Urban Wildflowers this season & Tasks

Unlike to the order of things in the subject line, Tasks is going to go First

• Find and disable sprinkler
• contrive to somehow take out the dandelions....
• plant squarsh (squash) and eggplants in containers, get ready for beans
• some more mulch for the garden plot would be nice... could I borrow some leaf litter from the sustainability center? possible

So I haven't been able to get to the dandelions or sprinklers because of work and migraines and I will continue to have work pretty solidly for a bit... unfortunately this means I can not be at the Learning Garden to take out the dandelions while the shed is open (and tools are available and I can blend in with other gardeners). So if I want to go I will have to do it alone OR! I could go on the second Saturday event? This means I would need to get my volunteer credentials reset by then (they expire) which I think I could do? Tbh also they wouldn't kick me out.

I HAVE chopped down the fava beans in my garden plot and mixed in as much compost and leaf litter that I could feasibly carry on the bus in a paper bag. I want to cover it more and I'd also like to make sure there isn't any sugar cane trying to sprout in it. I've also done a fair bit of weeding in the front yard and I can't remember if I mentioned this but I am fairly certain the buckwheat has had babies....

WILDFLOWERS. SITUATION: there are roughly three locations I checked on recently in the cities where wildflowers may bloom. First is by the bike path in between two specific streets. It usually has the most variety. I don't have anything to do with these ones.. they're really gorgeous. This year hurt though. It looks like someone hit the area with some pretty potent weed killer. I'm telling you first because it makes me sad. I know they weren't aiming for the wildflowers, this area has a lot of cheeseweed, clovers, bermuda grass, dandelions, in with the natives but it's still sad. I found some clarkias that looked like they might make it, some phacelias, the world's saddest California poppy, this little yellow one that I id'd last year and have since forgotten the name of, and something that ISN'T white Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterophylla)(don't quote me on spelling) that actually jumped the street and didn't get hit at all! I have pictures, I'm too tired to go through the uploading process right now. So yeah, that was pretty sad. I am hoping they pull through.

LOCATION NUMBER TWO. Giant vacant lot! In the fall/winter it was barren and dotted with the tragically inedible(toxic) castor bean and one singular mule fat bush. How did she get there. Now it is rolling hills of cheeseweed and stork bill along with the previous two mentioned. I was hoping to get desert bluebells in there I think but my expectations were low bc this place does NOT fuck with new seeds. ... unless..... I saw one lupine. lost my mind. love is real. tearing up writing this. good luck little buddy.

LOCATION NUMBER THREE! Smaller vacant lot on a busy trendy street that maybe used to be a nursery?? And THERE ARE POPPIES! BLOOMING! WAHOO!! There's a desert-y mallow that I believe is nonnative but it looks surprisingly similar to some of our native mallows, at least through a chainlink fence. I wonder if its still popular with the bugs. Holding out hope for some gilias and clarkias but honestly very delighted with having such bright poppies on a busy street corner. Lovely.

Location.. .5? oooh surprise surprise! Abandoned building down the street removed the chainlink fence that was in front of their abandoned tiny planters and I can finally root around in it now that its not so hard to reach. I found a few poppies and I was able to weed the area around them to give them a better shot. I also found bedstraw! Heck yeah! I will monitor the area going forward!

Ok this has been a long ass entry but there's kind of a lot going on. It's sprang (spring). I have lots of dreams that my plants have sprouted and then I come outside in the morning and it's still dirt HAHA. Ok that's all :)