Thufferin Thuccotash - It's Summer already!

Can't believe it's been 2 months since my last blog posting. Too many garden chores and not enough time. Fire season is also in full, unfortunate swing. The 'Volcano' fire, accidentally sparked by a County weed abatement worker on Tenaja Road, scorched through 355 acres here on the Santa Rosa Plateau and La Cresta on Wednesday August 1st, and is at this hour about 95% contained. Close calls for a number of homes, especially on Valle Vista, but only one was destroyed by the conflagration - still, that's one too many. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Snyders. 

Photos of the fire are on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.337088446380279.81067.100002373790379&type=1 

On the gardening front, I've spent the last couple months creating a new veggie garden, herb garden, rose garden, and California Mission-inspired garden on a previously neglected weedy swath of land downslope from our driveway. Last summer, I was really bummed and frustrated by the proliferation of black mustard and yellow star thistle in this area, so decided to spend the extra bucks and have our gardener Bruno and his crew clear the weeds & install a drip irrigation system. There is a method to my madness. I'm not one to draw out my garden plans in detail: I just go with my gut and my haphazard intuition, pray, keep my fingers tightly crossed, and hope that my plantings won't result in an impenetrable black forest a few years down the line that we'll need to machete our way out of. Such is my enthusiasm and giddy abandon for gardening. 

Here's a snapshot of what's been going on in our late spring/summer garden:

5/25/12 Driveway. To the left: Fremontia 'San Gabriel', 'White Cloud' Chitalpa, Blanketflower (Gaillardia), Gaura, Cedros Island Verbena, Winnifred Gilman Sage. 

To the Right: Matilija Poppies, Sycamores, Deergrass (Muhlenbergia rigens) &  assorted Rock Roses.

5/27/12 Gil, huffing & puffing his way up the fruit orchard. 

5/25/12 Southern/San Diego Honeysuckle (Lonicera subspicata denudata).

5/25/12 'Blue Flame' Giant Purple Sage (Salvia pachyphylla).

5/25/12 Mojave Sage (Salvia mohavensis).

5/25/12 Winnifred Gilman Sage, 'Tilden Prostrate' Purple Sage (Salvia leucophylla), 'Figueroa' Purple Sage (S. leucophylla), 'Alpine' Sage (S. clevelandii), 'Celestial Blue' Sage (S. clevelandii), 'Pozo Blue' Sage (S. clevelandii), Woolley Blue Curls (Trichostema lanata), Golden Yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum) - native to site.

5/25/12 Foreground to back: Sugarbush (Rhus ovata), Paradise Manzanita (Arctostaphylos pajaroensis), 'Harmony' Manzanita, 'Sunset' Manzanita, Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis), and Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa), which is doing surprisingly well here in our Sunset Zone 20 something (haven't quite figured it out yet).

5/25/12 Monkeyflowers! Clockwise left to right: Santa Lucia Bush Monkeyflower (Diplacus fasciculatus), Ramona Narrowleaf Southern Monkeyflower (D. aurantiacus australis), Agoura Spunky Monkey (D. longiflorus). 

5/25/12 Western Spiraea (Spiraea douglasii).

5/25/12 Large-Flowered Phacelia (Phacelia grandiflora).

5/25/12 In the butterfly-hummingbird garden: Mullein, Blanketflowers (Gaillardia), Autumn Sages (Salvia greggii), & Canary Island Sage (Salvia canariensis).

6/2/12 Clarkia concinna 'Pink Ribbons.'

6/2/12 Lemon Lily (Lilium parryi). This one needs extra moisture so I have it growing in a planter bed on the north side of the house along with Spice Bush (Calycanthus occidentalis), Cow Parsnip (Heracleum lanatum), and Creambush (Holodiscus discolor). Smells divine!

6/2/12 Matilija Poppies (Romneya coulteri). This bootiful stand of 'Fried Egg' flowers is just off the driveway, where they can spread & multiply to their heart's content, as they surely will.

6/3/12 Fort William Fairyfan (Clarkia williamsonii). Endemic to Northern & Central Sierra foothills. This annual grows well in our wildflower bed. Purchased from Annie's Annuals.

6/3/12 Pismo Clarkia (Clarkia speciosa immaculata). Federally listed as endangered. My fav clarkia. Purchased from Annie's Annuals.

6/2/12 Winnifred Gilman Cleveland's Sage (Salvia clevelandii) along the driveway.

6/19/12 Pink Monkeyflower (Mimulus cardinalis x M. lewisii). A great cross that seems a tad more drought & heat tolerant than either of its parents.

