Rachael L. Olliff Yang, Ph.D. botanizing Chapter Meeting – September 11, 2023
“The importance of flowering season duration and planting for pollinators”
Speaker: Dr. Rachael L. Olliff-Yang
September 11, 2023 7:30 pm PT
Flowering time in California follows patterns driven by the cool wet winters and hot dry summers of our Mediterranean-type climate. The rapid life cycles of our native invertebrate pollinators (including bees, flies, and butterflies) are tightly in sync with these rhythms. However, climate change is causing shifts in the timing and abundance of plants and pollinators due to changes in temperature and moisture cues. These shifts can strain mutualistic relationships and lead to population decline. Sufficient flowering resources across the season, as well as extended flowering at the beginning and end of the season, may aid in supporting plant-pollinator mutualisms.
In this talk, Rachael will discuss the mechanisms that influence the flowering duration, and how strategic planting to extend flowering time—whether in restorations, hedgerows, or your home garden setting—can support both pollinator and plant populations. She will also discuss how to keep California Biodiversity Day (Sept 7th!) going all year long, and extend an invitation to the upcoming 30×30 Partnership Gathering in Riverside CA.
Bio: Dr. Rachael Olliff-Yang is a plant ecologist, writer, and educator, and works as a technical science support for California’s 30×30 initiative – conserving 30% of California by 2030. Her research focuses on plant flowering time and management strategies to respond to climate change impacts. She is a resident of Novato, where she teaches nature classes for kids and is an enthusiastic volunteer for the Marin CNPS chapter.
Rachael completed her Masters degree in Biology at Humboldt State University examining the timing of Beach pea (Lathyrus littoralis) flowering and Silver bee (Habropoda miserabilis) nesting in the coastal dunes. After examining the influences of climate change on this mutualism, she was driven to explore potential management techniques to respond to predicted impacts. This led her to her PhD work with David Ackerly at UC Berkeley where she examined the influences of abiotic and biotic drivers of flowering time. She continues her work in conservation by supporting the science and practice behind 30×30. Rachael is passionate about conservation and making science and nature accessible to all.
via Zoom
