Plants in my Neighborhood!

Through our virtual programming series, Nature in your Neighborhood, we challenged volunteers to go out into their neighborhoods or backyards to see what plants sparked their interest. Whether plants are native or non native, we can all appreciate a connection to nature and the curiosity that it can spark!

By: Shannon Shams

Pink Jasmine - Jasminum polyanthum

Invasive / ornamental

Native to China and Myanmar - used by bees and hoverflies

Likely brought as a ornamental plant from China to the US and Europe

Plant produces hundreds of small white jasmine flowers in the springtime and has a pleasant fragrance. Flowers are edible and have been used in medicines for hepatitis and dysentery. The plant grows quickly and has been known to get out of hand if not trimmed regularly.

Bermuda Buttercup - Oxalis pes-caprae

Invasive

Native to South Africa - extremely popular to bees

Likely transferred through soil contaminated by bulbs

My entire backyard is covered with these flowers and although they look nice and attract plenty of bees, they die early in the summer and it is difficult to remove the yellowed plant mass. Luckily my family does not mind the flowers, but complete eradication would be extremely difficult as the soil underneath the foliage is heavily contaminated with the bulbs of these flowers and I, from firsthand experience, can tell you that when attempting to remove these plants, it is nearly impossible to get the entire root and bulb out of the soil.

Musk Stork’s bill - Erodium moschatum

Invasive

Native to Eurasia and North Africa - “associated with many species” (cabi.org)

Introduced accidentally from Mexico to California in the mid 1700s