Hurricane Hurricane!

It's been an odd week here in the north east. Hurricanes, earthquakes, we're just not used to these sorts of things. But I guess while I have some time I'll post about some of the things I've been neglecting.

I got to head down to the Jersey shore a few weeks ago for vacation. It was nice to get out of the city and see natural environments again. Being a plant geek is like being in a natural version of the matrix. Seeing each plant is like reading code.

 

There's nothing like seeing coastal junipers, viburnums, and cranberries... and loads of blue sky and flat lands doesn't hurt either when you're riding your bike.

But sometimes you get to see some interesting plants when you're looking at wild lands. Native plants are one thing. There's a big push to use native plants out in the trade. This term can be very misleading as it just means plants native to the United States in most regards. The problem with this is that not all plants native to one area of the country are native to another. These plants can still spread and naturalize to new areas where they wouldn't normally be found. This becomes a problem when these species out compete those that should be naturally found in those areas. 

 Take Gaura for example. This beautiful plant should be found out in the plains.. not out in the marshes.

While other plants that are native like Hibiscus.. I've never actually seen out in the wild before. It's always fun to see ornamentals in their native environment.

    I also took a walk around some athletic fields and came across some Optunia. 

and.. more Optunia.

Sheesh, what a field managers nightmare.

Lets not forget some awesome signs.

Well, it was a good vacation. I spent most of it on the beach. It was nice to get away and then to come back to hurricanes, earthquakes, and crazies. At least labor day is almost here.