The Native Guild
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The Native Guild
@thenativeguild.bsky.social
Helping Santa Barbara County turn boring lawns into buzzing habitats, one native plant at a time.
We teach you how to plant native plants, attract pollinators, and fall in love with your local ecosystem.
Less mowing, more monarchs!
#TheNativeGuild
Project Monarch 💖

This isn’t just a research effort

It’s an URGENT, high-tech intervention to save a species currently proposed for protection under the Endangered Species Act

swmonarchs.org/ProjectMonar...

#ProjectMonarch #HelpSaveMonarchs #MonarchButterfly #GrowNativePlants #TheNativeGuild
December 14, 2025 at 4:47 PM
You can help save Monarch Butterflies💖

1. Download the Project Monarch app to your phone
2. Turn it on
3. While outside - your phone will 'ping' when a monarch with a tracker is near
4. Upload the info

Simple & Important!

Go to: www.swmonarchs.org/ProjectMonarch

#ProjectMonarch #MonarchButterfly
December 13, 2025 at 4:18 PM
The Western Monarch population has been decimated, with one recent overwintering count at Ellwood Main tallying only four individuals

This decline is fueled by habitat loss (milkweed, breeding, and overwintering groves), pesticide use, and climate change
#GrowNativePlants #MonarchButterflies
December 11, 2025 at 7:23 PM
💖Project Monarch in Goleta

For decades, we knew shockingly little about the monarchs’ local movements, despite the species being one of the most recognizable in the world

This new technology is a revelation

Tiny solar-powered tracking tags are transmitting crucial data about their travels
December 11, 2025 at 12:12 AM
🌿The majestic monarch butterfly, a creature whose tiny wings carry it across a continent, is quietly facing extinction

But in California, a groundbreaking project is using tiny technology so precise it feels like science fiction—all to solve the enduring mysteries of this iconic insect’s survival
December 9, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Hello Bluesky! I just published a new article on Substack about the heroic efforts to save the Monarch Butterfly in Goleta - Check it out!!

The $200 Backpack: How Ultra-Tiny Tech is Racing to Save the Monarch Butterfly
open.substack.com/pub/ginaradu...
#MonarchButterfly #Monarchs #GrowNativePlants
The $200 Backpack: How Ultra-Tiny Tech is Racing to Save the Monarch Butterfly
Technology might be the answer to helping this magnificent species
open.substack.com
December 9, 2025 at 12:07 AM
🌿Native plants and native insects (like moth and butterfly caterpillars) have co-evolved over millennia

🐛Caterpillars are often specialized to eat only specific native plants because they have developed the necessary enzymes to digest that plant's unique defensive compounds
#GrowNativePlants
December 7, 2025 at 5:32 PM
🌾December - in your native garden:

Cut back perennial ornamental grasses (like Deer Grass or California Fescue) to refresh them, typically to about 4–6 inches above the ground, if you didn't do so in the fall
#NativeGrasses #GrowNativePlants #Bunchgrasses #TheNativeGuild
December 6, 2025 at 4:25 PM
California Native Bunchgrasses🌾

The health of California's native perennial grasslands is rooted in Chumash tradition with managed, controlled, frequent burning

This practice promoted healthy native bunchgrasses, inhibited invasives, and shows a deep co-evolved ecological relationship
#GrowNatives
December 5, 2025 at 11:01 PM
🌾California Native Bunchgrasses

Santa Barbara’s historical grasslands were dominated by perennial bunchgrasses—plants that grow in dense clumps rather than forming a continuous sod

Adding these into your garden provides natural texture and incredible drought resilience 🌿
#GrowNatives #Bunchgrasses
December 3, 2025 at 5:40 PM
🌾 Native Bunchgrasses: Drought Heroes!

