This is my first post!
Please enjoy my elderberry cuttings I'm hoping to grow!

#nature #neature #elderberry #outdoors

#UCDavis - Students Lead #HabitatRestoration at #RussellRanch

Fri, March 20, 2026

"At Russell Ranch, just west of campus along Russell Boulevard, a transformation is underway. What was once grazed #pasture and alfalfa field is becoming a thriving #NativeHabitat led by UC Davis students and funded by #TheGreenInitiativeFund, or #TGIF.

"The Russell Ranch Slough Restoration Project, designed and implemented by the Arboretum and Public Garden’s Learning by Leading™ Ecological Land Management, or #ELM, team, is now at its midpoint. Site preparation is complete, invasive species have been cleared, and nearly 200 native trees and shrubs have been planted along the seasonal slough.

" 'Projects like this show students that restoration isn’t theoretical. It’s something they can design and implement themselves,' said Miles DaPrato, environmental steward for the Arboretum and Public Garden and staff mentor for the ELM team.

"Turning Working Land into #WildlifeHabitat

"The 2.5-acre site sits within the #PutahCreek Riparian Reserve, surrounded by agriculture and rural residences. Rather than separating nature from working landscapes, the project shows how the two can work together — creating habitat while improving the ecological function of the land.

"This past fall, students removed old livestock fencing that blocked #wildlife movement, prepared the soil, and seeded the site with locally adapted #NativeGrasses and #wildflowers timed to the first seasonal rains.

"Over the winter, the team planted nearly 200 native trees and shrubs, including #ValleyOak, #Cottonwood, #Willow, #Elderberry and #Toyon. Temporary drip irrigation has been installed to help the young plants establish during their first critical summers. 'You can study restoration in class, but being out here actually doing the work is completely different,' said Keira Folkers, Environmental Engineering, 2026, and Kayden Delvo, Environmental Science and Management, 2026. 'You start to understand the land, the timing of the seasons and the decisions that go into every step.' "

Learn more:
https://publicgarden.ucdavis.edu/news/students-lead-habitat-restoration-russell-ranch

#SolarPunkSunday #California #HabitatRestoration #Wildlife #CoExistence

How Do You Design A #WildlifeCorridor For #Maine Garden Design?

Excerpt:

"Plant Palette: #NativeSpecies and Layering for Maine

Choose plants that are native to your Maine ecoregion and that provide multiple functions: forage, cover, nesting structure, and seasonal continuity.

- Canopy and large trees (plant for future shade and mast): white pine (Pinus strobus), red #maple (Acer rubrum), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), paper birch (Betula papyrifera), red oak (Quercus rubra), balsam fir.
- Small trees and large shrubs (structure and fruit): serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), crabapple (Malus spp. native selections), chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana).
- Shrubs for berries and cover: highbush #blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), #winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata), highbush #cranberry (Viburnum trilobum), black #chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), #elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), #bayberry (Morella pensylvanica).
- Herbaceous layer and pollinator plants: common #milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), joe-pye weed (Eutrochium spp.), #asters (Symphyotrichum spp.), #goldenrod (Solidago spp.), mountain mint (Pycnanthemum spp.), columbine (Aquilegia canadensis).
- Groundcover and forest floor: bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), wild ginger (Asarum canadense), sedges (Carex spp.), native ferns where appropriate.
- Wetland edge species for riparian corridors: blueflag iris (Iris versicolor), buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), #sedges, and #NativeRushes.

Plant choice should reflect site moisture, sunlight, and soil pH. Avoid ornamental cultivars with little #wildlife value and never plant species known to be invasive in Maine such as Japanese #barberry or #bittersweet."

Learn more:
https://cultivatingflora.com/how-do-you-design-a-wildlife-corridor-for-maine-garden-design/

#SolarPunkSunday #WildlifeCorridor #NativeSpecies #GardeningForPolinators #Rewilding