California’s magnificent oaks support more life forms than any plant species in the state. In a presentation filled with wildlife ̶ from spiders and lizards to woodpeckers, woodrats, and bears ̶ author and naturalist Kate Marianchild will discuss the vital role oaks play in food webs.
We’ll learn about co-evolutionary connections between oaks and caterpillars, jays, and lichens, and we’ll marvel at the tiny wasps who bend enormous oaks to their bidding. As Kate shares stories of oak woodland species, we’ll fight with woodpeckers for mating opportunities, crawl through woodrat houses looking for rattlesnakes, and plummet to the ground with squirrels as they use their tails as both parachutes and landing pads.
Before the talk, try to collect an acorn with its cap from at least two kinds of oak. If you can, also spend some time watching birds, lizards, squirrels or other animals in or around oaks. (Please collect your acorns only from places where you have permission to collect.)
This talk is geared especially for middle school and high schoolers!
Kate Marianchild is the author of the award- winning bestseller Secrets of the Oak Woodlands: Plants and Animals among California’s Oaks (Heyday, 2014). With humor, affection, and scientific accuracy, Kate profiles the behaviors, social structures, and interrelationships of twenty-two species found in California’s oak woodlands.
Kate lives in a yurt near Ukiah surrounded by six kinds of oak and abundant wildlife. Go to www.katemarianchild.com to purchase a signed copy of her book, close-focus binoculars, and/or oak identification guides or to learn about restoring insect populations.
Wed Jul 16 @ 8:30AM - Alum Rock Park Restoration |
Fri Jul 18 @ 9:00AM - Edgewood Restoration |
Sat Jul 19 @ 8:00AM - 10:00AM Lake Cunningham Native Garden |
Sat Jul 19 @ 9:00AM - 11:00AM Cataldi Park Native Garden |
Sat Jul 19 @ 9:00AM - 11:00AM Kirk Park Pollinator Garden |
Mon Jul 21 @ 8:30AM - Alum Rock Park Restoration |
Tue Jul 22 @ 7:00PM - 09:00PM Native Plant ID |
Wed Jul 23 @ 8:30AM - Alum Rock Park Restoration |
Thu Jul 24 @ 7:00PM - 08:30PM Get Inspired! Maintain a Native Plant Garden, A Talk by Stephanie Morris |
Fri Jul 25 @ 9:00AM - Edgewood Restoration |