6/19/12 Felt-Leaf Monardella (Monardella hypoleuca ssp. lanata). This little monardella is growing under the Monterey Cypress.

6/19/12 San Diego/Gander's Pitcher Sage (Lepechinia ganderi). Seems to be doing ok so far in our decomposed granite with a bit of extra water. Native to the Otay Mountain in SD County.

6/19/12 'Burgundy' Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis). 

6/19/12 Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) and Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa).

6/19/12 'Desert Museum' Palo Verde, a thornless Parkinsonia hybrid. 

7/7/12 Ok, I know Gil is going to kill me for posting this photo, but it's just so classic. It was a super hot day and, after an exhausting day of extreme gardening, he & Hana were all tuckered out and decided to pass out in synch under the portico. 

7/8/12 Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia 'Tuskarora') & Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) along the fenceline.

7/8/12 'White Morning Cloud' Chitalpa (Chitalpa tashkentensis). A cross between our native Desert Willow Chilopsis linearis & the South Eastern Catalpa bignonioides). We planted four of these along the driveway - drought tolerant with showy flowers in the summer that attract our resident hummers. They're commonly used as street trees here in Murrieta. 

7/8/12 'Imperial Thai Delight' Bougainvillea and 'Orange Bells' Tecoma (Tecoma garrocha) in Hana's dog run. I think they're proliferating cuz of her poopie piles. Just sayin'.

7/8/12 Cleared the weeds along the fenceline next to our neighbor's property to create a new rose/herb/veggie & California Mission-inspired garden. 

7/8/12 Biblical herb garden. New plantings include: Clary Sage, Jerusalem Sage, Dill, Fennel, Pomegranate, Lemongrass, Crown of Thorns, Hyssop, Roman Chamomile, Rose of Sharon, Balm of Gilead, Warley Rockrose, Sage-leaf Rockrose, Egyptian Mint, Syrian Oregano, Rue, Borage, Costmary, Shamouti (Palestine) Orange, and Santa Teresa Femminello Lemon.

7/8/12 Biblical herb garden.

7/8/12 Herb garden.

7/29/12 Charantais melon, a French cantaloupe deemed to be the most flavorful melon in the world (grew these from seeds purchased from Seed Savers Exchange). Lots of flowers, but no fruit yet. I put burlap underneath the plants to keep the area weed free and also to protect any developing fruit from direct contact with the soil. Sunflower seedlings are in the foreground.

7/29/12 Tomatoes (Beam's Yellow Pear, Momotaro, Carmello, Brandywine & Zapotec), tomatillos, peppers (habanero, ancho & jalapeno), corn (Silver Queen & Kandy Corn), and summer squash (zucchini & crookneck).

7/29/12 Thompson Seedless grapes.

7/29/12 Zinfandel grapes.

7/29/12 Cabernet grapes.

7/29/12 Champagne grapes trellised in the kitchen herb garden.

7/29/12 Rio Red Grapefruit. Should be ready to harvest this winter.

7/29/12 Scarlet Robe peaches. On the small side this year, but still very sweet. Planning to make peach sorbet with these guys.

7/29/12 Tarantula Hawk on Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata). 

8/5/12 Blair's Wirelettuce (Munzothamnus blairii). Endemic to San Clemente Island. Got this  from Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden last year.

8/5/12 How cool is that? A band-tailed pigeon (Columba fasciata) landed on one of our bird feeders today. The white band across the nape is indicative.

6/15/12 California Quail. 

6/3/12 Baby California quails with their parents. So cute!

6/17/12 Great Egret in the pond. Hope it didn't eat all our all fish.

6/10/12 Juvenile White-tailed Kite on the Engelmann Oak above the fruit orchard.

Treks on the Santa Rosa Plateau: Chinese Houses along N. Granite Loop Trail & Some Cool Fire Followers

4/29/12 Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterophylla), North Granite Loop trail. 

There were several nice patches of Chinese Houses along the N. Granite Loop trail near the picnic area. This portion of the trail is well shaded by Coast Live oaks.

We ventured out to the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve last Sunday, taking advantage of the liberal sunshine and warmer temps of spring. Although the SRP is less than a 10-minute drive from the house, I haven't been out here since my surgery last November, so this was a real treat. Nothing crazy, just a 1 hour leisurely hike around the visitor center and on the Granite Loop Trail. Compared to last year, our rainfall totals here this past season have been dismal -  we haven't yet visited the vernal pools, but I'm sure they're bone dry. It never ceases to amaze me, though, how there's always stuff in bloom on the Plateau, regardless of whether it's been a wet or dry year.

