Today was the summer solstice, which, luckily for us, generally coincides with the flowering of the jacaranda trees, which seem especially vivid this year.
I’ve been told that the jacaranda trees are indigenous to Mexico. Per Wikipedia, they also prevalent in Australia, Brazil and South Africa. They were imported to Southern California by horticulturalist and botanist Kate Sessions (1857-1940) who struck a deal with the city of San Diego in 1892 to plant 100 trees annually in Balboa Park in exchange for land to use as a nursery. Cheers to Kate for introducing these lovely lavender blossoms that herald our So Cal summers.
