California Natives | Far Out Flora

Butterfly in the Sky

April 8, 2012 by Megan | 3 Comments

Pipevine Swallowtail babies

Three years ago I tracked down an Aristolochia californica from Bay Natives at the SF Garden Show. I had dreams of Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars chomping on it, but so far they haven’t found it. I’ve heard it can take years… unless you get an awesome flickr message offering up babies in exchange for some food cuttings. On Friday we became proud parents of a hungry little group of caterpillars thanks to butterfly guru Timtastic (the link will take you to his sweet pics on flickr).

Anise swallowtail

Since we won’t be able to see our babies turn in to butterflies, Tim brought over a pair of Anise swallowtails to release out back. I got to hold them while they warmed up and took flight.

Anise swallowtail & Erysimum franciscanum var. crassifolium

For the rest of the day they hung out on our ginormous (we’re talking nearly five feet wide) San Francisco Wallflower, (Erysimum franciscanum var. crassifolium). As we rip apart the garden it’s a sunny site in the middle of the yard, that I know isn’t going anywhere. We’re leaving all the California natives except for the Dudleyas and Lewisias.

Collecting Aristolochia californica

Our Aristolochia californica is huge and happy! This is one of my favorite plants we have, so being able to raise caterpillars that will use it is like a dream come true. That’s why I planted it. By the time we move, they’ll be big enough to release on the vine.

Caterpillar hotel

This is where the babies are living right now. They eat together in a big mass. So far they’ve gone through almost two leaves. I look at them at least once every three hours. They’re a great distraction to the stresses of packing and getting ready to move cross country in three weeks. I even made a butterfly garden pinterest board for Wisconsin. I admit it, I’m a pinterest addict. Where else would a find a recipe to make very realistic jello worms, or collect all my raised bed planter ideas in a pretty fashion? I’m starting all kinds of lists for plants I want to grow when we’re back in WI, too.

One last pretty pic

The Anise swallowtail hung out of the Phylica pubescens for a little bit. Thanks again to Tim for hooking us up! We’ll be posting lots of pics of all the plants and stuff we’ll have for the big plant sale soon.

Foredune Beach Plants

January 21, 2012 by Matti | 2 Comments

Astragalus nuttallii - Ocean Bluff Milk Vetch

We found these salt tolerant gems down at the Asilomar State Beach along the foredune. I’m always amazed that plants can grow in such harsh conditions such as this Astragalus nuttallii (Ocean Bluff Milk Vetch). I fell in love with the highly textured leaves, but its seed pods made me giggle.

Astragalus nuttallii - Nattall's Milkvetch

Here’s another pic of Astagalus nuttallii gripping on between the sand and a rock. You’ve seen foredune before if you lived near a salty beach and even some fresh water lakes. There’s a moment when the sandy beach stops and vegetation starts. Basically, that’s called the foredune.

Abronia latifolia - Sand Verbena

Here’s another foredune trooper, Abronia latifolia (Sand Verbena). It more succulent than herbaceous when you see it on the beach. Seems Abronias come in yellow or lavender blooming forms…and probably others that I’m just not yet familiar with.

Asilomar State Beach

Oh BTW…all these pics were taken down in Asilomar Beach in Monterey Bay, but we see these beach plants along our beaches too here in SF.

Erigeron glaucus - Seaside Daisy

A couple of Erigeron glaucus (Seaside Daisy) were poking their heads out of the beach scrub. We found these blooming up closer to the road than along the crashing ocean waves.

Erigeron glaucus - Seaside Daisy

We just received our first big rains of winter which means that wildflower season is just around the corner. We can’t wait to see some mega patches of wildflowers. I think this year we definitely want to hit the Edgewood Preserve a little earlier this year, as we missed all the action in 2011. Do any of you have sweet spots you wanna share?

– Far Out Flora

Adios Agave americana!

November 18, 2011 by Megan | 14 Comments

Agave americana before

Last year we ripped out this middle section which was full of loser succulents we didn’t know what to do with to plant a bunch of California natives (one of the best gardening moves we’ve ever made). Way back when we first moved to San Francisco we picked up this Agave americana baby (we still have big momma) for free on Craigslist. The owner’s baby was starting to walk and she was worried the kid might fall and get stabbed.

Going for the kill

We only use the highest tech protective gear when gardening, like this stinky old sweatshirt. I’m pretty sure Matti has a few permanent scars from ripping out and moving these spiky plants over the past few years. Here’s a post we did about pulling out its little brother back in May and another post from last October, when Matti ripped out a bunch of babies and moved this guy to the middle.

Agave americana rip out, success!

This was back in early October. I have to point out the massive clump of Erysimum franciscanum var. crassifolium on the left. Have you ever seen a happier San Francisco Wallflower? It might just be one of my favorite plants. Can’t wait for it to be covered in yummy scented yellow blooms this spring.

Here it is frolicking last May with one of my favorite CA natives Gilia tricolor.

