WES finds endangered plant species in the thousands after successful translocation!
Westervelt Ecological Services
Conservation. Ecological restoration. Mitigation banking. Working with Nature. It's what we do.
In September 2020, WES translocated seed and soil for Boggs Lake hedge-hyssop (Gratiola heterosepala) to our Markham Ravine Mitigation Site in Placer County, CA. Boggs Lake hedge-hyssop is a California endangered plant species found in very shallow water, generally around the edge of vernal pools. The annual plant grows a few centimeters tall, with a small tubular white flower.
WES took seed and soil from another site with a known Boggs Lake hedge-hyssop population. WES placed the soil in 25 vernal pools and one seasonal wetland at Markham Ravine. In the spring of 2021, WES staff didn’t observe any of the plant species on site.
This year was a much different story. WES staff observed over 8,000 plants in 7 pools on the site. To find so many individuals at the site is remarkable, since most botanists in California have only seen a few individuals of this plant throughout their entire career (if at all).
Having such a successful translocation is a significant accomplishment for the WES team and great news for the Boggs Lake hedge-hyssop population in California.