My favorite California native, longstem buckwheat or Eriogonum elongatum, is blooming in the old garden. I stopped by yesterday to do some maintenance, and am glad I brought my camera. Large swaths of silvery gray stems draped over the other plants in the garden, which looked a little worse for wear after a very hot week. It's the end of the summer, the hottest and driest time of the year, and this buckwheat was thriving while many of the other plants were dormant. Like most other buckwheats, this one has small white puff balls of flowers, with faint pink tinges. As autumn gets closer and these dry out, they turn a lovely rust color.
Not surprisingly, the buckwheats (this elongatum and also the grande rubescens) were the most popular with the bugs. These guys were hopping with bees and moths of all sorts, creating a very healthy hum.
These are seasonally available from Theodore Payne. More info from Calflora as well as from this charming video.
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