Path at Heron Point Cultural Education Center, landscaped with California Native Plants, 8/1/09

The plant with light colored leaves is White Sage, native bunch grass & I believe Deer Bush

California Buckwheat (the white flowering plant)

Beginning portion of Heron Pointe Path with no California Native Plants

Example of Heron Pointe path in areas with well established CA native plants

Gum Grove Park, Spring Picture (4-19-08), non-native plants

Gum Grove Park, Summer Picture (8-1-09), non-native plants

Native plant, California Lilac, Heron Pointe, 4/11/09

California native plant, Cleveland Sage, Gum Grove Park, 4/11/09

Native to California, 4/20/08

Native to California, 4/19/08

4/20/08

Invasive species, Artichoke Thistle
The four pictures below show this highly invasive plant.  Artichoke Thistle smothers native plants and is very difficult to remove.  Artichoke Thistle propagates by seed and usually does not stray too far from the parent plant unless the seed is disturbed.  Each flower bud produces 600-800 seeds.  The plant's tap root is 6-9 feet deep making digging it up very difficult and if all the roots are not all removed it will just sprout up again.  One acre of land heavily invested can have up to 22,000 plants.  Research suggests pruning the leaves and flower buds can help to prevent spreading but this must be done at precisely the right growth time and repeated through certain seasons, every three weeks and you still have the problem of the deep tap root.  This highly invasive non-native is found all over Gum Grove Park, Heron Pointe and the Hellman Ranch area of Los Cerritos Wetlands. 

Artichoke Thistle in bloom, Gum Grove Park, 4/19/08

Young Artichoke Thistle, Gum Grove Park, 4/11/09

Artichoke Thistle (foreground), 4/19/08

Artichoke Thistle, 4/19/08

Link to Seal Beach Daily's Gum Grove Park Plants & Animals pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31948618@N08/sets/72157615348506518/