The Watsonville Wetlands Watch will host its 5th annual Native Plant Sale on Saturday October 7 at the Fitz Wetlands Educational Resource Center (WERC) building at the top of Pajaro Valley High School campus in Watsonville. The plant sale will run from 8:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. The community is invited to attend this event where they can buy native plants from a selection of over 60 different species, learn about their benefits, and talk with staff and volunteer experts about how to grow, care for and design a beautiful drought tolerant landscape.
Why buy native? In short, it is great for the environment. Planting native plant can help birds, bees and butterflies thrive right in your own backyard. With good planning, a native landscape can have flowering plants and brilliant color year-round Native plants are also drought tolerant, needing little to no summer irrigation, saving a great deal of water. There will also be a wide selection of native plants that are edible, medicinal, rare and unique.
Alongside the Native Plant Sale, guests will be able to venture inside the Patrick Fitz Wetlands Education Resource Center where volunteer docents will be present to talk about the role of freshwater wetlands and the surrounding habitats of the Pajaro Valley and allow guests to interact with live snakes, turtles, and newts.
There will also be a comprehensive display of native plants foraged from the Watsonville wetlands so that guests can see the amazing diversity of plants found in the freshwater wetlands and watershed and where you can get a sneak peek of the fully-grown version of the plants they choose to purchase at the sale.
For younger visitors, Pajaro Valley High School students participating in the Wetland Stewards mentorship program will be on hand with educational games.
All proceeds from the native plant sale will directly support the education and restoration programs of the Watsonville Wetlands Watch, which reach over 2,500 students each year with hands-on outdoor learning, restore habitat across over 1000 acres of wetlands, uplands and trails in Watsonville, provide free lectures, tours, and community planting events each year, and preserve wetlands and natural places for wildlife and people.
Since 1991, Watsonville Wetlands Watch has been working in the Pajaro Valley to protect and restore the land, the waters, and the wildlife of the Pajaro Valley wetlands and adjacent uplands; to educate our youth to value nature and its ecosystems; and to help the public appreciate the unique beauty and importance of this irreplaceable natural treasure.
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For more information please visit the website at www.watsonvillewetlandswatch.org or visit our Watsonville Wetlands Watch page on Facebook.