California’s 10 Garden Club of America-affiliated clubs have announced that April has been officially declared California Native Plant Month by the state legislature.
Authored by state Sen. Steve Glazer and Assemblyman Mark Berman, the bill AR-49 was passed into law last May, and so California will celebrate its native plants in April for years to come.
Native Plant Month is a nationwide initiative of The Garden Club of America to increase awareness of the critical role native plants play in supporting a healthy environment, biodiversity and providing the habitat for pollinators and wildlife to survive.
Vast agricultural lands and many climate zones, make California’s ecosystems most vulnerable. Natives provide food and protection for pollinators such as bees, butterflies, birds and other wildlife. Without pollinators the natives will not survive. Through this Native Plant Month designation, the cycle of biodiversity will thrive. California and its citizens can engage and make a difference.
The California GCA affiliated clubs, with more than 1,200 members, include a chapter in Pasadena. Visiting local parks and plant nurseries provide resources and ideas for learning more about incorporating native plants into communities and home gardens. Please keep an eye out for activities such as native plant sales, field trips, school activities and more in local media sources.
For more information about the initiative, visit gcamerica.org/nnpmi.
To read the GCA’s Position Paper on native plants, visit gcamerica.org/publications/publicationdetails/pid/959.
For native plant viewing, plant enthusiasts can visit The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens and The Old Mill in San Marino; Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge; Arlington Gardens in Pasadena; La Casita Del Arroyo in Pasadena; the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia; and California Botanic Garden Claremont.
First published in the April 4 issue of the San Marino Tribune
