Save the Chaparral!

Here are a few more native plant inventory photos from our yard.  First, here's a nice cluster of Mission Manzanita, Chamise, Black Sage, Laurel Sumac, Wild Cucumber, Mimulus, and who knows what all else...

If you poke around in the bushes you can find all kinds of interesting creatures.  Like this guy:

This quail was right in front of the cluster of shrubs in that first photo:

Here's a better look at a chamise:

Here's a single branch:

Up close and personal you will find that those white flowery fronds are just jammed with little tiny flowers:

And what use would those flowers be without pollinators?

Manzanita means "little apple" in Spanish.  Here are the fruit of the Mission Manzanita (Xyloccocus bicolor):

(I have back-dated this entry to the day I took these photos.)

--Brian

This evening I went out to work on our photo plant inventory.  Here's what I got before the sun went down.

Last fall we bought and planted six Penstemon spectabilis around the house.  Now we have discovered a volunteer at the far corner of our property.  It wasn't from one of the plants that we planted, they are barely blooming right now.  What a pleasant surprise!

In the background you might see some black sage.  Here's a closer look at the top of one:

And right next to it there's some yarrow:

It's such a vibrant green plant with beautiful yellow flowers.  The whole hillside, above is covered with blooming yarrow right now.  Here's a single plant:

And a close-up of just a flower head:

You might have noticed that orange color in the background.  It was evening when I took these photos so depth-of-field was shallow, plus DOF is always very shallow in close-ups.  Those orange blotches are Mimulus, or Monkey flower!

Here's a red one:

Here is some pearly everlasting:

  

Janet tells me this one is golden bush:

The laurel sumac sure look pretty when they are putting on new growth:

I thought deerweed just had yellow flowers, but here is a branch with yellow and red both.

Whether you have an urban yard landscaped in natives or acreage you should try to keep an inventory of what you've got growing.  It's fun and could help you keep track of changes over the years.

--Brian

I think it's pretty well established that the reason so many houses burn during our wildfires is that they are poorly designed and/or maintained.  Here is a very well written and illustrated guide to making your home much more fire resistant than it probably already is.  Please read it and follow as much of their advice as possible.  It may save your home or even your life.

--Brian