Walking the property this evening, looking at the forest and planning in my head, I noticed a few new instances of Cutleaf blackberry (Rubus laciniatus), which is non-native, bears delicious fruit, and doesn’t bother me all that much (though I’m not a fan of invasive species as a general rule).  At my elevation, this particular blackberry isn’t nearly as aggressive as Himalayan blackberry, which is a big problem in many parts of California, but which fortunately I don’t have.Another non-native, Scotch broom (Cytisus), is in full flower.  Scotch broom is a major source of allergy pollen around here, though the bright yellow flowers are cheerful.  Unlike the blackberry, Scotch broom is quite aggressive, seeds profusely, and makes every attempt to take up as much space as possible.  On the plus side, it’s a legume, so it’s doing good things for the soil even while it tries to take over the world.

On the native side, the California wild rose (Rosa californica) – is popping up all over the place, and will flower later in the year, while Hartweg’s iris (Iris hartwegii – not sure which ssp exactly) is flowering right now.

Let’s hear it for the home team!