Once established, most native bunchgrasses are highly drought-tolerant 💧

If you prefer to keep them greener, a deep soaking once a month in summer is usually enough
#Bunchgrasses #NativeGrasses #GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden #TheNativeGuild
December 2, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Hello, Bluesky! I just posted a new Substack article about California's Native Grasses🌾

🌿 The Golden State's Unsung Heroes: A Guide to Native Grasses in Santa Barbara County
open.substack.com/pub/ginaradu...
#CaliforniaNativeGrasses #NativeGrasses #GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden #TheNativeGuild
🌿 The Golden State's Unsung Heroes: A Guide to Native Grasses in Santa Barbara County
The Foundation of Local Habitat: How Bunchgrasses Bring Birds, Bees, and Butterflies to Your Coastal Garden
open.substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:50 PM
🌿California ferns are like the state’s ecological “memory,” holding onto strategies millions of years old while still fitting gracefully into today’s diverse landscapes

They’re quiet survivors that shaped California long before its modern ecosystems existed
#CaliforniaNativeFern #Fern #GrowNatives
November 30, 2025 at 4:21 PM
🌿Ferns

Some species have wild drought survival tricks

Cliff ferns can shrivel almost to nothing, desert-style, to ride out dry spells

Others, like chain ferns, thrive in constant seepage zones, adapting to ever-shifting water flow
#Ferns #GrowNativePlants #NativeFerns #TheNativeGuild
November 29, 2025 at 3:29 PM
🌿Gardening with native ferns on the Central California coast means working with the land, not against it

Give them the right light, soil, and moisture, and they’ll thrive with little more than seasonal tidying
#NativeFern #Ferns #GrowNativePlants #TheNativeGuild
November 28, 2025 at 8:37 PM
🌿Ferns are among the planet’s oldest plant lineages, predating flowering plants by hundreds of millions of years

They have withstood dramatic climate swings, wildfires, droughts, and floods—yet remain gentle, understated presences in the landscape
#Ferns #GrowNativePlants #TheNativeGuild
November 27, 2025 at 5:44 PM
🌿Ferns aren’t just beautiful—they’re soil stabilizers

Their dense roots hold slopes and stream edges, and their shedding fronds enrich the soil

In a garden facing drought and erosion, ferns are both ornament and ally
#GrowNativePlants #Ferns #TheNativeGuild #PollinatorGarden
November 26, 2025 at 3:29 PM
🌿Native ferns are particularly well adapted to the central coast’s Mediterranean climate: cool, damp winters; long, dry summers; and, generous morning fog

Their fronds create a living tapestry—softening hard edges, filling understory gaps, and offering shelter for small wildlife
#Fern #GrowNatives
November 25, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Mass Blackout starts tomorrow!💴
#MassBlackout #BlackoutTheSystem #BoycottBlackFriday
November 24, 2025 at 4:49 PM
✨Happy Monday, Bluesky! I just released a new article on Substack - All about ferns🌿

Growing Native Ferns on the Central California Coast: A Guide to Lush, Low-Maintenance Beauty
open.substack.com/pub/ginaradu...
#NativeFern #PollinatorGarden #GrowNativePlants #TheNativeGuild
Growing Native Ferns on the Central California Coast: A Guide to Lush, Low-Maintenance Beauty
Why these ancient plants are essential allies in a changing climate
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:41 PM
🌿Why you should consider adding Dudleya to your garden:

They look like something chiseled by light and time: chalk-white rosettes, bluish spirals, silvery fans, pencil-like green leaves

Some appear frosted with moonlight; others glow in afternoon sun
#Dudleya #GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden
November 23, 2025 at 7:04 PM
🌿Dudleya-Live Forever

They grow in sculptural rosettes, sometimes solitary, sometimes forming impressive clumps over decades

Their flowering stalks emerge annually from the base, rising dramatically above the foliage before setting seed
#Dudleya #GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden #TheNativeGuild
November 22, 2025 at 11:00 PM
🌿Despite their toughness, Dudleya need one thing above all: excellent drainage

Their natural cliffside habitats shed water fast, and in heavy soil or overwatered pots, their roots can rot

When in doubt, think *cliffside* — that’s the vibe they thrive on
#GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden #Dudleya
November 21, 2025 at 10:53 PM
🌿Dudleyas are masters at clonal growth

They can reproduce through seeds or through their pups that form off the base of the plant
#Dudleya #GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden #TheNativeGuild
November 20, 2025 at 8:10 PM