Those Useless Trees

14/12/2022

Forgot to post this yesterday in the World Cup excitement. Many people were asking, "What happened to the 2022 Countdown of your most-read posts?!" Well, here you go... No. 18, about one of my favorite trees, the black walnut.

One of the most iconic trees of Southern California is the Juglans californica, commonly known as the Southern California black walnut. As trees go, it is fairly small, usually reaching a height an…

11/12/2022

No. 21 in the 2022 Countdown -- about guerrilla gardening with agave. I've been guerrilla gardening for 13 or so years now and have learned a lot through trial and error. Right now is THE right time to guerrilla garden. Let me know if you have questions

If you’ve ever walked anywhere in Los Angeles other than to and from a car, you’ve no doubt noticed that there are dirt squares along many sidewalks into which the city occasionally pla…

25/08/2022

11 September is going to be observed as Northeast Los Angeles Black Walnut Day at Ascot Hills. And so, here's an edition of "Those Useless Trees" about the Southern California Black Walnut.

One of the most iconic trees of Southern California is the Juglans californica, commonly known as the Southern California black walnut. As trees go, it is fairly small, usually reaching a height an…

31/07/2022

This week's post; about a bizarre, wonderful, and oasis-like block of Maltman Avenue in Silver Lake. Between the sidewalk, instead of cars, there are trees, shrubs, cacti, and wildlife. Now the city wants to gift this public asset to private individuals.

About a month ago, following the introduction of a car-free section of Griffith Park Drive in Griffith Park, I wrote a piece celebrating ten Los Angeles streets that have been reclaimed from automo…

15/04/2022

This week's post on EricBrightwell.com, an edition of "Those Useless Trees" about my efforts to turn all of those dead tree squares along our city's sidewalks into thriving guerrilla gardens for agaves and other succulents.

https://ericbrightwell.com/2022/04/15/those-useless-trees-guerilla-gardening-with-agave/

If you’ve ever walked anywhere in Los Angeles other than to and from a car, you’ve no doubt noticed that there are dirt squares along many sidewalks into which the city occasionally pla…

14/11/2018

The private automobile is the scourge of cities. In Los Angeles, on an average day, such cars injure or kill 39 Angelenos. They pollute air, land, and water — except for the electric ones, wh…

18/09/2018

The other day I went to Santa Monica Creek State Park and fell in love with the valley oak, the tallest species of oak in North America and one which happens to be endemic to California. (Pictured are coast live oaks... because Farcebunk)

A couple of days ago my friend Mike and I decided to go for a hike in Malibu Creek State Park. Having celebrated a friend’s birthday the previous night into the following morning, a good moderately…

05/02/2018

You may have seen the Aoyama Tree in Little Tokyo and have wondered about it.

#小東京

Although not native, many Moreton Bay Figs (Ficus macrophylla) dot the Southern California landscape. The oldest of these Australian immigrants might be those planted by agriculturalist Elijah Hook…

05/02/2018

You may recognize "El Pino Famoso" from the film, "Blood In, Blood Out."

Angelenos are known for their obsessions with celebs and without a doubt, one of the hottest trees on the landscape today is “El Pino Famoso,” also known (because its fame is implicit) as “El Pino.…