View from above

Here’s the view from the dining room window last weekend sans the Agave. It’s kind of ridiculous how many plants we’ve crammed in back there, considering this is only half the yard.

More Erysimum franciscanum var. crassifolium love

If you live next to the beach in sandy land definitely give Erysimum franciscanum var. crassifolium a shot. We barely ever water it and even without flowers it’s a handsome fellow year round. Annie’s has a bunch of them right now.

P.S. We’d love it if you would vote for our terrarium entries at Potted (probably not the wisest move to enter the same week)

Fort Funston’s Wildflower Freakout

July 8, 2011 by Megan | 9 Comments

Abronia latifolia

Last Sunday morning Matti, Max and I hit up Fort Funston about four miles south of our place for some wildflower hunting. Thanks to Anni J. at Annie’s, know that the above clump of round yellow blooms is Abronia latifolia, or Sand Verbena. It’s very succulenty. According to Las Pilitas Nursery it likes to be really, really close to the beach, like a couple hundred feet from the surf close. It’s also the sole food source for the almost endangered Copablepharon fuscum or Sand Verbena moth.

Dudleya farinosa

This is why we really came to Fort Funston. It’s Dudleya flowering season which means you can actually find them via their red stems and flowers all over the place. Sweet! Pretty sure these are all Dudleya farinosa. We saw some less frosty green guys, too.

Cirsium occidentale

One of the coolest things about being the plant sign maker at Annie’s is seeing plants I’ve only read about in the wild for the first time. The even cooler part is being able to identify them. This Cirsium is one of those plants. Here are a few more favorites from the wander around.

Coast Paintbrush - Castilleja affinis

Erigeron glaucus

Camissonia cheiranthifolia, I think.

Mystery Ferns

Anyone know what these sand/sun loving ferns are?

Happy Dog Max

Fort Funston’s still full of tons of beachy blooms. It’s chock full of Eriogonums in all shapes and sizes, and oh yeah it’s also an off-leash dog park so bring the puppy. You can check out all our Fort Funston pics are here, including many of Matti looking super excited.

Edgewood Natural Preserve Wildflowers

June 29, 2011 by Matti | 7 Comments

Chlorogalum pomeridianum - Wavy-leafed Soap Plant

Wildflower season is getting pretty scarce here, and we tried to get in one more hike before everything dries up. 30 minutes south of SF there’s a cool place called Edgewood Natural Preserve just outside of Redwood City. (oh, btw…we did this hike about 4 wks ago). Kudos to Megan…she did all the leg work trying to identify the names on these guys with the help of their wildflower identifier tool. There’s always a chance that the ID is off, but hey…we try. Check out this Chlorogalum pomeridianum above. These California native perennials grow from bulbs and can be lathered into a soapy foam in your hands with a little water.

Calochortus luteus - Yellow Mariposa Lily

Calochortus luteus is another bulb grower that likes our western coast. I didn’t realize it until now, but Megan just saw these in Tiburon on her solo trip.

Bellardia trixago - Mediterranean Lineseed

Bellardia trixago - Mediterranean Linseed

Sounds like Bellardia trixago are a little obnoxious out in the Bay Area. Native to the Mediterranean, here it grows like a weed and likes to seek out neighboring roots. After latching on to them, it starts stealing nutrients from their wildflower buddies.

Lotus scoparius var. scoparius - Deerweed

Butterflies dig the nectar from this Lotus scoparius var scoparius. Extra bonus, their larvae enjoy munching on this guy too. Seems like a great plant to have if you adore attracting some winged friends. Wildscaping does a great in-depth write up to check out.

Snake hiding in the Grass

So we were hiking along and…OMGosh we saw a big old snake. Actually, Megan saw it first. Sensing her slight panic…I just froze. Another two feet and my foot would have been stepping on it. Oh, did I say it was big? Okay, only 4-5 feet long…but still a little freaky.

Snake heading down the hole

Not certain why maybe a guy thing, but I felt the urge to get super close to it to see if it had a rattle. Well, it didn’t so I felt safer. What we saw next was awesome. It slithered along for a couple minutes then jetted straight down what looked like a gopher hole. Crazy.

Achyrachaena mollis - Blow Wives

Okay, Matti has a new favorite common name for a plant. Yes, Achyrachaena mollis is also known as Blow Wives. I must work that into conversation some time today.

Brodiaea - Cluster Lilies

Gnaphalium californicum - California Cudweed

Gnaphalium californicum grows readily up and down most of the West Coast. NOTE we don’t recommend this, but heard that people brew this guy into a make shift tea. Any harvesters out there do this regularly?

Mimulus aurantiacus - Sticky Monkey Flower

Maybe it’s because this is one of the few flowers that I can regularly identify, or the name just rolls off my tongue…but I love Mimulus. Seems to grow well in a variety of soils and sorta a work horse in the landscape. Hey, you know who has the heartbeat on CA wildflowers? Phyte Club. You must swing by their blog and give them a read.

– Far Out Flora