I was going to start pruning Vinoland's grapevines today, but it's raining, hmmph!  So, instead, Vinodog 2 and I went for an extra walk, a wet one.  Traipsing up the hill, a steep private road with three homes on it, which runs north from behind Vinoland, I was reminded that last week, whilst doing the same walk, I'd spotted a small white-flowered plant that I'd never seen before.  It goes without saying that I didn't know its name...had to rectify that.  After quite a bit of searching in my modest home-library and on the internet, with no luck, I gave up.
Never fear, I had one last resource at my disposal: Ellen Dean, Curator of the UC Davis Center for Plant Diversity.  I have had the great fortune of being helped in identifying a plant once before by Ms. Dean, so I thought I'd bother her once again in the identification of this weed.  Within 20 minutes I had the identity of my mystery wild flower:
"That isn't a weed!  That is the beautiful milk maids, Cardamine californica - one of our earliest native wildflowers in the mustard family.  How lucky you are to have it!"
I am lucky.  Having such a person as Ellen Dean to bother when I need help identifying the flora that flourishes in my little corner of California makes me very lucky.  I'm also lucky to have a milkmaid now growing in Vinoland - I transplanted one of the pretty little plants.
Posted by Vinogirl at 4:55 pm
Labels: Botany, Cardamine californica, flora, Milkmaids, UC Davis, weeds, wildflowers Thud said...

you lead a fast life.

January 19, 2018 9:14 am Vinogirl said...

Thud: 'Chainsaw' is constantly playing in my head whilst I view Mother Nature...I lead a fast life :)

January 20, 2018 9:05 pm Here I am... Vinsane about wine. Past Musings. Worth Reading... Vinogirl English Dictionary. Vino Idioticon. Vino Maniacs Around the World.
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