In recent months, certain streets in downtown San Diego appeared to have experienced purple rain. The trees lining the streets burst into clouds of bluish-lavender blossoms, and as they shed these blooms, the sidewalks became carpets of soft purple petals.
This welcome pop of color during May Gray and June Gloom is the result of jacaranda season.
About the tree. Jacaranda trees are native to South America. They are planted in warm-temperate regions like San Diego as ornamental trees.
The name comes from the indigenous Guaraní word for “fragrant,” though I must admit I have never noticed their smell while walking downtown.
Their violet-colored flowers grow up to two inches long and are grouped in foot-long panicles, which means a branched cluster of flowers.
Origin story. Horticulturist Kate Sessions, known as the “Mother of Balboa Park,” is given credit for bringing the jacarandas to the city…but not all credit is positive. Local botanists note that the exotic species Sessions brought to San Diego, like jacarandas, have threatened to crowd out native species. In her defense, however, the impact of invasive species on native species was relatively unknown during her lifetime.
A reason to slow down. The purple haze that’s taken over downtown streets lately has given me a reason to run my errands a little slower than usual. And with that, I’ve been noticing more about the flora and fauna that shares the neighborhood with me and 40,000 other people.
I’ll be writing more in the upcoming weeks about my nature observations in our dense urban environment. The more I slow down and notice my surroundings, the more I am convinced that nature is everywhere…even downtown San Diego.
So join me this summer on some slow strolls, looking up, down and all around, for the beauty that exists in our city. SDSun
Award-winning writer Deanna Ratnikova is the creator of The GO Deck – grab a deck today and be inspired to Get Outdoors and GO on new adventures.
