Wednesday, January 27, 2021 — 7:30 pm
Speaker: Kate Marianchild
Have you ever wondered what kinds of oaks dot California’s hills and line our fertile valleys, providing our state’s most wildlife-rich habitats? Well, help is at hand. In a talk filled with humor and fun memory aids, author and naturalist Kate Marianchild will teach us to identify northern California’s oaks by their acorns, caps, leaves, and galls. With acorns in hand, you will learn how to distinguish a valley oak from an Oregon oak and a canyon live oak from a coast live oak. Kate will also share cool facts about oaks, including their co-evolutionary relationships with California scrub-jays and caterpillars. This one-hour talk will be followed by time for questions and answers.
Kate asks that you go out and collect a few acorns with caps as soon as possible. Bring them to the talk, along with a few pieces of paper and a writing implement.
Kate is a naturalist, speaker, and the author of Secrets of the Oak Woodlands: Plants and Animals among California’s Oaks. She is also the author of Identifying the Common Oaks of Northern and Central California, a two-sided, full-color laminated oak identification field guide available for purchase on her website. Kate currently leads walks, gives talks, teaches classes, and advocates for oak woodland conservation.
Our CNPS East Bay speaker programs will be presented as online meetings until it is once again safe to gather in person. If you have questions, contact programs@ebcnps.org.