Native plant gardening will be the topic at the next Comox Valley Nature meeting.
The meeting takes place on Sunday, April 28, 3-5 p.m. in the church hall at Comox United Church, 250 Beach Drive, Comox.
A native plant garden over a grassy lawn is not only beneficial for wildlife and pollinators but also has the potential to sequester carbon. When carbon is sequestered in a garden, carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and held in the soil. The process plays a crucial role in mitigating climate change by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Dr. Royann Petrell (associate professor emerita, University of British Columbia) will provide background material about native plant gardening and some information about an event planned for June 15, at Steller Raven Ecological Farm. There will be time for questions and discussion from the audience.
Petrell worked on a carbon sequestration research project for Project Watershed for three years and became very interested in how the process works. She and her husband, Sylvain, have been rehabilitating much of their 7.5-acre Steller Raven Ecological farm with native shrubs and trees, wildlife trees, ponds and streams, and over the last five years, native Vancouver Island grasses and flowering plants. Plants most suitable for carbon sequestration are long-lived and rooted perennials that are adapted to our wet winters and hot and dry summers.
To date, 95 bird species have been observed on the farm, and many breed there. Recently 16 bee hives have been installed. In early spring the bees collect pollen from willows and native flowering shrubs. Petrell is keen to describe her progress and delight in how to plant a carbon-sequestration native garden.
The hope is native gardening will catch on for the betterment of the Comox Valley. Volunteers will be needed to help out at the June 15 event. A list of volunteer positions will be available for people to sign up at the April 28 meeting. Funding for the event is from a BC Nature Donor grant.
The public is invited to learn about Comox Valley Nature activities to promote native plant gardening. Anyone interested in this lectre or participating in CVNS activities can also visit https://comoxvalleynaturalist.bc.ca/