A native CA wildflower thought to have disappeared from the Presidio in 1917 has made a comeback.

[Kadie]

Ancient Flora

A native California wildflower thought to have disappeared from the Presidio in 1917 has made a comeback.

snip...
Smooth Owl's Clover is native to California coastal counties, with an upright flower stem about six inches tall and dozens of bright yellow flowers stacked on top of eachother.

A nearby water main that burst several months ago is believed to have awakened dormant seeds buried deep in the ground.

Since the find, Presidio biologists are hand-pollinating the plant to try to nurture it back. If it thrives, they hope to replant it throughout the Presidio.



"Nature has this way of reawakening, of forcing itself back to the surface," said Andy Kleinhesselink, a biological sciences technician with the Presidio Trust. "There's always a chance for new discoveries and surprises even in areas teeming with people like the Presidio."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cityinsider/detail?entry_id=41274&tsp=1

[omega minimo]

1. Awesome. Thanks Kadie!!

[Kadie]

4. I love stories like this.

:hi:

[tabatha]

2. Oh, excellent.

On some of the channels islands, after the pigs, goats, cows, rats, etc were removed, some plants thought to have been exterminated are also coming back.

I have been to the Presidio, and photographed some of the plants there, such as the San Francisco Wallflower. They are doing great restoration at the Presidio.

[itsrobert]

3. Time for Arnold to Sell it off

Would make great Condos and a strip mall filled with a starbucks and subway.

[elleng]

5. Imagine the little 'seedies' saying, 'shhhh; are they GONE???'

:rofl:

[tabatha]

6. Do you understand why they come back?

"Non-native animals such as sheep, goats and pigs were introduced to the island in the 1800's and early 1900's and have had significant impact on Catalina's vegetation and floristics. Programs to control these non-native mammals have been underway for several decades, and have resulted in the reappearance or range expansion of several plants formerly thought to be extirpated or rare on the island. The effects of non-native herbivores on native vegetation, especially on islands which are "closed" systems, are well-documented (see separate list of references). "