Redbuds

4004 HYPER FLEX 3 2 mm Women’s Neoprene XC832MB Full WetSuit Sz L40mm Deep Straight Pull Road Bike Wheelset 700C Carbon Clincher Tubeless Ready420mm FSA Wing Pro Compact Alloy 31.8mm Road CX Cycling Handlebar

About eighteen years ago I was enrolled in a Nursery Management class at the College of Marin and our instructor always had plant propagules to share with his students. One day he took a bag of moist perlite full of stratified, and germinating redbud seeds from the refrigerator to share with the class. I took a dozen or so to grow on; but it wasn’t until several years later that I noticed some minor differences in the leaves of certain specimens: some were fully rounded, or with a slightly indented notch, others showed a delicate little tip to the rounded form; making the leaf almost a heart shape.  

Micro-Habitats; Knowing Your Land

My husband and I live on a south facing hillside situated above the Novato Creek floodplains; it’s a beautiful, warm, and sunny spot with a great vantage point. Our hill, called Cherry Hill on some maps, is a part of one of the ridges extending from Mt. Burdell, the 3rd highest peak in Marin County, and we’re directly facing Big Rock Ridge, the 2nd highest spot in Marin. When the skies are clear, we can actually see just a little tip of Mt. Tamalpais, the highest peak in Marin! To the east, we can see the twin peaks of Mt. Diablo, which is the highest peak of all in our area and therefore the base meridian of much of northern California.

4pcs Universal 95mm plastic Bearing Pulley Wheel for Gym Fitness Equipment4ZA Forza Cirrus Ladies Woman's Road Bike Saddle 145mm Ref 4ZA5 PC 36PC NIPPLE CAP GAUGE 8 197MM MOTORCYCLE WHEEL SPOKES

Even so, with not much more than an inch of rain, I’m witnessing an almost instantaneous re-greening of the landscape! Within days thousands of seeds are germinating; lots of grasses, and a great variety of weeds and wildflowers. This is where the fun begins. I love the challenge of identifying these minute plantlets. Sometimes I’m already so familiar with the plant that I know it from the cotyledons, but very often I need to see the first true leaves before I really know what they are.

Thinking About Weeds

5.11 Taclite Long Sleeve Shirt Large Realtree Extra New50 Lb. Rubber Hex Dumbbell Fitness Gym Weights Weight Workout Training Exercise501.FD0415TS PLAQUETTES DE FREIN MOTO FD0415 (SR)50mm Carbon Road Bike Rim Clincher 25mm 700C 20 24 Hole UD Matt Rim Disc Brake

50mm clincher carbon wheel front only 700C for road bike50mm Disc brake Clincher carbon fiber Cyclocross wheelset 10 or 11 speed50pcs Waterproof Reflective Tape Red White 290mm Safety Warning Trailer RV5-30lb. Rubber Coated Dumbbell Pairs, 5 lb increments, Body-Solid56mm Clincher 700c road bike front rear wheel set UD matt Basalt width 27mm rim

Here’s where my thoughts about weeds differ from those of many others; weeds are not all bad!