Megan has the eyes of an eagle.  Driving to down Skyline Highway to Fort Funston, she was able to spot a bunch of Bluff Lettuce (Dudleya species) in bloom.

Fort Funston is one of the coolest dog parks in San Francisco, running along the Pacific Ocean.  This Dudleya above was not the first one we found, but was the best looking best specimen.

Here’s the first one we came across…and again, Megan found it first.  I am pretty sure that the red on the margins occurs because this succulent is a little stressed.  SF has not seen rain since last May.

If you skip the beach access and keep walking, you will start seeing more of them.  The GGNRA has been establishing a lot of CA natives in this area including Bluff Lettuce (Dudleya species).  I would ID this succulent as Dudleya farinosa, but it could also be Dudleya caespitosa or Dudleya traskiae.  BTW, Annie’s Annuals usually has some of these Dudleya available and where we picked up our first one.  Other common names for Dudleya include Live Forever and my fave, Sea Lettuce.

On the north end of Fort Funston, you can see a dozen of patches like this one above.

We last saw these guys a couple months ago they only had the spent flowers on them.  Dudleya ssp also grow readily in many spots along Hwy 1, so keep your eyes open.

– Far Out Flora