Which Milkweeds grow here?

Showy milkweed, narrow leaf milkweek, and California milkweed are the three milkweeds that occur in our local hills ("What Grows Here" from Calflora). Apparently showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) is less common than California milkweed (Asclepias californica) in our area, according to a note on a Rare and Unusual Plants list for Garin/Driy Creek Regional Parks. But showy milkweed has been reported in Garin or Dry Creek park.

This year is a really good year for California milkweed in Dry Creek Park. I've never seen so many as this year (at least since I started paying attention in the last couple of years). Last year was really sad for so many plants, but this year we've seen many wildflowers, even though we are still in a drought.

Classic 1959 science movie is still good today

This is a classic 1959 science movie, "Water Movement in the Soil"!  Sorry, it's not science fiction, but a science fact, movie.

Two of my instructors at Merritt, different classes, mentioned this movie when talking about soil and water. You will find out why clay soils are good for dry regions and how dryland farming works on clay soils. And why we are now told to plant in native soil rather than amended native soils. This is not generally accepted yet. If you buy a rose plant or fruit tree you will still be sold soil amendments along with your plant. But it's better to put the soil amendments on top and let the worms work it down and let the humic acid do its magic.

Who pollinates the tomatoes and in what key?

Bumblebee on coyote mint at Garin Park 

"I like the joke on the bumblebee;
His wings are too small to hold him.
He really can’t fly, professors agree
But nobody ever told him."    ~~Anonymous

"Tiny Insect, Big Impact" is at the Oakland Museum until July 24.

I wrote a blog on tomato flower pollinators a couple of years ago and this exhibit rounds out the information very well. 

Bumblebees buzz in Middle C and are very good at shaking loose the pollen for tomatoes, peppers, blueberries, and manzanitas.

iPhone Closeups of Ridiculously small flowers

Really tiny flower...
Hard to even find one.

This little plant has been growing in the tortoise area. The tortoise has lots of cheeseweed to eat, but I'm worried that this little plant might be poisonous and that I'd better pull it out.

The problem is that I can't see the really really tiny flower in order to identify it!

So I've been playing around with my iPhone close-up to see if I can get a good picture.

This one is not bad.

I found this helpful article on shooting closeups with the iPhone and see that Camera+ is in my future.

Water usage map for California

This map from the New York Times shows how much water Californians use. Very interesting!

Map of the Redwoods in 1881

I've been looking for this map for a long time. What was the original range of the East Bay Redwoods? I wondered if they were ever south of Castro Valley, but it looks like they were not.

Mission San Jose supposedly was built using redwood logs. How did they get down here???

Read more here.

Check out Grandfather Tree near Merritt.

Mission Peak, 1904

Mission Peak, 1904

In the History of  Washington Township (1904), the Womens' Club of Washington Township wrote about Mission Peak.