Victorville, CA: Tumbling like a tumbling tumbleweed

High winds are prevailing in southern California and the Central Coast, reports my mother in her first, eyewitness contribution to Urban Plant Research. In Santa Barbara County, she can hardly venture outside because of winds over 25 miles per hour. She also read that over in Victorville, which lies between Los Angeles and the Mojave Desert, the wind has residents trapped inside for another reason: it has swept mountains of tumbleweeds against their houses, blocking doors and windows! Check out these Google Image search results she sent over:

We here at Urban Plant Research have long been interested in tumbleweeds and urban tumbleweeds (tumbling, windblown plastic bags). Are their tumbleweeds where you live?

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A report on trees

Here are some unusual tree sightings from the last few months.

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Summer cuts

It’s been one of the hottest weekends in San Francisco – reaching 102°F today. The neighborhood trees were feeling it too. A number of them were queued up to get a fresh cut. I didn’t get a shot of them in a row, but you can see the cut in progress and the finished look below. They’re reminiscent of a bowl cut – a haircut that I sported during my elementary school days.

Before

After

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San Francisco stumps

Marina District

West Portal

 

Japantown

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Hang in there

A plant hangs between two apartment buildings in San Francisco, while grabbing onto a nearby telephone pole for support.

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Palms: indoor vs. outdoor

I saw these palms inside a marbled atrium in downtown San Francisco. I don’t think a haircut will solve the issue of vertical growth overtime so I wonder what happens when they reach the top.

Meanwhile in the Mission District, these tall palm trees align busy sidewalks. If you happen to encounter these trees on a windy day, you might find some of them swinging in an unsettling manner.

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Tree Haircut

How many people does it take to give a tree a haircut? One human to trim and one extra to collect all the clippings. This was spotted on Sutter Street in San Francisco.

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Tight Spaces

San Francisco can feel claustrophobic at times. Perhaps, this sentiment may be shared among our green friends who also live in tight spaces.

 

The thought that this cactus will grow any taller makes me slightly uncomfortable.

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Never Let Me Go

Every so often, while walking through the city, I come across a chain link fence like this one. It tells the story of a relationship past. Surely we all recognize the feeling, we have all been indelibly marked by someone who was once close but has since gone away?

Though the friend may be gone, he always leaves something of himself behind.

Or maybe this fence could just use a good flossing!

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Seating for one in Japantown

This chair was spotted in Japantown last weekend. The stump seems to be taller than most tree stumps found on the streets of San Francisco. The chair has a back, high armrests and is slightly elevated from the ground. It received some attention from a few passersby but no one curious enough to sit in it except for me. It is functional for a small and petite adult or a child but it was a bit low to the ground and snug when wearing a long coat. I imagine it doesn’t get much use given its location and the intimate view of an apartment complex’s entrance. It was surprising to see something that often goes unnoticed receive much attention from its maker and from the pedestrians that day. 

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