Tag: perpetual journal

Heliotropium curassavicum

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Heliotropium curassavicum

Wild heliotrope (a.k.a. seaside heliotrope, salt heliotrope, monkey tail, quail plant) is native to and widely distributed in North and South America, and has naturalized elsewhere. It is sometimes considered a weed.

In California, this perennial herb usually grows in saline or alkaline soils, often in areas near a permanent or temporary source of water. It is often found in disturbed coastal sites.

Rhus integrifolia

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Rhus integrifolia

Lemonadeberry is native to these parts; we have a LOT growing on our block. It occurs in both chaparral and coastal sage scrub communities, enduring heat and windy conditions well.

The fruit are eaten by many birds, and the nectar feeds both birds and butterflies. The berries make a pleasingly tart snack if popped in the mouth right off the bush, and sucked for their juice. They can also be dried, then soaked in water and heated to make a kind of hot pink lemonade.

Pieris rapae

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Pieris rapae

Our most common garden butterfly is one that does not delight me. The cabbage white has a natural range across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It was accidentally introduced to Canada around 1860 and spread rapidly throughout North America. Estimates show that a single female of this species might, in a few generations, be the progenitor of millions.

That’s a lot of caterpillars eating my brassicas 😖

Cirsium occidentale

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This week in the PerpJo … We have a local, native thistle, the cobwebby thistle Cirsium occidentale. The plant is widespread and fairly common across most of California; unlike many introduced thistles, this native species is not a troublesome weed.

What a handsome plant! The leaves are a soft grey-green. The flower head is somewhat spherical, covered in large phyllaries with very long, spreading spines which are heavily laced in fibers resembling cobwebs. The ones were saw today had gathered dew drops on the thin threads — so pretty! The crown on top was a dense head of crimson florets.

Aphyllon franciscanum

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This week in the PerpJo—according to Milt McCauley (Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains), two species of the Broomrape family are native to the SMM, but very rare. Clustered broomrape (Aphyllon franciscanum) is found in chaparral and coastal sage scrub. It has fleshy stems 2 to 8 inches (5 to 20 cm) high, covered with soft hairs, and bell-shaped flowers 1 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10 cm) long. Broomrape is parasitic on the roots of other plants like chamise, sagebrush and buckwheat.

Big thanks to Annette for spotting this rarity. Actually, she also spied the horned lizard this week last year. I’ll have to be sure to hike with her in week 16 next year too. Who knows what she will find for us then!