Red Car Property: Native Spanish Lotus

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 21, 2010. Spanish Lotus (Lotus purshianus) is a low, ground cover-type native plant blooming near Adelbert and above the viaduct footings. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Click here to see our neighborhood native plant catalog.

Red Car Property: Golden Stars

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 21, 2010. Native Golden Stars (Bloomeria crocea) are blooming on the slope below Adelbert. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

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Corralitas Drive: Gardening With Natives

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 9, 2010. Native Wild Hyacinth (long stem purple flowers) grows in my neighbor's front steps. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

A few years ago, my neighbor dropped Native Wild Hyacinth seeds in the cracks in his staircase. They've reseeded themselves ever since. The seeds were originally gathered from the Hyacinth growing near the Corralitas Public Staircase. His flowers come up later than those on the public staircase (which bloom in late February).

Click here for our neighborhood native plant catalog.

Corralitas Public Staircase: Opening Soon

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 2, 2010. Looks like a sunflower is about to bloom on the top flight of the Corralitas Public Staircase. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Corralitas Drive: Native Wildflowers

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 29, 2010. A neighbor carefully tends native wildflowers growing adjacent the 2 Freeway on Corralitas Drive. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Corralitas Public Staircase: Dangerous In So Many Ways

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 29, 2010. Deadly Nightshade grows along the Pits of Doom. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The threat of injury and death come in so many ways on the Corralitas Public Staircase. The Corralitas Pits of Doom are the most immediate threat, particularly since this winter's rains further eroded the earth holding up the public staircase. With no railing on most of the public staircase, there's nothing to keep you from falling into the Pits of Doom. (See all Pits of Doom posts.)

If hunger strikes while your climbing the stairs, do not snack on the berries you see growing on the leafy green plants. That pretty plant with the tiny white flowers and green (ripening to black) berries, is Nightshade, a highly toxic native plant (see photo above). Castor Beans are non-native, highly toxic, can not only kill you, they can break up the staircase, creating trip & fall injuries and lawsuits.

Then there's those pesky giant Alligator Lizards, who can deliver a bacteria laden bite if provoked. Finally, if you make it past all those dangers, there's always a risk of heart attack or heatstroke from climbing those 133 steps in 6 flights in the hot sun.

However, if you're a regular staircase hiker, you might want to join the Big Parade, the free 2-day staircase marathon of fun, June 12 &13, 2010. You can join for a few staircases, hours or both days. For more info and training hikes see: www.bigparadela.com. It's a great way to explore the neighborhoods of the Eastside.

Red Car Property: Blue Fiesta Flowers

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 21, 2010. Blue Fiesta Flowers are still blooming near the trail up to Adelbert. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Red Car Property: Revenge of the Squirrels

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 21, 2010. Ready to defend his territory, an average sized squirrel eyed me cautiously as I took photos of his California Black Walnut Tree. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

In the past, you could collect walnuts and acorns with a bucket from the ground beneath native trees on the Red Car Property. In the last two years, a population explosion of squirrels stripped all the native trees. Only occasionally, did I see a stray black walnut among the chewed up shells beneath California Black Walnut Trees near Rose Scharlin Preschool. Tiny squirrel footprints in the dirt indicated the most popular trees.
Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 13, 2009. Jabba the Squirrel keeps to the larger branches in Red Car Canyon. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Food is so abundant in Red Car Canyon, at least one squirrel reached Jabba the Hut-like proportions. One morning, while walking the canyon, I heard what sounded like a much larger animal in the trees above. I pointed my camera in the direction of the sound, hoping to catch a shot of a raccoon or opossum. Substantial branches were moving with each step of the animal. It was too heavy to be a squirrel.

I was in shock when a squirrel waddled slowly into the open, revealing its full girth. It was downright obese. It was Jabba the Squirrel. Even his head was huge. Unfortunately, the lighting in the canyon does not lend itself to quick shots on a point & shoot camera. So these are the only two images I have of Jabba.
Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 13, 2009. Jabba is one mean looking, fat-assed squirrel. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

I've only seen Jabba a couple times since December. I asked neighbors if they'd seen Jabba. No one else had seen him. However, a Riverside Place neighbor said her son had seen him too. The child had the exact same reaction I did.

