The Plants Need Us to Speak Up For em: A Conversation with Nick Hummingbird

California Native plant expert Nicholas Hummingbird, Cahuilla/Apache, is founder and manager of Hahamongna Nursery in Pasadena. The nursery, in the Arroyo Seco watershed, has four dozen species of plants under cultivation that are native to the L.A. Basin and surrounding hills. Blending commitment to his Native heritage with a desire to share knowledge, Nick is a persuasive spokesperson for the many benefits of native plants. We spoke with him earlier this year.

Why is Traditional Ecological Knowledge important?

Here, in California as a whole, indigenous people for thousands of years were so entwined with the land that the disappearance of our interaction with the land has really suffered. We were entwined that we learned our place and what we did would enhance things and nature was truly a part of our everyday well-being and our survival that we just destroyed it. We have to come back to that. We have to learn that there are impacts to what we do.

When we do realize that what we do impacts so much, we start to look at solutions. How can we do things better? How can we do things differently? Thats what we have to come to. Its easy to say that were the big problem but were not just going to go away like that. Theres still opportunity to fix this. Its [about] making better choices. Being hopeful. Trying to inspire others.

Nick Hummingbird in his nursery | Photo: KCET

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So the importance of us as a cultural people is that were not living totally in the past. But were embodying the morals and values of our ancestors. For example, we take care of these [Juncus] patches to steward more for future generations, [so] that this plant may be in abundance like it was before. When we come here, we gather these seeds with the responsibility of growing more so that we can maintain a healthy and abundant [landscape] for the future. When we take these seeds, Im making a commitment that Im going to grow them. Nature has taken a few through the winds, dispersed some of the seeds, but theres still a lot [more to do].

Part of our stewardship role is to maintain our valuable plants. Because we didnt survive thousands of years without them. And, if you want to have thousands of years into the future, we need to start planting those seeds today so they can grow into a better, healthy tomorrow. When we bring these plants back into the cities, we invite nature back. We invite all the birds, the insects. And thats important. Restoring our culture is also restoring our balance, our stewardship role, our care taking role, our enhancing role. Teaching other people why these plants are important, not only to us but to nature.

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Can you tell us about the Hahamongna Nursery?

We started off as a restoration industry to provide plants for restoration projects and the Arroyo Seco Watershed in the city of Pasadena. [Our mission was] to enhance water resources, to enhance the habitat, and at the same time really create a community around why restorations important.

Those projects have been held up but weve gone forward and grown a lot of plants. Our aim is to get people in Pasadena and the surrounding areas to basically look at alternatives to their landscape, because the big problem we have - and the problem thats been occurring for the past few years - is drought.

Basically what we have here is a huge asset for community with 10,000 native plants [that] werent here a year ago. Thats a huge accomplishment for many, many people who have come together for this place. This is an answer to our regions crisis of extinction, and habitat loss and destruction. We provide education for people and for a lot of young people, job skills training thats going to be necessary for people who want to go into the field of native plants, because its really a skill that you cant just learn anywhere.

Signage at the Hahamongna Nursery | Photo: KCET

What is the biggest threat to native plants?

The biggest threat to plants is just people not being educated. As they say, people dont care about things until theyre gone. Theres already been an extinction of 400 [California native] plants. Theyre gone and people still dont care. With 6,500 plants native to our state, 400 [are] already extinct. Theres 6,100 left. Next 20, 30 years, possibly half of those are going to be extinct. Right now is time of people learning about these numbers and doing something about it. Because its not just the plants that are going to go. Its the hundreds and thousands of insects and birds and coyotes, everything you can imagine, that survives off these plants.

Im hoping if you have children, you think about their future and those to come because what were doing is were stealing from [them]. We live in a world with very limited resources and that cant go on forever. I hope that this generation, through education, and future generations can help stem the tide and really make a difference. Because its up to us.

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How do you use social media and technology to spread your message of environmental and Indigenous rights?

I take a lot of pictures. Thats one of the things I like to do in my spare time. [When] I started using Instagram [it became this] tool. People from all over the world can see them. Heres a way to educate people. Ive incorporated plant facts and just names of certain plants that they can use as reference to check out. Then it came to political issues and issues that affect all of us environmentally. I always try to give people hope because its important to hav

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