This season has been a time of growth—both for our plants and our incredible Nursery Internship Program. As autumn arrived, we welcomed Nordhoff High School junior Lilac Feliciano to the team. Since her first day on October 16, Lilac jumped right into learning the ins and outs of nursery operations under the guidance of Celeste Ayala, our lead intern. From cleaning pots and tools to mastering propagation techniques, she’s already making her mark.

Not to be mistaken for the showy blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) of eastern North America, the California scrub jay (Aphelocoma californica) is a nonmigratory species that occupies a swath of the West Coast. Taxonomically, the California form was recently split from the Inter-Mountain west and mainland Mexico form that is now known as Woodhouse’s scrub jay. Ranging from Washington to Baja California, California scrub jays inhabit a variety of habitat types, including mixed evergreen forests, riparian and oak woodlands, chaparral, sage scrub, and suburban gardens. 

Found on dry slopes and stony washes in coastal sage scrub and chaparral communities, wishbone bush (Mirabilis laevis) is a wonder to behold.