Such pretty lavender flowers! I love the pattern they make on the ground after they fall. And I love the pattern of the huge leave (more than 1') against the sky. Supposedly it needs soft soil and lots of moisture, but since it spreads easily, even coming up through asphalt, I doubt that it is that particular. It normally grows about 10' tall, but can get taller under the right conditions. Some people plant it for its spring flowers and tropical leaves, but other shun it because of its irritating hairs and tendency to spread. I wouldn't put this one in my garden, but I am glad that I can visit it at the UC Botanical Garden.
As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, I studied Conservation of Natural Resources. I took a couple of entomology classes and became very interested in insects. After I graduated, I held several jobs working with bugs: in the fields of central California, the forests of Connecticut and Idaho, and the labs of Berkeley. Then I went to grad school and studied entomology at UC Riverside and UC Berkeley (back in the olden days when UCB had an entomology department). When my kids were little, I wanted to share my love of insects with them, so I started a butterfly garden before butterfly gardens were popular. Then of course, their teachers asked me to bring caterpillars into the classroom and I started doing classroom presentations. I do presentations in elementary schools, provide teacher trainings, teach adult school classes, and bring live insect specimens to garden fairs. My book is perfect for helping elementary school kids learn about butterflies.
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