Fall Habitat Gardening Workshop Series with Charlotte Torgovitsky
- Saturday, October 28, from 10 am to 2 pm – Oak woodlands, grassland, and chaparral plant communities
- Saturday, November 4, from 10 am to 2 pm – Riparian Areas
Meet at TIRN office headquarters, 9255 Sir Francis Blvd. / RSVP to audrey@tirn.net
On Saturday, October 28, from 10 am to 2 pm, we’ll learn how to build habitat in Oak woodlands, grassland, and chaparral plant communities. In celebration of Oak trees, we’ll start the day with acorn pancakes and elderberry syrup. We’ll hear from habitat gardening expert Charlotte Torgovitsky, of CNPS Marin and Home Ground Habitats, about butterflies, native bees, and other pollinators, and how to care for them in your yard. We’ll also learn tips on how to raise caterpillars, how to create a ‘food hedge,’ about gardening around Oaks, and simple ways to add water to gardens. We’ll be doing hands-on learning too, by visiting a Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN) restoration site and planting Oak understory species right at our office site.
The second workshop is on Saturday, November 4, from 10 am to 2 pm. This workshop will focus on riparian zones. Vegetated riparian corridors are critical to aquatic species and provide benefits to all other wildlife species. We’ll tell you about what we are doing to protect the fish in the San Geronimo Valley, and Charlotte will tell you about the butterflies, birds, and aquatic insects common to riparian zones. We’ll talk about the plants common to riparian zones in Marin, appropriate bank placement, and ways to improve habitat for a variety of wildlife. Finally, we’ll gain hands-on experience with building willow walls, which are an excellent bank stabilization technique. We will also demonstrate an easy technique useful for propagation of sedges, rushes, and creeping grasses.
Each workshop includes a free 1 gallon habitat plant of your choice, as well as the opportunity to ask local native plant experts questions about your yard. We are asking for a voluntary $20 contribution for each workshop. We’ll meet at the Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN) office headquarters, at 9255 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.