4/29/12 Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterophylla), North Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterophylla). North Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 Picnic area, N. Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 Blue/Spreading Larkspur (Delphinium patens). This solitary larkspur was growing under the shade of Coast Live oaks off N. Granite Loop trail. Per the field guide "Plants of the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve," there are two species of Larkspur on the Plateau: D. parryi ssp. parryi, 1-2', blooming from June-July, and D. patens, a bit smaller at 8"-16", blooming March-May in shadier habitats. 

4/29/12 Windmill Pink (Silene gallica). A charming-looking little wildflower but, alas, not a native. It hails originally from Eurasia and N. Africa, but has naturalized in California and other temperate regions of the world.

N. Granite Loop trail.

 4/29/12 Goldfields (Lasthenia californica). North Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 Winecup Clarkia (Clarkia purpurea ssp. quadrivulnera). North Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 Pomona Locoweed (Astragalus pomonensis). North Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 Bush Monkeyflower (Diplacus aurantiucus). Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 Bunny on the Granite Loop trail, totally oblivious to our presence.

4/29/12 Granite Loop trail.

4/19/12 Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 A beautiful Engelmann Oak (Quercus engelmannii) along the Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 Engelmann Oak (Quercus engelmannii). Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 A very sparse showing of Purple Owl's Clover this year (Castilleja exserta ssp. exserta). Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 Cutleaf Geranium (Geranium dissectum). Like Windmill Pink, this one's a non-native from Europe that has naturalized in disturbed, open sites. Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 Southern Honeysuckle (Lonicera subspicata var. denudata), leafing out after a deciduous winter. Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 Parish's Purple Nightshade (Solanum parishii). Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia rigens). This native bunchgrass grows in profusion here on the plateau. I've planted several (purchased from native plant sales) along our driveway - they're quite attractive, dramatic and sculptural in form. A fab substitute for the dastardly, invasive non-native pampas grass. Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia rigens), Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 Seasonal creeks are totally dry this year. Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 Chick Lupine (Lupinus microcarpus var. microcarpus). Granite Loop trail.

4/29/12 

4/29/12 Phainopepla or Silky Flycatcher (Phainopepla nitens). A crested, berry-eating bird. This one's a male (males are glossy black while females are on the gray side). He was perched on a tree just outside the visitor center. Not a great shot, but at least I got it - he flew off pronto before I could zoom in and focus.

4/29/12 Gil, under the canopy of a Coast Live oak. Interpretive trail at the visitor center.

4/29/12 San Diego Pea (Lathyrus vestitus var. alefeldii), twining through charred chaparral scrub, remnants of the 9/1/10 'Clinton' Fire that originated from behind the visitor center and burned about 80 acres off Clinton Keith Rd. That was a scary day for us http://camissonia.blogspot.com/2010/09/clinton-fire-on-santa-rosa-plateau.html .

Anyhoo, I'm amazed by all the regrowth and new growth (including fire followers) in the burn area. 

4/29/12 San Diego Pea (Lathyrus vestitus var. alefeldii). Clinton Fire burn area behind visitor center.

4/29/12 Canterbury Bells (Phacelia minor). Clinton Fire burn area behind visitor center.

5/3/12 Golden Ear-Drops (Dicentra chrysantha). Clinton Fire burn area off of Clinton Keith Rd. before the La Cresta turnoff. I've ever seen these before, but they can apparently be abundant after burns. Golden Ear-drops are in the poppy family (Papaveraceae) and are toxic to livestock. The trail to this section of the reserve is closed, so I snapped this photo as we were heading down Clinton Keith Rd. into Murrieta (drive-by photography). I'll keep trying to get some better shots over the next few days to add to this post.

4/29/12 

4/29/12

4/29/12 Compare this shot to the one taken on 8/7/11:

 http://camissonia.blogspot.com/2011/08/treks-on-santa-rosa-plateau.html .

 Not dramatic, but the area does seem to have gotten a little more lush. Time will tell...

4/29/12 Interesting factoids.

4/29/12

4/29/12 Mountain Lion display in the visitor center. That's a radio-transmitter collar on the stand.

4/29/12

4/29/12 Mahonia 'Golden Abundance.' Visitor center.

4/29/12 Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis). Visitor center.

4/29/12 Ceanothus 'Dark Star.' Visitor center.

4/29/12 New monument at the SRP visitor center.

4/29/12 Lovely Cal poppies and golden yarrow blooming at the entrance to the SRP visitor center.

Love these mission-styled lights in the parking area at the SRP visitor center.