Observation: Gazebos and pergolas.....

Pretty gazebos...
In Fullerton arboretum, by the fruit orchard..........

In the Woodbridge lake..for people to lean against and gaze at the setting sun and swimming ducks...

In  Santee lakes regional park........

In nowhere ...in fact, in the Colorado desert near the Horse Shoe Bend, Arizona....

A gazebo top, covered in creepers..

Pergolas...
In Balboa park........

In Mission San Juan Capistrano.......covered in blazing bougainvillea...

In my neighborhood.....

A scenic one in Laguna beach........

Plant: Silky oak blossoms..............

Blossoms of silky oak adorning the street landscape in summer...what a spectacular display they create!

Its name is a misnomer, as it has nothing to do with oak...rather it is a Grevillea genus member....

In April-May, they brighten South California landscape with their yellowish-orange blooms....

The gigantic plant looks spectacular with the profuse bloom and silvery leaves....

Place: Talbert Nature Preserve.........

One weekend we explored the nearby Talbert Nature Preserve..........
A riparian, marsh, sage and willow-dominated canyon....
It starts with a flat area..........

Ends with fragile cliffs.........

Below lies the sage-willow bordered trails.........

A sprawling California pepper..........

The neat path..........

....leading to the Santa Ana river.........

The autumn-tinted woodland......

Way back..........

Back to the flat Fairview park........

A cave spotted in the bluffs ....I wonder who calls it home? Coyote, bobcat, pigeon???

Plant: Yucca blossoms..........

Yucca, the genus belonging to Asparagaceae family is quite prevalent in US South West...
The spectacular blossoms of Chaparral yucca (Yucca whipplei) dotting the landscapes of Wildwood regional park.

In the chaparral of Angeles National first, in Los Angels county......

Some other species........

I have heard about their edible uses by the Native Indians.......

Blooming on the shore of Torrey Pines beach.......

At Laguna beach..

I have published an article on the uses of yucca...here is the link...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4131605/

Place: Amazing flora of Fullerton arboretum................

Ombu tree..
A spectacular Ombu tree, native of South American Pampas occupies a central place in the Fullerton arboretum..

Just relaxing on its massive roots or gazing at its towering canopy imparts immense pleasure..

One of the most colossal tree ever seen.........

My cousin at its base.....

The canopy........

Rainbow eucalyptus...
An eucalyptus with vibrant trunk and branches...

Bald cypress....

Its knees.....to respire if roots get swamped...

Buckeye.......
Ohio state tree....tree named after its appearance like buck eye

Sycamore........

Bamboo.........

Ginkgo.......
Female tree produces abundant nuts...which though edible in moderation are very smelly, so mostsly mle trees are used for landscaping...