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Fiddlenecks (Amsinckia, very probably Amsinckia eastwoodiae, which is specific to Southern California).

In the spring, fiddlenecks explode in our area, filling fields and hillsides with tall, bristly stems of pretty yellow flowers.

There’s a big downside, though. Fiddlenecks are so prolific that they’re invasive, and will crowd out every other native plant and wildflower that might otherwise grow. If you mow them down, they’ll quickly come back, so they have be pulled out by the roots.

We’ve spent every spring since we’ve been here slowly but steadily yanking them out before they go to seed. Their footprint is much smaller and getting smaller each year. As a result a lot of natives have come back to take their rightful place.

#chaparral #botany #wildflowers #endemic #wild plants #invasive plants #fiddlenecks #yellow wildflowers

A new wildflower emerges! This is Amsinckia menziesii, and my favorite of its common names is smallflower fiddleneck. It’s a hardy little plant that can be found all over the state of Oregon, especially east of the Cascade range. I didn’t catch this plant at quite the right time, but as the stem unfurls the shape resembles the decorative scroll of a violin, just like fiddlehead ferns. These guys are in the forget-me-not family!

#garden talk #pnw native plants #fiddlenecks