movement to re-oak Napa County!

Tag us on social media @NapaRCD and #WILDnapa, or email Education@NapaRCD.org.


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Many thanks to the following education and outreach activity sponsors for their support: NOAA, County of Napa, Napa County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program, City of Napa, the Watershed Information and Conservation Council, and Friends of the Napa River.
Join the Summer Oak Crew!
A Call for Youth Volunteers
We are excited to announce a new summer volunteer opportunity for youth ages 14-25: the Oak Crew!

The Oak Crew will work with Napa RCD staff to take care of young oak plantings on multiple days in July and August. Work will primarily consist of weeding around and applying mulch to young oaks to keep weeds at bay and ensure success of as many plantings as possible.

Details:
Volunteer days will be Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9am-12pm, July 14 to August 13.
  • On each day, Napa RCD staff will work with up to 8 youth volunteers
  • Oak Crew volunteers may join for one or many days, but we do require RSVP
  • Napa RCD will provide all equipment
  • Volunteers must provide their own transportation to sites. Most of the work will take place at Alston Park in Napa.
  • All volunteers are required to follow Napa RCD's guidelines for protecting public health, which will be in alignment with county, state, and federal recommendation and regulations, and provided in advance of the first volunteer day.

If you are interested in volunteering, you can RSVP to one or more days here . If you have any additional questions, please contact Ashley: Ashley@NapaRCD.org or 707-690-3117.
Learn About Seed Dispersal
Seed Dispersal is how plants spread their seeds. As we mentioned earlier, there are four (sometimes 5) types of seed dispersal:

  • Wind
  • Water
  • Explosion
  • Animals (including humans!)

Watch this short video to learn more about how seeds spread and why plants rely on these four methods to spread their seeds far and wide.
What is an Invasive Plant?
There is much talk in the natural resources and landscape design worlds about native versus nonnative plants. And then there's that other word, invasive. So what does it all mean?


Native plants are plants that have evolved to grow and thrive within their home habit. Nonnative plants are plants that have been introduced by humans through landscaping, cattle grazing, or simply through the movement of people from one geographic area to another.

Invasive plants, like the Himalayan Blackberry pictured to the right, are the real bad guys. They are the nonnative plants that are opportunistic and suited to many environments. Their seed dispersal is often in the form of a berry or a sticky seed pod that can attach to fur or clothing and be carried to a different location to grow. They will take over an area, using up all of the available water and nutrients before our native plants can get what they need. Some of these invasive plants are widely accepted as unavoidable, but there are some new ones that we can help stop the spread of here in Napa County.

The Napa County Watershed Information & Conservation Council has put together a great list of the most common nonnative plants to avoid when planting your home garden, and what you can do to help stop the spread of these nonnative and invasive plants.

Nature Journal Prompt
Many plants used in landscaping are flowering right now, and some are just about to turn to seed. Pick one in your neighborhood to visit every other day, and follow its journey from flower to seed. Can you guess how your plant's seeds will be dispersed? Will the seeds be blown away in the wind, washed away by the rain, eaten or hidden by an animal, or will the seeds burst out of a seed pod?

Keep track of your flower's progress in your nature journal, and bonus points if you correctly guess how your flower's seeds will be spread!
Weekly Nature Nugget
This week's nature nugget isn't a specific plant, but an excellent example of seed dispersal by wind! Each individual brown seed in the photo above and to the right has an attachment that looks very similar to an inside-out umbrella. When the wind catches the undersides of these "umbrellas" the seeds are carried away and dropped to the ground when the wind stops. Gives a whole new appreciation to the journey of a seed, doesn't it?
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Napa County Resource Conservation District | 707-252-4189 | NapaRCD.org