*California buckwheat, transitioning to its deep rust hue in the summer.*

By Taylor Haynes, CCSEP Secretary

The Sixth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report, released August 9, says the world is warming faster than previously estimated and affecting every corner of the globe. With the inevitable 1.5⁰ C increase, most places will experience more heat waves, longer summers and shorter winters. For those living in Los Angeles or other densely populated cities, the impacts could be amplified due to a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect.

For as long as I can remember, climate change has been a source of stress and existential anxiety.

Whether it was late nights worrying about rising sea levels or evacuating from a forest fire that threatened my childhood home in 2002, a warming and more precarious world has felt like an ever-present and urgent concern. I found it easy (and even sometimes self-soothing) to surrender to hopelessness.

That attitude has changed since joining the Citizens Committee to Save Elysian Park in April 2020. When I moved to Los Angeles from Northern Arizona in August 2017, one of the first places I visited was Elysian Park. From the time I first sat in the shade of the Chavez Ravine Arboretum or admired the view of downtown from Angel’s Point, I knew Elysian Park was a special place that needs attention and protection. The Committee members’ expansive knowledge and fervent passion for the park (many have served on the board for decades) was inspiring and motivating.

During my time on the Committee, I’ve discovered some of the most beautiful aspects of the park as well as some of the steepest challenges it faces in the coming decades. L.A. will undoubtedly become hotter and drier, and the Committee has prioritized building a climate-resilient landscape within the Park’s boundaries. A huge part of that is the plants we choose to introduce and nurture.

A Conversation with Genevieve Arnold from the Theodore Payne Foundation

To learn about the types of plants that have the best shot at survival in a warmer world, I reached out to the Theodore Payne Foundation’s Seed Program Manager, Genevieve Arnold. A horticulturist and conservationist who has studied California’s flora for decades, Genevieve is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to California’s diverse plant species, their role in the greater ecosystem and impressive adaptations to cope with conditions like drought and warmer weather.

Though exotic plants might look more exciting and may be adapted to similar environments, Genevieve explains that they won’t be as hardy nor as beneficial for the local ecosystem as native species. Furthermore, many types of native plants sequester carbon, removing it from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil.

“Incorporating native plants into landscapes is one of the best ways to address climate change,” Genevieve says. “They have evolved in the region over thousands of years. They’re going to be resilient with all the stressors of climate change. With hotter temperatures, a genetically diverse, locally sourced native plant is going to be the most vigorous and have the best disease resistance and survival rate.”

When hiking through Elysian Park at the height of summer, it’s easy to assume many of the plants are dead, with their brown and withered appearance. Yet, as Genevieve explained, a closer look reveals myriad adaptations to help the plant survive on a sunbaked hillside.

For instance, many California natives enter a period of dormancy or semi-dormancy in the summer. It’s a period of rest and optimum efficiency: the plant exerts the minimum amount of energy to survive. Though it might not display dramatic blooms or verdant leaves through the summer, these plants quietly weather the toughest season. Our patience is rewarded when the landscape is revived with the cooler weather and moisture of autumn and winter.

“To me, there’s incredible beauty in these plants’ ability to last the course, adaptively cycling through the seasons year after year,” Genevieve says.

The incredible contrast between deerweed in spring versus summer.

Native plant species that are dormant or semi-dormant during the summer include deerweed, an important and multitasking species. Deerweed produces bright yellow flowers during the spring and early summer. After pollination, the plant drops its leaves and goes completely dormant during the summer. Deerweed is an “obligate seeder,” meaning it only regenerates by seed after a fire, and a “pioneer species,” among the first to return after a fire or other disturbance and promote vegetation recovery.

Another example of a seasonally dormant species is black sage. Growing up to ten feet in width, black sage is an immediately noticeable species in Southern California’s landscapes. Resilient and long-lasting, the sage loses some of its leaves during the hottest and driest months to conserve energy.

California buckwheat is a species that does not go completely dormant but displays seasonally adaptive mechanisms. A keystone shrub species, it blooms with pink and white flowers during the early spring, darkening to a stunning rust color as the seasons progress. Attracting plentiful bees and butterflies, the buckwheat eventually sheds some of its dried floral material and leaves, creating a natural mulch for the soil.

Other adaptations Genevieve highlighted include the volatile oils found in species such as white and black sage. These oils not only protect the plant from predators and attract pollinators, but they also help retain water.

Genevieve also pointed out the numerous leaf adaptations that give certain Southern California natives a distinct advantage. Examine certain plants, such as the hoary-leaved Ceanothus or the black sage, and you’ll discover one side of its thick, leathery leaves are coated in a white fuzz. Though it might not seem like much, the addition of these small hairs provide insulation from heat, reflect sunlight and shade the leaf surface.

Moreover, plants, such as the laurel sumac, have folded leaves, which also reduce sun exposure and retain water. Many chaparral species, including the ever-present chamise shrub, reduce evaporation through recessed stomata (the pores in leaves controlling evaporation and the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide).

Building a Climate-Resilient Park and Community

Clearly, our earth and species has entered a time of immense transition — and, as I realized from my conversation with Genevieve, we can learn a lot from the plants with which we share the earth. Perhaps we can mimic their responses to a shifting climate, modifying the way we lead our lives, embracing periods of rest versus productivity and discovering new, creative ways to support each other and the environment. Perhaps we can better acknowledge and appreciate the resiliency of humble yet majestic drought-tolerant landscapes.

“Along with adapting to climate change, we can adjust our perception of beauty,” Genevieve says. “We’re going to have to think differently about landscapes and what we think of as beautiful. There is immense beauty in longevity and resiliency.”

Elysian Park may prove key in L.A.’s response to climate change. According to MIT, reintroducing vegetation (such as with expanding parkland) can combat the urban heat island effect. However, it’s not just about planting any drought-tolerant shrub. Native plant species will have a much better chance at survival and support pollinators — an essential piece of our entire ecosystem (and our food system) — but it will take work and dedication to ensure Elysian Park remains an invaluable channel for local wildlife, including hawks, coyotes and Monarch butterflies.

“Restoration requires dedication and patience,” Genevieve admits. “It’s a long-term investment, celebrating one success at a time, but it’s a way we can say we love Los Angeles, we love our shared land and we want to do our part for climate change resiliency.”

Of course, climate change is a huge and complex challenge and, in many ways, it still feels terrifying and overwhelming. I’ve become more hopeful, though, because of my work with the Citizens Committee and interactions with smart and committed people like Genevieve. Climate change becomes more manageable when you understand it from a community, neighborhood or even park level.

Collaborating with a local group, like the Citizens Committee to Save Elysian Park, could bring you hope, too.

Find out how you can get involved.