This weekend I was able to get out on both Saturday and Sunday - no work requirements interfered. Unfortunately, my trip to Happy Canyon Road was not too fruitful because of a very strong wind.

A little beyond the shooting range, on a small promontory facing south-ish, there were many shooting stars and chocolate lilies. They were somewhat on the dry side because of the exposure to both sun and wind. I did not even try shooting the waving shooting stars, and got one semi-reasonable chocolate lily against the sky, where the skylight turned the chocolate color dark red.

(California Poppy - March 8, 2008)

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I spent a few hours Sunday afternoon on Refugio Road, where a number of early spring flowers were seen and photographed. Amongst them, Bigpod Ceanothus, which I was able to identify now with the alternate rule - in fact it seems like the branches are alternate as well. In the photo below, the clusters of flowers are arranged alternately on the stem.

(Bigpod Ceanothus - March 2, 2008)

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Cedar Waxwings have returned to the cul-de-sac at home. They perch, with their high-pitched “tseee” sound, on the bare branches of trees edging the common garden area. There they wait and watch for a quiet moment to fly in a swarm to the pyracantha bushes full of ripe berries.

(Cedar Waxwing - March 1, 2008)

(Cedar Waxwings - March 1, 2008 - Click image to see large version)

Links of Interest

• All about Waxwings - Cornell

The Chumash people called both Bigpod (Ceanothus megacarpus) and Buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus) “White Ceanothus”. Many ceanothus shrubs are flowering in huge sprays of white blossoms on lower Figueroa Mountain. Although I always thought the Ceanothus in this location was Buckbrush Ceanothus, I have titled this post ‘White Ceanothus” because I am not sure.

(Ceanothus - February 27, 2008)

I have learned that Buckbrush has opposite, wedge-shaped leaves. I forgot to check whether the leaves that sometimes seem wedge-shaped and sometimes not on the same bush, were opposite or not. I have also learned that Buckbrush grows in serpentine soils, and since serpentine rocks can be found nearby, all signs point toward Buckbrush. I need to check the leaves the next time I am there.

(Ceanothus - February 27, 2008)

Nevertheless, this is a heads up to a glorious display of Ceanothus on lower Figueroa Mountain. On edit - I have been told that it is Buckbrush; there is no Bigpod that far from the coast. Buckbrush has opposite leaves; Bigpod has alternate leaves, with different fruits. Thanks!

Slide show - click on link below for photos

• 9 photos have been added to the Figueroa 2008 slideshow

Since I started photographing local plants in 2001, I have repeatedly missed some of the early bloomers - such as peony, currants and gooseberries. This year I have reversed that with a couple thus far — Hillside Gooseberry and Chaparral Currant. On Saturday, after a reasonably late decision, I started out to Figueroa Mountain to hunt for some of the first in this year’s sequence of inflorescence. On the way up Chumash Highway 154, blooming ceanothus were visible in the Santa Ynez Mountains - probably Bigpod Ceanothus, since they tend to flower early.

(Lake Cachuma - February 9, 2008)

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