Blooming like wild in Heritage Creek Preserve - Calilfornia Encelia (Encelia californica)

California Bush Sunflower (Encelia californica) blooming in the Heritage Creek Nature Preserve on the Cal State Dominguez Hills campus

The yellow sunflower that's in full bloom right now is California Bush Sunflower, Encelia californica.    This local native shrub is one of our early spring bloomers;  it can flower all the way through spring in some years.   California Encelia is very drought tolerant - the plants at Heritage Creek Preserve (above) are never watered.   They become dormant in summer, then re-leaf each year with the rains.

 

To learn more about California Encelia see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/03/plant-of-month-march-california-bush.html   

 

For a gardening sheet on this plant see: http://www.nbs.csudh.edu/biology/projectsound/native_plants/gallery_e.shtml