Restoration Tuesday

Today rather than going plant exploring, my natives class got the chance to do a restoration planting in a riparian community along a little creek that runs down the hill side above the university. Restoration plantings consists of planting native plants in a natural habitat that has been disturbed somehow. In this case, building construction was the disturbance. As a class we each planted three trees (all native to this area in California) to make a grand total of 75 trees (plus a couple extra that probably made it in).  

I felt a little silly planting what looked more like twigs into the ground, but it's winter and the trees we planted were deciduous. So there is no new growth until early spring time. 

We all had a great time today. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be though, it took an hour and 20 minutes for me to plant all three trees and put baskets up around each of them for protection against those gosh darn dear who eat and destroy all the plants we put in the ground.  

Let the restoration begin...

In trying to find a place to plant my first tree I stumbled
across this beauty....an abnoxious weed as tall as me.
Sonchus oleraceus-Common sowthistle.

Surveying.

Beth excited to start digging!

Soon to be home for my little oak tree.

Class.

My professor eating a sandwich.

My baby Quercus agrifolia (Coast Live Oak).

Carrie enjoying the extremely clay soil.

Anchoring the basket.

He is so little and cute.

It was a beautiful afternoon.

Baby Platanus-Sycamore

Baby Populus-Cottonwood (left) 

It will be cool, if I ever come back to Cal Poly after I graduate, to see the trees growing tall knowing that I put them there. Kind of neat. Maybe something to show the kids one day? 

I'm very excited to say that this Saturday our class will be taking a trip to Figueroa Mountain (1 hour or so south of SLO) to go look at plants. Obviously I'm enjoying this class, I'm getting up early on a Saturday to go spend the day learning....be proud mom and dad! 

Be ready for another plant update this weekend!