May In LA - Jacaranda Time

Trees lush with lavender flowers are one of the joys of Los Angeles.  I remember as a child I was always awed by how outrageously wonderful this color was for a tree.  And it still is.  And as you drive through LA this time of year, you can see them everywhere.

 

This one's from our walk to the Saturday market at Virginia St. Park in Santa Monica.  The sky's been greyish so I didn't take pictures of any whole trees.  I was also struck by these bright yellow flowers on another tree.  I asked a woman who was working in her yard who said she was told it was a golden medallion tree.

An October 2006 Pacific Horticulture article by Steve Brigham says these trees come from Brazil and have turned out to do well in Southern California.  The lady I talked to said they were terrible street trees.  They were fragile and branches broke off easily.  They were a mess to clean up after the flowers fall off, and later they have long dark pods that squirrels make a mess with.  She wasn't real happy about them being put in by the City on her street.  But the flowers are pretty spectacular.

The market had a nice array of fruits, vegetables, breads, dried fruit and nuts, honey, flowers, and more.

Fava beans

A bunch of three onions, including the big one, was $2.

The strawberries were sweet and delicious.  Not at all like the hard supermarket variety that are white inside.

Phillip King is still playing his natural style harp at the market.  He said he's just recorded a new CD.  Click the picture to get to Phillip's website for more information.



There's also a new library in the park.  I was worried it would mean that the Fairview library on Ocean Park - less than a mile away - would have to close.  It's the one I used to walk to as a kid and take piles of books home.  But I checked.  They will close for a couple of months - but only to remodel.  Then they'll be open again.