Introduction to the Backyard Naturalist Series

Occasionally, we tend to forget that nature is all around us, that the urban greenspaces, suburban backyards and even small farms we encounter in our everyday lives may be considered mini-ecosystems in their own right.  Sometimes we don't need to drive to the mountains or coast, or plan an epic week-long camping trip; sometimes we just need a reminder that the neighborhood in which our home now sits was once a balanced natural ecosystem, and perhaps all we need to do is rediscover it.

Charismatic and dazzlingly blue, California scrub-jays (Aphelocoma californica) are common
backyard residents in these parts, as well as characteristic denizens of the surrounding
oak woodlands.

My house sits on the fertile soil (Tujunga loamy sand, to be exact, derived from ancient alluvial fans) of California's Great Central Valley, in an upland region between two major rivers, the Tuolumne to the north and the Merced to the south.  The San Joaquin River lies twelve or fifteen miles west of town and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada begin to rise less than 20 miles to the east.  While lush and verdant riparian woodlands once lined these valley rivers, the region now occupied by my neighborhood was an upland habitat, one of predominately bunchgrasses and wildflowers, perhaps scattered with a few valley oaks.

Today, it is a town of 70,000 inhabitants, with acres upon acres of lush green lawns, non-native trees, pavement and ever-growing shopping centers (who shops in all these stores??), hemmed in on every side by agricultural fields, orchards, vineyards and dairies nearly as far as the eye can see.  On hazy horizons to the east and west, rising up from the otherwise flat landscape, are golden hills that hint at wilderness regions beyond.  I was raised in this town, enveloped as it is by suburban homes and farms, with nary a native plant in sight.  But I plan to change that, by bringing a bit of the natural world to my own land and planting a garden of native plants around my home.

(Aside: if you are so fortunate as to live in a house situated in an intact ecosystem, surrounded by native vegetation and visited by native wildlife, I am immensely jealous.  Bonus points if you have hiking trails that begin in your own backyard!)

My ever-growing collection of native plants, waiting to be planted this fall

I am a strong advocate of experiencing nature wherever there is nature to be experienced, even if it is no farther than your own backyard.  Even a suburban backyard can provide a wealth of fascinating discoveries for the budding naturalist.

Now that I actually have a backyard of my own, I have decided to begin writing a "Backyard Naturalist" series, which I intend to revisit from time to time.  My objective is to document our progress as we slowly convert our quarter acre piece of of the Great Central Valley from a huge 1950's-era Bermuda grass lawn to a thriving and productive mini ecosystem that will eventually supply the majority of our fruits and vegetables, along with an abundance of food and habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.

Our front yard, in the beginning stages of lawn removal

After studying environmental horticulture in college and earning a degree in agricultural biology, I happily got my hands dirty and boots muddy working at a nursery, and went on to spend nearly four years of work on an organic market farm.  Now, after a few years of apartment living (and terribly unsuccessful container gardening on our shady patio), I am happy to have the chance to garden on a large scale once again!

Seedling of a locally native silver bush lupine (Lupinus albifrons)

So, what does being a gardener have to do with being a naturalist?

For certain types of folks (I call them backyard naturalists) is has everything to do with being a naturalist!

Backyard naturalists are every bit as interested in the natural world around them, but for one reason or another prefer to stick closer to home.  Rather than roaming farther afield, backyard naturalists make a point to intimately acquaint themselves with the natural world just beyond their doorstep.  Whether in an urban apartment, suburban neighborhood, or small farm, backyard naturalists discover and delight in the weeds and wildflowers, bats and squirrels, birds and bugs, lizards and frogs that live in close proximity to our dwelling places.

Flowers on a newly-planted Woolly Blue Curls (Trichostema lanatum), a wonderfully fragrant California native plant

Backyard naturalists and those gardener-naturalists among us are those who realize that we have a responsibility to the land we have been blessed with, a responsibility to care for it through organic, sustainable practices.

Backyard naturalists realize the sad truth that many of us have become almost entirely divorced from the rhythms and cycles of nature and food production.  (And, more profoundly, they realize that these two factions - nature/ecology/the environment and gardening/agriculture/food production - don't have to be and shouldn't be at odds with each other!)

A Western fence lizard eyeballs me from its sunny perch on the fence.  These guys are great to have around the garden!

Articles in the "Backyard Naturalist" series will celebrate these fine folks and their unique love of the natural world that is so nearby though often sorrowfully neglected, as well as document my own ventures into the wilderness of suburbia.

Topics will include some of my very favorite activities, drawing upon my past experiences as well as my current trial-and-error projects.  A few themes I hope to explore are:

Composting
Gardening with California Native Plants
Gardening for Pollinators and Other Beneficial Insects
Wildlife Habitat Gardens (including building nesting boxes and bird baths)
Fruit Trees, Berry Bushes and Grape Vines
No-till Organic Vegetable Gardens and Cut Flower Gardens

Two of my first projects are converting our 1200 square foot front lawn (pictured above) to a native plant garden, and planting a backyard desert garden around an existing palo verde tree.

Late October, and our palo verde tree is still blooming!

The plant palette for the front yard is loosely based on nearby central oak woodland habitats (though most unfortunately a web of overhead power lines prohibit the planting of a large Valley Oak), with a few compatible plants pulled from more southern and even coastal plant communities, purely for their ornamental value (because what's a California native garden without a few of our native Salvias?).  My backyard desert garden was inspired by camping trips in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Mojave National Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park, and already includes one of my favorites, Apricot Globe Mallow.

Flowers on a newly-planted Apricot Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), a plant native to California's deserts

I've already counted 17 species of birds in and around our backyard, including Great Horned Owls and Western Screech Owls, a Cooper's Hawk, and a Red-breasted Sapsucker.  I am curious to see if the addition of native plants, water features and even nesting boxes makes our property more attractive to native species.

To prepare for this project and your own endeavors as a backyard naturalist, I recommend the following books:

The California Wildlife Habitat Garden: How to Attract Bees, Butterflies, Birds and Other Animals (Nancy Bauer)

Native Treasures: Gardening With the Plants of California (Nevin Smith)

The California Native Landscape: The Homeowner's Design Guide to Restoring It's Beauty and Balance (Greg Rubin & Lucy Warren)

The Landscaping Ideas of Jays: A Natural History of the Backyard Restoration Garden (Judith Larner Lowry)

Gardening with a Wild Heart: Restoring California's Native Landscapes at Home (Judith Larner Lowry)


I hope you will enjoy the adventure of becoming a backyard naturalist!