There is a popular misconception that if you pick a California Poppy you will be penalized with jail time. (You can be fined for picking or damaging ANY plants if on State or Private Land)
Bloom around February and it depends on the timing of the rain conditions
Check out California State Parks/Reserves, to see the best conditions for poppies
California Poppy is part of the Papaveraceae Poppy Family
California Poppy closes at night and curls up till it gets warmer in the morning
Bees don’t like California Poppy but other insects like beetles transfer the pollen
Chia is known as Golden Chia aka Salvia columbrariae from the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe
Chia seeds come from Salvia Hispanica (Part of the Mint Family)
Can absorb 12 times more water than its weight
Packed with nutrients and minerals like amazing health benefits
Chia seeds are great for digestion, aid in better heart health, building of stronger bones, contain high protein content, have good fats, and help with diabetes.
Common Names: Seaside Arrow-grass, Seaside Arrowgrass, Shore Arrowgrass
Can come in white, green, or purple flower color
Arrowgrass normally blooms in the Spring and Summer seasons around May to August
Found in salt marshes, alkaline meadows, seeps, mudflats, stream, and lake edges areas
Hemizonia congesta is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name hayfield tarweed.
It is native to California and Oregon, where it is a common member of the flora in a number of habitats, particularly grasslands, and fields.
Like other tarweeds, the stem and foliage are hairy and have an odor reminiscent of tar.
Each daisies-like flower head has a center of yellowish dark-tipped disc florets and a fringe of bright yellow to white ray florets, often with purplish striping on the undersides.
Other names used is Golden-yarrow and Yellow Yarrow
Golden Yarrow is a flowering plant in the Daisy family native to California
It resides in the San Francisco Bay Area to San Diego County and Baja California, as well as the foothills of the Sierras.
The plant grows in large clumps or stands of many erect stems often exceeding half a meter in height.
The top of each stem is occupied by a flower cluster of up to 30 flower heads, each bright golden yellow head with a large center of disc florets and usually a fringe of rounded to oval ray florets.
It is quite cold tolerant but will become deciduous under drought stress.
Known as “Poor Man’s Pepper"
Common Names: Desert Alyssum, Desert Pepper-grass
The entire plant is edible, leaves contain protein and the rest of the plant has minerals and vitamins
To identify Pepper Grass, there’s a flower above the 100+ seed pods in each plant
Found in Sandy desert flats and rocky desert slopes
Lupine is part of the pea family
The flower can grow up to be a foot long and blooms from the bottom up
In California, it is most common in the Pacific Coast Ranges and Sierra Foothills
Lupine can self-sow, propagate itself by seed
The wildlife that Lupine helps support is native bees, butterflies, butterflies, hummingbirds
Tomcat clovers have crown-like white-tipped magenta flowers topping upright 8-inch stems
Tomcat clovers were food for native people and the edible parts are the foliage and stems. Leaves are edible raw or cooked
This species occurs in the western part of North America
It is in the Fabaceae family (pea family)
The scientific name Willdenovii refers to the German botanist Carl Ludwig Willdenow (1765-1812)
Seascale species' other common names are beach saltbush and white orache.
It is native to the coastline of California and Baja California, where it is a resident of beach dunes and other sandy areas.
This plant is monoecious, with individuals producing male and female flowers. The staminate (male) flowers grow in rounded clusters and lack leaves. The pistillate (female) flowers are oval or round ovaries surrounded by spongy leaves.
Seascale is very small and low; it can grow a few feet across and can grow up to three inches high.
The bloom period of this species is one of the longest of the Atriplex genus, it blooms from April to October.
Coast Live Oak has a much-branched trunk and reaches a mature height of 30-80 feet (10-25 meters)
Some Coast Live Oak can age to more than 250 years
The Coast Live Oak is one of the only California native oak that thrives in the coastal environment, although it is rare on the immediate shore
To the California Indians of the San Francisco peninsula, the coast live oak was more than a symbol. It was perhaps the single most important plant species to the indigenous peoples of San Francisco.
Western Columbine has red and yellow flowers hanging at the ends of branches above this bushy plant with several stems and many divided leaves
Western Columbine is also known as Aquilegia formosa. Aquilegia comes from the Latin Aquila which means eagle and refers to the spurred petals that many believe resemble an eagle's talons. The species name Formosa, Latin for "beautiful," aptly describes this large plant, especially when it has hundreds of lovely flowers nodding over it
Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies but is ignored by rabbits and deers
We have Madrone Trees on the CSUEB Hayward campus!
Madrone Tree has a distinct rich orange-red bark that peels away on the mature wood, leaving a greenish, silvery appearance that has a satin sheen and smoothness
It has the nickname “refrigerator tree” because when the wood is exposed, the tree feels colder than expected due to the bark constraining water
Madrone tree frequently changes direction of growth because it tries to outgrow the nearby trees and get as much sun as possible. As a result, it usually has a twisted trunk
Native Americans used fruit of madrone tree for the manufacture of cider and in decorative purposes
Madrone tree is a perennial plant that can survive more than 200 years in the wild
Blue Elderberry aka Sambucus caerulea from the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe
Elderberry is edible and can be found in jams/wines/tea/more!
Blue Elderberry's other names are Mexican Elderberry, or Tapiro
It has cream or yellow flowers in the spring and purple berries in the fall.
Its berries are one of the most important sources of food for birds in California.
Coast Redwood is the tallest trees in the world, they are so high that they can reach higher than a 30-floor skyscraper
These trees can live for more than 2,000 years and you can find surviving Coast Redwood at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Redwood National and State Parks, and Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
Creatures like the Wandering salamander can live their entire life in a redwood canopy
Redwoods intertwine their roots with each other to stabilize one another and share nutrients
Trees in the sycamore family are valued for their wood to use for products ranging from musical instruments to cutting boards. These trees have been considered sacred by many people throughout ancient history.
It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in canyons, floodplains, and along streams in several types of habitats. It is also planted as a landscape tree in its native range.
Western Sycamores are tough and easy to grow, but they need a lot of water. Due to growing quickly by water availability they are often found near streams or a seep, often growing to 30 feet in just five years.
The California sycamore provides food and nesting sites for birds including red-tailed hawks, woodpeckers, and hummingbirds. It is a food source for the larva of the western tiger swallowtail butterfly.
White Alder grows flowers that change into catkins (A catkin is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster).
The tree produces very large amounts of pollen annually. The small winged seeds disperse through the winter, leaving the old woody, blackish 'cones' on the tree for up to a year after.
Alder tree parts have been used medicinally by Native American tribes, as well as by Chinese and Ayurvedic practitioners. Conditions treated include cancer, diarrhea, consumption, and many more. Alder tree parts were also used as a topical remedy for burns and other skin afflictions.
This is a perennial herb that forms a small bush or matted tangle of hairy mint-scented foliage.
It produces rounded flower clusters of small, thready, bright lavender or pink flowers that are attractive to butterflies.
This plant was used by Native American groups as a remedy for stomach upset, respiratory conditions, and sore throat.