Plant: Parasitic plants... dodder and mistletoe...

What's common between the two pictures? Well, the yellow matted one is dodder, the green clump is mistletoe....both grow on other plants.. at the the cost of the host ... former is complete parasite, the latter is semi-parasite...

I have seen both of them parasitising many plants, big and small in riparian and chaparral canyons of South California...the former has invaded and destroyed many willows...the latter has grown on oaks and sycamores...

Mistletoe has cultural importance...its lectins are emerging to be anticancer compounds...

Not sure, if dodder serves any purpose...needs to be investigated...

Season: Autumn is in the air!! Welcome changes.....

Fall is definitely in the air...mercury has dropped 20 degree F...sun is sinking earlier..cotton woods and sycamores are turning yellow..pampas grass by the San Diego river are pretty with the plumes...our neighbors are adorning their doors with lovely wreathes and Halloween decors..pumpkin patches are opening..and yes, we are just back from apple picking...

Autumn is my favorite of all seasons! So is this picture taken in Sequoia National Park.....

The background is far from dull...and we got to stand under a bunch of mistletoes....

As autumn is progressing, subtle and striking changes are being felt....and its appealing to the senses!!

 The big balls of mistletoes peeping from the senescent foliage...

Callery pears are stunning with red and orange leaves..

Pretty Callery pear foliage........

Sycamore crown is rust-colored...

Pumpkins are ripening...

Pyracantha berries are blazing ...

Myriad migratory birds are arriving to the local marsh and lakes...