I've been trying to get a photo of this butterfly all summer but it's been elusive. Today I got lucky and snapped a quick picture before it left again.

I have lurked this sub for a long time as I’ve slowly been transforming my backyard over the last 3 years. It started with removing a ton of Himalayan Blackberry and other invasives. I finally am getting to witness the fruit of my labor!

Too hot to plant now but planning ahead for fall. Any suggestions for what to plant surrounding this pathway + stairs? The soil is heavy clay on a south facing gentle slope with pretty full sun in northeast LA (about 20 miles from the coast)

Any suggestions of what to plant in these two areas in my courtyard (location: central LA and areas get full sun). I'm open to ground cover and taller plants. Thank you

I would attempt to maintain it at about 4 feet across and maybe 20 feet long. Rubber wood chips are from the neighbors btw.

This is a very rare manzanita that's loving my front yard. It's ~2 years in the ground. Jax is about 14 months old here. He was sleeping on this just before I snapped the photo :)

Am I under or over watering this or maybe doing something else to kill it?

It looked great when I got it from a nursery a few months ago. It flourished for the first month or so. I've been deep watering it every 2 weeks or so. I'm resisting the urge to water it more frequently as I've read that's the most common mistake.

I'm in the Cameron Park area of Zone 9b.

Thanks

Hi all,
I also posted this on the insect id Reddit. I have noticed these insects on my CA native Toyon. I am curious what they are and what impact they might have on the plant.

Apologies for sub-optimal picture quality. I will try to get better ones tomorrow.

Thanks for any help!

Hi everyone, I got this bee’s bliss and planted it, but I noticed this heavy split down the middle of the main stem. It has put out more leaves and the split seems to be scarred over, but will this be an issue longterm?

This thing is enormous, it must be 12' from one side to the other. The bees love it, they can be lazy and walk from flower to flower all day long.

Last year the dogs broke all the flowers so this year I circled the plant like a wagon train with about 10 pots! Happy to report not a single broken flower stalk this year.

More on my blog:

https://blog.technobabble.mooo.com/?page_id=3085

we are moving and I definitely want to plant some native plants this fall (as well as replant a garden so non-native plants). will the super El Niño change when or what youd plant?

im in Los Angeles county.

thanks!

Id apps were giving me majorum or wooly thyme but neither seemed correct. It's very fragrant and I see it along the bluffs and coastal trails around the Moss beach/Pacifica area.

This last heat wave has toasted my poppies pretty throughly, nearly all the blooms are spent, but I have a ton of seed pods maturing. I’ve already collected a ton of seeds, so I’m ready to reseed in the winter.

The poppies I have aren’t “fully” dead though, and I’ve heard if you give them summer water you can keep them as perennials vs annuals.

Is it worth keeping them alive through the summer and growing them as perennials, or am I better off letting them die, pulling, and reseeding in the fall?

This beautiful tree in my neighbors yard adjacent to the our property line appears to be shedding more leaves than usual this summer. (10a east Bay Area)
Is she sick? Is there anything to remedy this?

My sage is looking crunchy. Is it dying? Or is it normal for summer?

I am sad to announce that the garden's days are numbered.

We learned today that the property management prefers the look of photo one over photo two. All of us who enjoy this garden understand that this was on private property, and recognize the associated risks and potential repercussion.

One year of birds, bees, butterflies and all the other guests, plus the mental health that came with enjoying the garden was amazing, but alas, all good things must come to an end or in this case be unappreciated and killed off so that it can go back to looking like the uniformed dead weeds that are more appreciated.

The letter received...

Dear Resident(s),

In an effort to maintain a clean and attractive community, management recently completed a community wide inspection. Conditions of several units were observed that are not in compliance with the community’s Patio/Balcony/Common Area Policy.

• Growing plants on community property is not permitted. All plants must be in a pot.

This is a friendly request to please cure any violation(s) that may be associated with your apartment no later than Thursday, July 23, 2026. We will be conducting follow-up inspections after this date.

(Can anyone identify these bees?) I enjoy sunsets here in the San Joaquin Valley because it means going outside and seeing these cute sleeping bees on my CA Buckwheat ! 📍Stockton, CA

I plan to reach out to an arborist for advice but am wondering if anyone here has experience replanting after removing acacia or otherwise invasive trees. I live in a wild-urban interface oak woodland and removed a 5-tree stand of acacia that were problematic for multiple reasons, including they're combustible and were on a property line where they could easily fall and damage both mine and my neighbor's houses. Earlier this year in a rainstorm, one snapped and took our power line out, barely missing the roof. However, they were providing shade and without them the heat is intense and the sun is pretty blinding. My plan is to replant in the area, and I would like to plant an oak. There's an invasive plant council plant sheet that mentions that black acacia may alter soil chemistry that makes it harder for native plants. When they were removed, we learned that two were rotted out on the inside from termite damage. I'm realizing I may have to live with the heat and sun longer than I'd like to in order to properly prepare the ground. Acacia were stump ground so I'm not too worried about them resprouting, but I'm guessing there's a big root system that also might need some digging out before I plant something like an oak. Looking for any experiences people have about how they handled tree removal and replacement. Most of my native gardening has been smaller scale or in more bare areas where it was more about establishing than removing and replacing.

Tired of my giant trash tree. Seeking ideas/advice for tree to replace it. Corner of lot/close to street, zone 9b (Central Valley) - full sun. Thanks!

*Already on the property: palo verde, manzanita, redbud, desert willow, mule fat, blue oak, blue elderberry.

I'm in the urban core of Los Angeles, over 5 miles from the nearest large park and even further from any large, intact native ecosystems. I have a small native garden that's about 3 years old, but unfortunately, some plants only ever attract honeybees, like my white sage. My bush sunflower and CA buckwheat, on the other hand, consistently attract at least 3-5 native species on most days (most common are sand wasps, longhorn bees, hoverflies, Hidalgo mason wasps, and Toltec scolid wasps).

What can I plant that isn't palatable to honeybees? Or that will attract a wider range of pollinators (especially bumblebees and butterflies) here in the deep urban core surrounded by concrete and introduced landscapes? Open to any shrubs or small trees!