September is here!
We celebrate the return of cooler days and the freedom to experience outdoor events and lower elevation hikes at blissful temperatures.
The first week in September is now California Biodiversity Week. At Whistlestop Park, on Saturday the 5th, come enjoy Biodiversity Day, a festive gathering of local nature-oriented groups presenting crafts, activities, presentations, and information that can help young and old alike connect with the fascinating natural setting of Redding.
Take a stroll through our calendar for our events, those of our fellow environmental groups, and the events of others that celebrate nature. We are so fortunate the local nature-oriented community shares a complimentary array of goals. Together we can almost cover the arising needs, but not quite. We all need more members and more volunteers. Feel free to jump in!
In mid-September we’re getting back together on Thursday the 17th, for a very timely talk from Peter Haggard and Jane Munroe entitled: Rewilding Your Home Garden. Pete and Jane will guide us through the journey of transforming your yard or lawn into a resilient garden landscape filled with vibrant native plants and endemic wildlife. “Yard by yard, we can change the world.”
Late September is time for the last monarch butterfly generation of 2026 to emerge from their chrysalises and take wing to over-winter on the central coast. Not so very long ago I witnessed that phenomenon in my own backyard. I’m sure it’s still happening somewhere nearby. The California population of monarchs has decreased but is not gone. We can help by growing native flowers for nectar and native milkweeds for monarch reproduction in our available spaces.
All the native plant nurseries in town, including ours, will have their Fall Sales on the first weekend in October. Visit us at the Shasta College Farm, where our nursery is located. Three nurseries will have vendors there. And Turtle Bay Nursery starts their month-long sale on October 3 as well. Together, our inventories include more of California’s legendary floral diversity and offer more biodiversity for your landscape.
~Mary Ann McCrary, Shasta Chapter Vice President