Prisk Native Garden

10/16/2026

I took a screen shot of the National Weather Service of the conditions at Long Beach Airport (where they officially take the temps for the City). High winds and 97 degrees? There are several fires burning south of us in Orange County, very predictable with these conditions. As for we native-plant enthusiasts in Long Beach, as well as much of Southern California, please water your new plants when the sun is finally off them this afternoon/evening, spritz the older, established plants, and soak your potted plants. (If I repeat myself lately, what the heck.) Remove the potted guys if possible to the shade. I actually cover some new plants at Prisk with window shades, shade cloths, etc. We'll be done with these winds early tomorrow afternoon. Then temps will go down bit time and we'll get some rain possibly. As per my last entry here, this is certainly more whiplash climate stuff. Today it felt like Phoenix in August. Next Tuesday it'll be Malibu in February. Whipash!!-M

10/16/2026

According to the LA Times, a relatively new term for the relatively new roller coaster weather events is "climate whiplash." Indeed! We're tossed one extreme way then another, quite rapidly. To quote the Times: "Normally--and historically--the whiplash occurs over a few years." (Yes!) "Take, for example, the three years of historic, parching drought in California that were followed by a parade of atmospheric river storms that drenched the state during the winter of 2022-23, when the Southern Sierra Nevada received roughly 300% of its average April 1 Snowpack." {Paragraph} Get it? With climate change--(don't tell me there isn't!) --conditions, including "whiplash," are accelerating. Not good news, and if I thought I worried about my wildflower "crop" then, imagine now. Both the annuals and I are, to use an old phrase, "don't know whether we're coming or going."--Mike

10/12/2026

Okay, we did get measurable rain this morning (but nothing huge) in Long Beach after a bust yesterday. At least our established plants will get a good leaf-washing, which natives love (the late Bert Wilson of Las Pilitas Nursery used to tell us this, which is why he'd often tell us to spritz our plants occasionally). The coast got very little compared to some inland spots, including the Mojave Desert, which got a surprising dump of rain. Could be the start of a good wildflower bloom out there for spring, hmmmm? We'll see.--Mike

10/12/2026

Glad I didn't plant any new plants today: the rains here in Long Beach were a bust. Hardly enough to do more than dampen the ground. I'll wait till I see some more substantial rain events on the horizon. As a matter of fact, it's going to be around 90 degrees again in a few days in the L.A. area.--Mike

10/11/2026

Went out to Claremont this early morn (what a great, picturesque town with spectacular classic homes and several charming and special colleges), and of course, one of my favorite spots, the California Botanic Garden (formerly Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden): More than 80 acres of splendid displays of every native California species (huge trees, ancient shrubs, etc. etc.) that you can imagine. Ran into a friend and member of my Board for Wild for Schools, George Nanoski, Environmental Science teacher in the LAUSD, and as usual, had a lot to talk about. (We're both excited yakkers and monumental natives freaks!) I bought about a dozen 4-inch pots of natives, and many wildflower seed species for this fall/winter/spring. I recommend this Botanic Garden highly, and if you're a natives fan you just have to check the place out. Now: Apropos of the rain showing up tonight, I myself am going to not plant much till I see if other rains are following soon. After all, we do have many episodes of precipitation coming in this El Nino year. Much more about the rain/rains tomorrow and thereafter over this rainy season as we go.--Mike

10/08/2026

Cardinal monkey flowers (Erythranthe cardinalis) keep growing, making seed, falling back, and constantly keeping our upper Creek red by their joyful position of constantly "keeping their feet wet" in our running stream. The entire complex of native plants utilizing our Creek keep our recirculated pond water naturally "bio-filtered" by their greedy roots. (Who needs artificial plastic materials to absorb fish waste? We're doing it the ancient wetlands way! When I was creating the pond/creek complex that's the way I envisioned it. It works better than I could have imagined.)--Mike

