California Native Plants in a Bakersfield Landscape Setting : Wind Wolves Preserve

There are a number of sites within and surrounding Bakersfield that feature California natives landscapes.  One such locale is Wind Wolves Preserve at the southern foot of the San Joaquin Valley.  This is a fantastic preserve that showcases California native plants and animals as well as some historical Native American sites.  Their visitor center presents one example of what a landscape featuring native plants would look like.  First, there is no bare ground; instead, a mulch covers the ground to prevent weed growth, to keep the soil cooler than if it were baked by the sun, and to keep moisture from evaporating so quickly.  The mulch can be organic (such as cedar or redwood bark) or inorganic (such as gravel or lava rock).  The plantings here at Wind Wolves showcase one of California's golden natives: the unfortunately named Bladderpod (Isomeris arborea).  This plant has bright yellow blossoms in February and March (and later with a bit of water) to which the bees and hummingbirds will both come.  The plant gets its name from the seedpods, which look like . . . bladders (apparently).

 Here's my son in front of a bush in bloom.

Here are two bushes in the landscaping at Wind Wolves.

Here's a closeup of the blossom.

And here's an Anna's Hummingbird on the daily rounds.

Wind Wolves is a great place to hike, to meditate, to commune with the wild, and to see some native landscaping in action, especially the bladderpod.

Bladderpod is a perfect native plant for landscaping in Bakersfield.  It can take the heat, it doesn't mind being trimmed or shaped if it gets unruly, and it is a magnet for bees and hummingbirds.  If there were an official city plant, this would be it.