Even after 3.5 years of living in California, I’m still surprised (and a little weirded out) by what happens this time of year. The first couple of rains hit, and BOOM! Wildflower seedlings come bursting out everywhere. And, most of the established or close to established native plants start sending out new shoots and leaves. Essentially, it’s spring after the summer dormant season. But in November! My biological system is still attuned to the seasons in New England. As the days grow shorter and colder, I’m ready to hunker down inside and let the earth rest.

But the land is just waking up again here!

This spot is blowing me away because nothing grew here before. It’s on the western side of the house and is shaded until the late afternoon. Last year, a few Elegant Clarkia took hold and bloomed. And now their babies are everywhere! Plus, many more seedlings from seeds I scattered last year – yarrow, phacelia, Baby Blue Eyes, Goldfields, poppies, and more. The lupines are from stems and seed heads that I removed from the front yard and scattered around, in hopes that a few seeds might take hold. Well, they’ve gone downright berserk!

I was nervous last year that the great lupine display would be a one-time event. Ha! They have self-seeded in every part of the yard, including all the cracks between the concrete slabs that make up the driveway. I don’t mind that one bit because the native bees love the flowers. (It did make parking a little tricky last year, though – lupines can get big and bushy!)

This spot in the backyard is making me so happy. When we moved here, this space had all small non-native rosebushes that were pretty sickly. Over the last year or so, I removed all but one of the rose bushes, and I’ve really been trying to pack it full of California natives. Well, things are finally starting to fill out! There’s honeysuckle, sagebrush, monkey flower, sunflowers, sage, fuschias, buttercups, bunch grasses, gum plant, buckwheat, aster, and now oodles of wildflower seedlings. I can’t wait to see how this looks in a few months!

Probably 95% or more of the seedlings popping up are thanks to Walqaqsh California Native Seeds. I’ve been buying seeds from Nicholas the owner for a couple of years now, and they really are the best quality seeds. His prices are really low, and his is the only Indigenous-owned native seed store in California. So, get shopping! The little deer plant above will be going into the ground soon with several of his buddies, all grown from seeds that Nicholas collects and prepares himself.

More Elegant Clarkia, plus the best chance for Blue-eyed Grass I’ve had yet! It hasn’t done well in other parts of the yard, so I grew a bunch from seed and plopped the seedlings into one of the raised beds in the backyard. So far, it seems pretty happy. Maybe I’ll actually see some flowers this year!

Speaking of flowers, there are several new bloomers! The potted fragrant pitcher sage is popping out its pretty purple tube flowers again (wow – that was a lot of Ps!), and this new verbena that I got from my local native plant sale and put in the front yard is covered in tiny flower buds. Some of the California Fuschia is still blooming from the late summer, too!

Also, MUSHROOMS! They are everywhere in all different forms.

All of this makes me realize how much I’m learning from the plants, the land, the animals, and the people who have called this place home for tens of thousands of years. And how much there is still to understand! Which is wonderful because that learning is why I’m excited to wake up every morning and get outside every day.

No matter where you live or what season you’re in, I hope you’re finding fascinating things to observe and learn from outside!

–Kristen