I was going to start pruning Vinoland's grapevines today, but it's raining, hmmph! So, instead, Vinodog 2 and I went for an extra walk, a wet one. Traipsing up the hill, a steep private road with three homes on it, which runs north from behind Vinoland, I was reminded that last week, whilst doing the same walk, I'd spotted a small white-flowered plant that I'd never seen before. It goes without saying that I didn't know its name...had to rectify that. After quite a bit of searching in my modest home-library and on the internet, with no luck, I gave up.
Never fear, I had one last resource at my disposal: Ellen Dean, Curator of the UC Davis Center for Plant Diversity. I have had the great fortune of being helped in identifying a plant once before by Ms. Dean, so I thought I'd bother her once again in the identification of this weed. Within 20 minutes I had the identity of my mystery wild flower:
"That isn't a weed! That is the beautiful milk maids, Cardamine californica - one of our earliest native wildflowers in the mustard family. How lucky you are to have it!"
I am lucky. Having such a person as Ellen Dean to bother when I need help identifying the flora that flourishes in my little corner of California makes me very lucky. I'm also lucky to have a milkmaid now growing in Vinoland - I transplanted one of the pretty little plants.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
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2 comments:
you lead a fast life.
Thud: 'Chainsaw' is constantly playing in my head whilst I view Mother Nature...I lead a fast life :)
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