Winter is spring

In California and other Mediterranean climates our time for most plant growth is now (winter through early spring) instead of spring through summer.  Here's some native plants doing their thing on 1/24/15.

Lunada Canyon in early February

I volunteer in Lunada Canyon and recent rains mean the weeds will go wild.  Euphorbia terracina is the worst offender.  I pulled more than 74 seedlings (mostly) and mature plants (only a few) in early February when we hadn't had much rain at all. 

On the other hand, the restoration areas will benefit quite a lot and it will be nice to observe the changes over time.  In Early February the bees were loving this Rhus integrifolia (Lemonade Berry) which had both flowers and berries at the same time.