It's Wild Mustard Season in the North County

As I was driving home on Highway 46 West today, I decided it was time to stop and take a picture of the mustard on the slope on the side of the highway. I love the way it looks on the green hillsides and in between the rows of vines in some of the vineyards I have visited. See some mustard growing in a vineyard. I know the mustard may keep blooming for a while, but the hillsides will be brown again all too quickly - unless it keeps raining. I'm not holding my breath for that, though I always hope. Our California drought makes me treasure each rainstorm as a gift from Heaven.

Here is a closer look at the wild mustard plant that is common in the wild places of San Luis Obispo County, and maybe where you live, as well. This one is growing next to my mailbox.

Is wild mustard common where you live? Do you have it on your property?

Related articles

• Poison in the Park

Photo Walk Under Ominous Clouds Yields Scenic Surprises

Mustard in Meadow under Stormy Sky, © B. Radisavljevic

I was not in the mood to go for a walk today, but made myself go, even though it appeared it would be raining soon. I had intended to drive out to Sculpterra, a favorite local local winery, so that I could walk around the grounds without ever getting too far from shelter. But when I saw the sky over this bright green and yellow landscape, I parked across the street from it in an industrial park and decided to take my photo walk right there.


I parked in the lot for Flight Environments, which makes plane interiors. I couldn't help but notice how the mirror windows reflected the landscape from across the road. They were more like picture windows.

Meadow Reflected in Commercial Building Windows, © B. Radisavljevic

  I'm still trying to figure out what the flag on the right side of the photo represents. The closest I can some is the state flag of Colorado. Perhaps the wind is blowing it so it shows backwards. Here is a photo of the Colorado flag.

The original Flag of Colorado did not specify the size of sun and "C". As a result, many variations existed. Some contained the large "C" as on on the current flag while others wholly inscribed within the white stripe. In 1964, the Colorado government specified the size and position of the "C". (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Below is a closer look at the scenes in two of the windows.

Expanded View of Meadow Reflected in Commercial Building Windows, © B. Radisavljevic

I finally got to the end of the block and walked left on a private road leading toward some vineyards on a hill. Along the way were many wildflowers and I spent a lot of time trying to capture the many flying hawks with my camera. The sky was a full as an airport, but I don't have room to show all those photos I took here.

Private Road Leading Toward Vineyards, © B. Radisavljevic

As the sky became more ominous, I knew it was time to head back to the car. This was my view as I began to head west again. The hills you see in the distance are on the other side of Highway 101, about a seven minute drive away unless all the lights are red. That's where I found the almond trees blooming last week.

Looking West Toward the Hills, © B. Radisavljevic

As I was almost back to the car, I saw the sun shining through the clouds, and then the drops began to hit me as I was almost to the car. I'm glad I took the walk because I saw so much I wanted to photograph. If it weren't for having my camera with me, I probably wouldn't get out to walk nearly as often.

Radiant Beams of Sunshine through the Storm Clouds, © B. Radisavljevic

If you enjoyed these photos, please share. The photo below is just  right for Pinterest. I shows some of the birds I was able to capture on camera. 

Have you seen anything beautiful or memorable today?

Poison in the Park

We like to think of our parks as safe places, and, for the most part, they are. But Larry Moore Park is full of poison, especially from February until the end of summer. It's not only poison, but it's lovely poison. You can see it here above. I suggest you click to enlarge these photos so you can see the leaves in greater detail. Those beautiful green lacy leaves are none other than poison hemlock, the same stuff that killed Socrates. See my article Poison Hemlock: Lovely but Lethal for information on how to recognize it at every stage of its life.

I took the photos in this blog post at Larry Moore Park on February 18, 2015, but the park is full of poison hemlock very year. You will also find it all over the North County on uncultivated land and on roadsides, and probably in your yard if you have open space. It smells sinister if you pick it, but you really don't even want to touch it. One mouthful of this plant can kill an adult, but it comes with no warning labels except its smell, and even that is subtle.

Poison hemlock often grows in close proximity to milk thistle, another beautiful plant, but it won't harm you unless you touch its thorns. Wild mustard often grows with one or both of these. You can see the broad white-streaked milk thistle leaves interspersed among the hemlock plants in this photo.

If you see a fern-like bright green plant growing next to mustard and / or milk thistle, it is very likely to be poison hemlock. Teach your children to recognize these plants. Mustard and milk thistle are harmless, but they can warn you that poison hemlock may be nearby. If your children play at Larry Moore Park between back trail and the riverbed, be sure they are warned never to touch the green plants or eat them. Poison hemlock can resemble wild celery, Queen Anne's Lace, and even wild carrot. They are in the same family.

Wild Mustard and Poison Hemlock Together

This last photo shows you just how much poison hemlock invades the park. I was walking that back trail that leads to river access when I took these pictures. The poison hemlock grows not only along the trail, but through all the dead and living trees almost to where the river sand starts. It's a see of green invading the woods - just where children might be playing hide and seek. Look through the trees and you will see it everywhere.

Poison Hemlock Invading Larry Moore Park