Wildflower of the Week: Opium Poppies

June 30, 2012

Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy, in one of its many guises (Photo: publicphoto.org)

We’re making opium poppies our Wildflower of the Week due to an article on page 11 of this week’s Carmel Pine Cone concerning an alert Carmel police officer who discovered an opium poppy growing on a city easement along the side of a Carmel street. The offending plant, you’ll be glad to know, was seized before it could further damage the town’s moral character. After the plant tested positive for morphine, down at the station, it was renditioned to a federal crime lab for “further analysis.” The article concludes by noting that “it’s unknown who planted the illegal poppy.” Your tax dollars at work. Read the rest of this entry »


Garrapata State Park to Stay Open

June 28, 2012

Soberanes Pt. at Garrapata State Park

Update: State Parks has announced that, all possible benefits having been milked from this particular piece of political theater, no parks will actually close on Sunday. Sure couldn’t have seen that one coming!

The Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District and the Big Sur Land Trust have agreed to take over emptying the garbage cans and servicing the porta-pots at Garrapata State Park (which is about all the services the park currently receives from State Parks), meaning the Park, which had been scheduled to “close” Sunday, will now remain officially open. Read the rest of this entry »


Pinnacles Picnic

June 24, 2012

A sunny Sunday that’s not too hot. Perfect day to grab some food and drink, a pair of binoculars and a climbing rope, then head to Pinnacles National Monument.

Among the crags Read the rest of this entry »


Garrapata State Park “Closing” Next Weekend

June 23, 2012

Garrapata State Park is scheduled to close next Sunday, July 1

When Gov. Brown announced plans last year to save $22 million by closing 70 of California’s State Parks, it was immediately obvious that it wasn’t really about the $22 million. Read the rest of this entry »


Wildflower of the Week: Globe Lily

June 8, 2012

Globe Lilies, AKA Fairy Lanterns (Calochortus albus) growing along the Kirk Creek Trail. Read the rest of this entry »