There is no mistaking Jabba the Squirrel. He's not just a fat squirrel. He's so obese, he can't run. But then, who's going to mess with a squirrel that large? No wonder there are no acorns and walnuts to collect, Jabba ate them all!

If you have any Jabba the Squirrel sightings, or any other neighborhood wildlife photos, send them to: redcarproperty@gmail.com.

Red Car Property: Squirrels Will Be Happy

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 21, 2010. California Black Walnut Trees near Rose Scharlin Preschool are already sprouting fruit. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Red Car Property: First California Poppy of the Season

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 9, 2010. Last week, the first California Poppy of the season opened on the slope below Adelbert. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Click here for our catalog of neighborhood native plants.

Red Car Property: Native Plant Communities

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 9, 2010. Native Blue Fiesta Flowers and Miner's Lettuce growing with non-native Barley and other foxtail-type grasses near Adelbert. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

When you find one native plant, look around for a few more species. It seems they like to grow in the same area. Perhaps they work together to fight off the aggressive non-native grasses.

Click here for our catalog of neighborhood native plants.

Red Car Property: Native Tomcat Clover

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 3, 2010. Native Tomcat Clover (Trifolium willdenovii) on the Adelbert slope that slid in 2005. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Last year, Tomcat Clover bloomed up atop the viaduct footings. So far this year, it's only blooming on the slope with lots of native flowers, below Adelbert.

Click here to see our catalog of neighborhood native plants.

Red Car Property: Blue Fiesta Flowers Back For A Limited Time

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 1, 2010. One-inch diameter, native Blue Fiesta Flowers just started blooming near Adelbert. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

While Blue Fiesta Flowers (Pholistoma auritum) bloom in March in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract, they appear the first week of April on the northern end of the Red Car Property, on the shady slope adjacent to Adelbert. In fact, they are blooming just below the giant bushes of Purple Nightshade, another native plant.

Click here for our catalog of neighborhood native plants.

Red Car Property: California Black Walnuts Indicate Season Change

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 20, 2010. First day of Spring and the California Black Walnut Trees are sprouting new leaves. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, January 12, 2010. The Black Walnuts had completely dropped their leaves prior to the big January rainstorms. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 22, 2009. Black Walnuts were late in dropping leaves for winter. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Adelbert Garden: Miner's Lettuce

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 5, 2010. Yes, I'm still using photos from March 5, it was just a spectacular day for great photos. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Adelbert: Native Garden

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 5, 2010. Native tree poppies bloom in a neighbor's garden, directly across from the Red Car Property on Adelbert. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

A Red Car Property neighbor on Adelbert has an extensive garden of native plants. The slope is north facing and shaded much of the day. Similar conditions encourage more native wildflower growth on the northern end of the Red Car Property, near Adelbert.

Click here for our catalog of neighborhood native plants.

Adelbert: Nightshade Blooming Spectacularly

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 5, 2010. The leaf shape indicates this is likely a native species of Nightshade (Solanum) at the Adelbert entrance to the Red Car Property. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 5, 2010. The Nightshade bush is length of several cars and more than 7' tall. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Nightshade is beautiful, but deadly. Calflora lists Nightshade as a Class 1 Major Toxicity plant.

Click here for our catalog of neighborhood native plants.

No Blarney: It's a Green Bee (or Wasp?)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 5, 2010. Yes, it's a metallic green bee or wasp on the native Morning Glories off the Corralitas Public Staircase. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Coudn't resist the bee wearing the green on St. Patrick's Day. BugGuide.net cites 13 species of metallic green bees (Agapostemon) occurring in the United States, coast to coast. There's also a few green wasps. So if you have more insight, please send us an email: redcarproperty@gmail.com.

You can tell it's a bee or a wasp, rather than a fly, by the body shape. Compare the bee in this post to the fly on last week's giant mushroom.

Viaduct Footings: California Black Walnuts Coming Back

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 5, 2010. The young California Black Walnut Trees that escaped last summer's carnage wrought by the City's Lot Cleaning Department, are sprouting fresh growth at the historic viaduct footings. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Click here for our catalog of neighborhood native plants.

Red Car Canyon Lake: Coast Live Oak

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 7, 2010. New growth is sprouting on native Coast Live Oak. (Click on photo to enlarge.)