Aesculus californica, in winter, at East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Berkeley. California buckeye (Aesculus californica) puts on a bold and fascinating seasonal show. In late winter bright apple-green new leaves burst forth at branch ends and rapidly unfold, quite suddenly claiming the stage among the darker greens of evergreen oaks, bays, and pines.  In spring to early summer showy spikelike clusters of lightly fragrant creamy white flowers are held gracefully upright above the leaves.  The large polished-brown seeds peeking through leathery, pear-shaped pods are highly decorative on silvery gray branches in fall. Aesculus californica flowers

I hear from long-time residents of Amador County, California, that our native redbud (Cercis occidentalis syn C. orbiculata ) is not found anywhere in that county except where planted.  To me, this is a fascinating mystery, as it is commonly reported by reliable sources as occurring in the wild in that part of the state.  Some have suggested it may be the soils, that redbud requires “ultramafic”  (basic) soils, even serpentine, that are not common in Amador County.  If you live in that part of the world, please let us know if you have seen