Natives and Invaders

Although this plant is interesting and has a beautiful purple bloom, it is invasive and not native to California. Wild Artichoke or Wild Thistle came to North America from the areas around the Mediterranean Sea. It survives very well here because it makes more than ten flowers and each of these flowers will produce well over a hundred seeds. So, if we do the math, we find that each plant has the potential of creating over a thousand new plants. We can see a bee pollinating this purple flower. Below each line of purple, a seed will form. It competes with native southern California plants and wins. The big leaves create lots of shade and the roots form a tight network under the soil. So this plant robs sunlight, nourishment, and rain from other native plants. Also, because it is so spiny, animals find it difficult to live under or around the Wild Artichoke. This plant originally was grown because it produced an edible artichoke; however, it was so good at spreading its seeds, it gradually escaped the boundaries of vegetable gardens. It is not surprising to see entire hillsides covered with the purple blooms in the spring.
Government agencies are trying to eradicate this “invader” so that it does not take over local plants and ecosystems.



This is the state flower of California, the California Poppy. The poppy survives well in this climate because it requires only winter and spring rains to survive. These rains will make grow the seeds from last year's flowers. In Lancaster, California, there is a California State Park Poppy Preserve. In the spring, the hills of the reserve look as though they are covered with orange carpet.

It is important that we keep plants like Wild Artichoke under control. If Wild Artichoke is allowed to spread, it will choke out all other plants and there will only be Wild Artichoke. If Wild Artichoke is kept under control, many different types of plants can flourish in this area. When there are many different kinds of plants and animals in one environment, it is called BIODIVERSITY (bi-oh-dy-vers-it-ee). Biodiversity is necessary for healthy ecosystems.

What would you do if there was only one kind of fruit to eat at the market? Are you glad that there are different kinds from which to choose?

Did you find this useful? If so, you can send a "tip" to my PAYPAL.COM account. My email address is kathomatho@yahoo.com. I will donate 10% of your tip to The Orange County Zoo.