IT’S UNBELEAFABLE

How many of us think about grass on a daily basis? Not many I expect, and yet it occupies our culture in so many facets. We eat their seeds and sneeze from their pollen. We look at the verdant mountains of their green hue and observe the wind wolves that use them to travel the hillsides, carving a path through the rolling mounds of California. We pull their roots from our gardens, and their burs from our socks. It is an ever-present lifeform that we exist with.

The last few seasons, as I have keyed out their species tirelessly during the only time of year when they flower, I have gained an appreciation for the Poaceae family. A simple family, in which we tell them apart by their shy enclosed flowers or the joints in which they grow from. 

One grass in particular has occupied my dreams, purple needlegrass or Stipa pulchra. I am sure many of you know it– it may have nodded to you with its purple inflorescence at the Ojai Meadows Preserve or between the openings in chaparral along the foothills. It is a bunch grass that can live up to 200 years. Too often we think of only trees lasting this long, but the grasses that are here have watched the many generations of flora and fauna. It is a species extremely compatible with other plants and animals. It is the everlasting home for insects and rodents, and the trailblazer in disturbed and exposed areas between chaparral and woodlands. Our local Stipa is the host for countless other plants. Both rare and common flowering bulbs and annuals settle between the grasses, creating a compassionate and breathing meadow. Beneath the soil, the creature’s roots travel down 20 feet in which they help anchor the earth and regulate water absorption and distribution. 

And yet, the strong and resilient grass (along with the living things that depend on it) have dwindled more and more as we have encroached into its habitat, or introduced aggressive species that compete for its niche. I tell you this not to spark any fear or sense of loss, though those are feelings that I experience as I write this. But I hope to call attention. OVLC has a special meadow, the El Nido Meadow, that is an offshoot of Will’s Canyon Trail. This year the flowers are exploding from the winter systems. I hope you all can witness this quiet splendor this year. 

And as we have watched the meadow flower this season, with that comes seed, that we will propagate and spread throughout the valley through the means of restoration. 

Sophie McLean
Native Plant Specialist