Yay! I love love love Cal poppies. They were our (very short-lived) floral “arrangements” at our wedding. I wore orange shoes to match. :) Not sure if you encountered this when you were in the Willamette Valley — but the native plant purists here sometimes say they’re not native to this area and advocate pulling them. Argh. I’m not convinced they’re correct and wouldn’t pull them even if they were. They provide a nice dose of pollen for the earliest emerging bumblebee queens as well as blooming all summer and well into fall. Total workhorses for native pollinators. I love to watch marble-size bumblebees pinball through a patch of poppies, almost bearing the blooms down to the ground with their weight. Such a summertime joy.
Omigosh, you wore matching shoes! That's one of the best wedding stories I've every heard!
I did see them in the Willamette Valley but was unaware that native purists considered them out-of-place. That's too bad for them, denying themselves the pleasure of enjoying this lovely plant, which I can't imagine ever causes harm. I am not convinced they are correct on their origin either. These photos were all taken near the Humboldt/Siskiyou county lines in northern California, *quite* close to Oregon. As the climate warms, the Willamette Valley will be part of their eventual range shift, if they weren't there already. I'm not surprised you saw them loved by native pollinators, many of whom are probably present on the whole west coast.
Thanks for the interesting story about California poppies. We might think they are universally loved, but here’s a story about nativists in San Francisco who ask us to make distinctions among isolated populations of sub-species that have developed: https://milliontrees.me/2011/04/23/hybridization-genetic-pollution-or-a-natural-process/ In this case, the purists demanded the eradication of the “wrong” sub-species, which they considered genetic pollution.
Thanks for sharing that article, Mary. It's a great summary of the "genetic pollution" topic. I really just shake my head when I hear the purists going off like that. You make such an important point that it flies in the face of what science knows about speciation through hybridization, an essential mechanism of adaption and evolution. And yeah, the spirit of eugenics at work there is spooky to say the least.
Thank you for the beautiful photos and interesting background. At the right time of the year, and depending on recent rains, etc., we can see California poppies whenever we head out of our town in the Inland Empire: south towards Orange and San Diego Counties, East to San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, and West to Los Angeles.
Yes, I've observed them in those areas of southern California too, as well as out in the Mojave (like in Joshua Tree National Park) as well as Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Such a lovely resident wherever they are found!
I've had them growing in my PNW yard for years. I started the first ones from seed but now I just let them self sow. Volunteers starting sprouting about a month ago.
They are one of the few plants that I allow to invade my gravel paths - I just step over them.
Yes they loved disturbed areas like paths, and are pretty easy to just step over. If you ever did feel like they were getting in the way, you can harvest them whole and make a tea out of them, root, leaf and flower.
Wonderful photos of California Poppies and the story behind their scientific name. Should we start calling them Escholtzias, which would seem more proper than the mangled name now used? Perhaps.
Personally, I'm for excising people's names from binomial nomenclature altogether, and instead going with names that describe attributes of the species or their habitats. But putting that aside, I'm too proud of having learned how to spell and say "Eschscholzia" correctly without effort that I am hesitant it give it up, lol!
Yay! I love love love Cal poppies. They were our (very short-lived) floral “arrangements” at our wedding. I wore orange shoes to match. :) Not sure if you encountered this when you were in the Willamette Valley — but the native plant purists here sometimes say they’re not native to this area and advocate pulling them. Argh. I’m not convinced they’re correct and wouldn’t pull them even if they were. They provide a nice dose of pollen for the earliest emerging bumblebee queens as well as blooming all summer and well into fall. Total workhorses for native pollinators. I love to watch marble-size bumblebees pinball through a patch of poppies, almost bearing the blooms down to the ground with their weight. Such a summertime joy.
Omigosh, you wore matching shoes! That's one of the best wedding stories I've every heard!
I did see them in the Willamette Valley but was unaware that native purists considered them out-of-place. That's too bad for them, denying themselves the pleasure of enjoying this lovely plant, which I can't imagine ever causes harm. I am not convinced they are correct on their origin either. These photos were all taken near the Humboldt/Siskiyou county lines in northern California, *quite* close to Oregon. As the climate warms, the Willamette Valley will be part of their eventual range shift, if they weren't there already. I'm not surprised you saw them loved by native pollinators, many of whom are probably present on the whole west coast.
Thanks for the interesting story about California poppies. We might think they are universally loved, but here’s a story about nativists in San Francisco who ask us to make distinctions among isolated populations of sub-species that have developed: https://milliontrees.me/2011/04/23/hybridization-genetic-pollution-or-a-natural-process/ In this case, the purists demanded the eradication of the “wrong” sub-species, which they considered genetic pollution.
Thanks for sharing that article, Mary. It's a great summary of the "genetic pollution" topic. I really just shake my head when I hear the purists going off like that. You make such an important point that it flies in the face of what science knows about speciation through hybridization, an essential mechanism of adaption and evolution. And yeah, the spirit of eugenics at work there is spooky to say the least.
Great photos! Our Matalija poppies are in bloom as well.
thanks!
Thank you for the beautiful photos and interesting background. At the right time of the year, and depending on recent rains, etc., we can see California poppies whenever we head out of our town in the Inland Empire: south towards Orange and San Diego Counties, East to San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, and West to Los Angeles.
You're welcome!
Yes, I've observed them in those areas of southern California too, as well as out in the Mojave (like in Joshua Tree National Park) as well as Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Such a lovely resident wherever they are found!
What great photos and interesting history.
I've had them growing in my PNW yard for years. I started the first ones from seed but now I just let them self sow. Volunteers starting sprouting about a month ago.
They are one of the few plants that I allow to invade my gravel paths - I just step over them.
Thanks, Logan!
Yes they loved disturbed areas like paths, and are pretty easy to just step over. If you ever did feel like they were getting in the way, you can harvest them whole and make a tea out of them, root, leaf and flower.
Ahhhhh these photos are gorgeous. Thank you!!!!!
You're very welcome!
Wonderful photos of California Poppies and the story behind their scientific name. Should we start calling them Escholtzias, which would seem more proper than the mangled name now used? Perhaps.
Personally, I'm for excising people's names from binomial nomenclature altogether, and instead going with names that describe attributes of the species or their habitats. But putting that aside, I'm too proud of having learned how to spell and say "Eschscholzia" correctly without effort that I am hesitant it give it up, lol!