10/06/2026

This page is dedicated to planting native plants whenever possible (removing lawns; planting in waste places; planting in parks and vacant lots; planting around commercial buildings; and yes, planting at schools at all levels--pre-school to college-- even tearing up blacktop and concrete to do so, especially in underserved communities. It's all about using those plants for outdoor education for youngsters, while surrounding them and immersing them in nature utilizing native species as much as the site permits. {Paragraph} Having said that, what is this weather/climate post have to do with all these points? Everything. How we seed and plant and nurture natives to support education, the support of wildlife, especially our pollinator population (moths, wasps, bees, butterflies) are going to have to adapt to these weather/climate conditions, as the heat, especially, accelerates. (Personal note: I just took an Ibroprofen for this heat-induced headache after I went for a brisk walk this morning. And I stayed in the shade as much as possible.) No native plant gardener nor any teacher who utilizes outdoor education CAN IGNORE THIS INFORMATION. How do we cope? How do we change our practices? What can I, an individual, do? {Paragraph} Now that I've posted some rather pressing information, let's just stare at this map and ponder that weather/climate records started being recorded in 1883. YES, 1883. Don't come back and say this is just "normal ups and downs." Please.--Mike

10/05/2026

Not good to see into October. (We're breaking heat records again, natch, as climate change keeps making weather extremes, and these conditions keep accelerating, apparently. Oh, boy.) As far as planting of natives goes, wait until there is an extended period of cooldown, and even perhaps wait for both cooling and some rains to help the plants. (El Nino rains look like a slam dunk from all reports.) I wear a huge cowboy hat and shades when I work in the Garden now, and I'm in there only briefly in the morning. I especially tend the potted plants of course, and perhaps move more into the shade as I go. You can plant your purchased desert plants or plants you've grown yourself from seed (I do some of those every year) anytime of the year. Put a rock on the afternoon-sun side of the plant. In the meantime, let's take care of own species (Homo sapiens), too!--Mike

10/05/2026

Worst October I can remember. I've probably mentioned this somewhere along the line but here it is again: When I first discovered my love for native plants, I might buy some natives in September and plant them by the 15th, or perhaps with no problem at the end of September, water them well, mulch them with rock or wood mulch, and enjoy the cool weather. Perhaps no more, or ever again in my lifetime. Heat records have been broken now for the last few years, and the heat seems to be mounting and accelerating. We'll have to wait till those El Nino rains coming that most predictions are calling a slam dunk. (But hey, those desert species guys are lovin' this, and will take a planting and watering right now: place rock around them with good drainage.) More on this later. Hang in there! I hate these blasted conditions! All I do pretty much now is go to Prisk early, water the pots, move them more into shade, perhaps, and wait till the weekend, when we'll see some relief!!--Mike

OCTOBER HEATWAVE CONTINUES. .. 10.3.2026 ... Are we having fun yet?

Disneyland, Knotts, Magic Mountain all near 106F today ... keep in mind the air temp does not reflect the rising heat from the ground and it will feel more like 125F in these locations .... especially parking lots where it could go as high as 140F ...

Tomorrow will be equal and we remain into the upper 90s all week until the 10th when we go into the 80s ...

Temperatures from the ZoneWatch app…

Raiden Storm
Master General Meteorologist D101 🟢
National Weather Force Innovations LLC President and CEO
Warning Coordination Meteorologist
Alpha Weather Analysis
https://www.alphaweatheranalysis.com

10/03/2026

I see these little tiny, deep purple blooms on many different desert species, both trees and shrubs. It seems to be the way the evolution of the plants has proceeded to handle the heat and drought of our most extreme arid areas. In addition to the little blooms, the leaves have shrunk over time, again for trees and shrubs both, and some species have barely any leaves at all, but mostly naked stems much of the year (till whatever rainfall comes that season). Some orders of plants, like cactus and succulents, have succulent stems and their leaves have shrunk into nubs or full-on huge spines!--Mike