Author: bcjj

A wonderful closeup of a bee feeding on a wildflower in 92131.

Photo submitted by S. Newton

With all the rain this season flowers are starting to bloom around Miramar lake.  This lily (Chocolate Lily) is native to Baja and southern California but I do not recall seeing it before in this location.  Send your photos in for our 2023 Wildflowers of 92131 and they will be posted in the Gallery.

Click the link and enjoy some spectacular images.

Competition 16 Results – International Garden Photographer of the Year (igpoty.com)

There are many plants that fit this description, e.g. tea, anyone? or cinchona the source of the anti-malarial medicine quinine, but here is one I did not know.  Gutta percha.  By the late 1800’s the British Empire was the largest to have existed, spanning the globe from England to India, Malaya, Australia and Canada.  Communication by boat took weeks or months.  The invention of the telegraph and the unique properties of Gutta percha enabled the empire to remain manageable well into the 1900’s.

Enjoy this short video from the BBC

Gutta Percha: The tree that shrunk the world – BBC Reel

This painting hangs in the Getty Museum, Los Angeles.  The colors, vibrancy and lushness are striking.  Apparently, he could take months and even years to finish works like this because he always had the actual plant in the studio when he painted.  Since the still life comprised flowers, fruits and leaves from different seasons it was a patient task to paint them all in.