Almost everyone is familiar with THE California Poppy. Images from Antelope Valley and a host of other super bloom sites have blown up in recent years showcasing hillsides blanketed in neon orange with yellow and purple accents. These phenomena are certainly breathtaking and inspire many people to learn more about California native plants.
California is a biodiversity hotspot when it comes to native plant species. “California hosts approximately 6,500 species, subspecies, and varieties of plants that occur naturally in the state, and many of these are found nowhere else in the world” (1). The County of San Luis Obispo hosts more native plants within its border than the entire state of Alaska. This is due to the variety of environments that California has which has forced plants to adapt to unique habitats or harsh conditions such as the serpentine soils or salt winds.
With thousands of native plants and wildflowers to choose from you can imagine how difficult it was to select only a handful of native plants to include on the tapestry. The wildflowers I’ve chosen are some of the most common and widely known within the state. Below is a list of the species I’ve selected to include on the tapestry.
Woodland Strawberry - Fragaria vesca
California Poppy - Eschscholzia californica
Tidy Tips - Layia platyglossa
Cleveland Sage - Salvia clevelandii
Leopard Lily - Lilium pardalinum
Padre’s Shooting Star - Primula clevelandii
Baby Blue Eyes - Nemophila menziesii
Sky Lupine - Lupinus nanus
Farewell to Spring - Clarkia amoena
Western Blue-Eyed Grass - Sisyrinchium bellum
California Goldfields - Lasthenia californica
Valley Oak - Quercus lobata
Showy Milkweed - Asclepias speciosa
Monarch - Danaus plexippus
Sonoran bumblebee - Bombus sonorus
Blue Milkweed Beetle - Chrysochus cobaltinus
Orange Skipper - Poanes zabulon
Convergent Lady Beetle - Hippodamia convergens
With so many native plants to choose from there will be endless opportunities for additional tapestries in the years to come.
Sources
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Native Plants.” CDFW, wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Plants#:~:text=California%20hosts%20approximately%206%2C500%20species,nowhere%20else%20in%20the%20world. Accessed 26 May 2023.