Shirley Poppies are most commonly mixtures of pink and red. This year the most unusual color that appeared was a single plant with purple-gray flowers and wrinkled petals. Somber, but striking nonetheless. The red string is a marker so seed can be collected in a few weeks.
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Peruvian DaffodilPeruvian Daffodil
Exotic and fragrant! If you want a consistent spring bloomer and a bulb that will reward you every spring then you need to plant Peruvian Daffodils Bulbs (Hymenocallis festalis). They love our zone 10A and they are extremely reliable blooming each and every spring. Also, they produce offspring bulbs on a regular basis every year. You plant one Peruvian Daffodil Bulb and within 5 years you’ll probably have six or seven surrounding the original mother bulb. For some very obvious reasons some people call them, “spider lilies.”
Monarch CaterpillarMonarch Caterpillar
A migrating female Monarch placed her egg (the size of a pin head) on a leaf of this milkweed in my garden.
Four days later a caterpillar emerged and started eating. Ten days later, and about 2” long, the caterpillar developed a chrysalis which can be found hanging on a nearby tree or post.
Ten days later, the monarch emerged. Pretty amazing journey for 28 days
Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on just one plant, and that is milkweed, Asclepias. This picture shows Asclepias curassavica.
This genus is herbaceous, perennial and flowering. Monarch caterpillars eat only the leaves of the milkweed.
Milkweed is a beneficial wildflower and is not invasive. Other species use the nectar and some will also eat parts of the plant.
The plant, which has a milky sap, does contain toxins, which can be harmful to pets and humans, so be careful when handling.
post provided by SC.
GrevilleaGrevillea
An Australian genus of 300+ species well suited to dry conditions and poor soils like here in San Diego. Local nurseries are selling more and more varieties so try one out. They come in many sizes and flower colors to fit any space in your garden. In Australia they are a favorite of honeyeater birds so I presume that our hummingbirds will go crazy for these. Photo credit; C. Bell (Geelong, Australia)