five-one-oh
Living local, urban design, sustainability, landscape architecture, and places in the East Bay. Design that works where it is.
Beach Strawberry
This California native plant, Fragaria chiloiensis, grows quickly in our yard in Oakland. Sometimes it grows too well, spreading into areas intended for less rambunctious native plants. Still, it’s a great groundcover in sun or part shade. It’s more drought tolerant with some shade during part of the day.
The reason why I’m thinking about this plant today, is the following description by Kelly Hardwicke, a senior botanist and pollinator expert at H.T. Harvey & Associates, an ecological consulting firm with whom I’m currently working:
“Fragaria…is one of the most valuable herbaceous caterpillar host genera in North America, providing host opportunities for over 70 native lepidopteran species.”
That means butterflies. Come on over to our yard; we’ve got Fragaria for all.
five-one-oh 