* Monday, Sept 20th, 7PM to 9PM. Native Plants for Pollinators -- Research from the OSU Garden Ecology Lab. Presented by Gail Langellotto, professor of horticulture at OSU. Native plant gardening has been ranked as one of the top three landscape and garden trends over the past few years, in part because of the benefits that they offer to pollinators. However, native plants are not widely planted by home gardeners, and only limited selections can be found at many retail nurseries. This talk will share research conducted by the OSU Garden Ecology Lab for the past four years that has addressed the following questions:

•   Which Willamette Valley native plants are most attractive to pollinators?
•   Why aren't native plants more broadly available for purchase?
•   What native plants are most attractive (according to Oregon gardeners), and which native plant traits gave gardeners concern?
•   Are native cultivars a good approach to some of the problems associated with the production and sale of native plants?
•   Do pollinators visit native cultivars as much as they do native plants?
•   Finally, we will end with our recommendations for native plants that western Oregon gardeners should plant, if they want to support Oregon's pollinators.

  This program is likely to be presented on Zoom. Details not yet available. Future programs may be in-person.

* Saturday, August 7th, all day. Hike the John Dellenback Trail and see what the Siuslaw National Forest is up to with dunes restoration. This area is a “preserve the best” unit, meaning it has an abundance of native dunes plants – adapted to open sand conditions reminiscent of historic dunes conditions before the planting and expansion of European beachgrass, brooms and other invasive species. We’ll see seashore bluegrass, sand fescue and bearberry plant associations among other native dunes species. The sand boundary was treated during late summer 2020 by cutting and wiping Scotch broom, spraying European beachgrass, and cutting small pines. Meet at south Eugene High School east parking lot (19th and Patterson St.) at 8:00 am to carpool or at Dellenback Trail at 10:30 am.(To get to John Dellenback Dunes Trailhead go to the junction of Hwy 101 and 38 in Reedsport and turn south on Hwy 101. Go about 11 miles. Turn west toward Eel Creek Campground and follow road to the end for trailhead parking). Drivers will need a parking pass. Hike will be 3-4 miles round trip (it is an out and back trail). If you want to continue on to the ocean, the round trip is 5.4 miles. Sand dunes hiking can be strenuous, windy, chilly. Bring water, lunch and sun coverage. Sign up here

*PLEASE NOTE* - You can watch John Bishop's very worthwhile presentation to Emerald Chapter (recorded April 19) on plant succession since the eruption at Mt St. Helens 40 years ago here. You can also view other previously recorded NPSO Emerald Chapter Programs here.