6-25-16

Eucalyptus grove off California Route 99, a major north-south thoroughfare ("The Golden State Freeway") in the Central Valley, running more-or-less parallel to Interstate 5. (The insert shows a close-up of one tree.) Eucalyptus were originally imported into California from Australia during the Gold Rush, by Australian immigrants who thought they'd do well--which, by and large, they did. Altho plans for eucalyptus plantations didn't work out, they became very popular as ornamentals and for such things as hedgerows and highway edging. In recent years, tho, despite the fact that they're pretty innocuous as non-native species go, they've become "politically incorrect" in some quarters. Still, they're likely to remain a prominent component of the trees in the Central Valley for some time to come. AFAIK, tho, no one's ever tried to import koalas to feed on them-- ;)

Andy was a sparkling presence on Ipernity, and he will be deeply missed. Not only did I enjoy his photos, I’ll especially miss the discussions we’d have on various topics. RIP my friend. This is a pic of an oleander hedge off State Route 88 in California. Andy liked oleanders, and I’d noted that they’ve been widely planted in the southwest USA, for their sun tolerance and smog tolerance. (And urban legend greatly exaggerates their toxicity!) So I hope he would like this pic.

Nerium oleander . An Old World species that's so widely distributed its exact place of origin is uncertain. It's been extensively planted as an ornamental in the warmer parts of the US. It works well for highway edging because it's tolerant to automotive fumes. The hedge here separates an orchard from California state route 88, just outside the little town of Lockeford. The inset shows a close-up of the blossoms. All parts of the plant are toxic, containing compounds similar to digitalis. Per Snopes, however, the tales of people dying from cooking hot dogs on oleander twigs are urban legends. It's not _that_ toxic! Its toxicity does keep the deer depredation down, tho. Map location is appoximate.