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My Cupeño name is

Mi nombre Cupeño es

Wilákal

00:00 / 00:08

Voice recording by

Grabaciones de voz por

John Machado

Art by Audrey Carver • Arte por Audrey Carver

I'm also known as • También se me conoce como:

California buckwheat

Valeriana

Eriogonum fasciculatum

Learn more about me and my climate connection

Más información sobre mí y mi relación con el clima

I am a short, shrubby plant with small, pointed, gray-green leaves that feel leathery on the top and soft on the underside. In the spring, I grow tight clusters of tiny white and pink flowers which become rust colored in the summer and fall. I am an important source of food or shelter for many animals, including birds, native pollinators, honey bees, and butterflies at all stages of life. My roots hold soil in place and can help prevent erosion during increasingly intense storms due to climate change. I am a keystone species for sagebrush scrub ecosystems, meaning I am very important for wildlife in many ways and can help other species survive as the climate is changing.

Soy una planta pequeña y arbustiva con hojas pequeñas, puntiagudas, de color verde grisáceo de textura correosa en la parte superior y suave en la parte inferior. En la primavera, produzco racimos apretados de pequeñas flores blancas y rosadas que se vuelven de color óxido en el verano y el otoño. Soy una fuente importante de alimento o refugio para muchos animales, incluidos pájaros, polinizadores nativos, abejas melíferas y mariposas en todas las etapas de la vida. Mis raíces mantienen el suelo en su lugar y pueden ayudar a prevenir la erosión durante tormentas cada vez más intensas debido al cambio climático. Soy una especie clave para los ecosistemas de matorrales, lo que significa que soy muy importante para la vida silvestre de muchas maneras y puedo ayudar a otras especies a sobrevivir a medida que cambia el clima.

"Cupeño Plant Relatives", part of the Hear Our Names series, is a collaborative effort between Climate Science Alliance and Pala Band of Mission Indians to integrate Cupeño names into public and digital spaces.

"Plantas emparentadas del pueblo Cupeño", parte del proyecto Escuchen Nuestros Nombres, es un esfuerzo colaborativo entre la Climate Science Alliance y la Pala Band of Mission Indians para integrar el idioma Cupeño en espacios públicos y virtuales.

Cupeño Plant Relatives

Plantas emparentadas del pueblo Cupeño

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