SHRUBS & FLOWERS
MISSION:
To bring about a realization of the interdependence of all things, especially between the human and the non-human elements of the earth. To assist youth and adults in discovering the beauty of native plants. To promote understanding and preservation of California native flora. To advance learning about many common, renewable, edible and medicinal wild & invasive plants.
FACTS:
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Diversity of plants is tremendous in the North American continents.
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California has 1,100 miles of coastline.
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Monterey Canyon is deeper than the Grand Canyon
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Offshore islands, and dry valleys such as Death Valley, have countless minerals and fossils.
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There are special habitats and special climate for the wild plants.
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The topographic level and the distance from the ocean decide the type of plants.
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Above 10,500 feet in the Alpine Zone, there are no trees and the plants are very small.
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Between 8,500 to 10,500 feet in the subalpine zone, you find Mountain Hemlocks and Whitebark pines.
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Between 6,000 to 8,500 feet in the upper mountain zone, you see red firs and lodgepole pines.
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Between 3,500 to 6,000 feet in the lower mountain zone, there are sequoias, white firs, ponderosa pines, douglas firs, mountain California black oaks.
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Between 1,000 to 3,500 feet in the foothills, you find oaks, digger pines, redwoods and chaparral.
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Coastal and islands have rocky coasts, sea cliffs, and coastal dunes.
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Deserts, because of lack of rain in the higher elevation above 4,000 feet, have big sage brushes, single leaf pinions and western junipers.
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In the lower elevations there are Creosote bushes, Joshua trees, Mojave yuccas, and beautiful wildflowers plus a variety of grasses.
