Nature Art Sale to Benefit Education Programs at the Refuge

California Bay with Bush Tits by Kathy Kleinsteiber

California Bay with Bushtits
Umbellularia californica, Psaltriparus minimus
California bay, also called California laurel, bay laurel and pepperwood, is a large hardwood tree that grows in California’s coastal forests and in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It tolerates serpentine soil, although it grows taller in areas without serpentine. It has flower buds for much of the year; the small clusters of yellowish green flowers appear in late winter and early spring. The fruit ripens in late fall.
Tiny bushtits travel in small flocks from plant to plant, often hanging upside down, while gleaning small insects from the undersides of leaves.

California Buckeye with California Towhee by Kathy Kleinsteiber

California Buckeye with California Towhee
Aesculus californica, Melozone crissalis
California buckeye is a charismatic plant that is native only to California. It is summer deciduous and all of its seasonal phases are impressive, including the large breaking leaf buds in early spring, the showy flower stalks in late spring, and the large fruit hanging in the leafless trees in the fall.
California towhees are common in much of California, often seen on the ground, but can also be found perching in trees such as the buckeye.

California Coffeeberry with Dark-eyed Junco by Kathy Kleinsteiber

California Coffeeberry with Dark-eyed Junco
Frangula californica, Junco hyemalis
California coffeeberry is often found in serpentine soils. It has very small flowers in the summer, followed by berries that change from green to red to deep purple. The berries look a bit like coffee beans, but don’t be tempted to eat them. They have a powerful laxative effect! Coffeeberry plants provide shelter and nesting habitat for birds, such as the female dark-eyed junco seen in this painting.

Coyote Brush with Ruby-crowned Kinglets by Kathy Kleinsteiber

Coyote Brush with Ruby-crowned Kinglets
Baccharis pilularis, Regulus calendula
Coyote brush is a very common shrub throughout much of California. It is dioecious, meaning that there are male plants and female plants. The plant on the left in this painting is the male plant with its tiny blooms. The plant on the right is the female plant with its flowers and fruit. The flowers bloom in the winter and produce seeds in late winter.
Coyote brush is popular with many small birds, such as the ruby-crowned kinglet depicted here. The male bird is shown in the male plant; the female bird is shown in the female plant. The male shows his ruby crown only occasionally. Ruby-crowned kinglets are winter visitors to much of California. They migrate to the mountains or north for the summer.

Toyon with Bumblebee by Kathy Kleinsteiber

Toyon with Bumblebee
Heteromeles arbutifolia, Bombus sp.
Toyon is a common shrub of the California chaparral and oak woodlands. Large clusters of small white flowers bloom in early summer. The strong scent brings many insects to the flowers, including bumblebees, such as the one depicted here.
The bright red fruit ripens in the fall and persists through much of the winter. Many birds and mammals feast on the fruit.
Toyon is sometimes called California Holly or Christmas Berry. It is a principle plant of the Hollywood hills, and the famous movie mecca is said to have gotten its name from this plant.

Monterey Cypress by Kathy Kleinsteiber

Monterey Cypress
Cupressus macrocarpa
This is the only artwork in this display that depicts a species that does not live in the oak woodlands. It was painted for a group show of plants on the island of Alcatraz.
Alcatraz, the infamous former prison on a rocky island in the San Francisco Bay, is where you will find the tree depicted in this painting. The island was originally the home only to native grasses and to thousands of birds. Gardens were planted on Alcatraz when it was a fort and later when it was a prison.
The Monterey cypress is native to the central coast of California. In the 1920s, many San Francisco residents found Alcatraz to be an eyesore, so the California Wildflower and Spring Blossom Society donated Monterey cypress trees to beautify the island. They have been thriving there ever since.

Leather Oak with Stink Bug and Beaked Twig Galls by Kathy Kleinsteiber

Leather Oak with Stink Bug and Beaked Twig Galls
Quercus durata, Chinavia hilaris, Disholcaspis plumbella
Leather oak is a very small shrub oak only found in serpentine areas of California. Leather oaks can grow up to 10 feet tall, but many are less than 3 feet tall. Individual plants produce both male and female flowers in the summer. The male flowers are borne on thin catkins. The female flowers are inconspicuous and closer to the branches. The female flowers become tiny, immature acorns, which ripen to big, round acorns in the fall. Sometimes dried catkins are found with the mature acorns, as shown in the painting.
Many insects are attracted to the leather oak. The stink bug shown here is feasting on a leaf. The beaked twig wasp lays its eggs on the leather oak, injecting a chemical that causes the oak to make the colorful galls shown here.