University of California, Irvine's (UCI) Ecological Preserve Irvine, California Page 3 of 3 (PLANTS)

COASTAL CHOLLA, Opuntia prolifera, CACTUS FAMILY
	Almost human.		The joints of the cholla detach easily, some falling to the ground. This one on my shoe had to be pried off with a stick.
A cactus wren's nest?
Snails like the cholla. These snails would either be the native Helminthoglypta tudiculata or the non-native milk snail (Otala lactea).	Snuggled inside.	Close-up.	Sitting on top.
MORE SNAILS
milk snails Otala lactea Several feet off the ground, snails here and there cling to dead stalks of black mustard.	milk snail Otala lactea	milk snail Otala lactea An edible non-native snail.
COASTAL PRICKLY PEAR, Opuntia littoralis, CACTUS FAMILY
Another nest.	Plenty of prickly pear fruit.	I call this one "Bigfoot"…	…because the fruit look like toes.
ORACLE CACTUS, Opuntia oricola, CACTUS FAMILY Frequently confused with the coastal prickly pear, but can be distinguished by its round pads. (Pads of the prickly pear are elliptical.)
COYOTE MELON, Cucurbita foetidissima, GOURD FAMILY, aka buffalo gourd, calabazilla
			Never saw an open flower. Morning bloomers?
FIELD BINDWEED, Convolvulus arvensis, MORNING-GLORY FAMILY
			Something has been eating holes in this flower.
LICHENS
"During droughts they dry up but do not die; they rapidly absorb water when it does become available, springing back to life." —NAS			A molted exoskeleton in the righthand corner.
MISC. PLANTS
	wild cucumber Marah macrocarpus GOURD FAMILY mature fruit (ripe seed pod)	wild cucumber Marah macrocarpus GOURD FAMILY
summer mustard Hirschfeldia incana MUSTARD FAMILY Similar to black mustard (Brassica nigra), but shorter.	sweet fennel Foeniculum vulgare CARROT FAMILY "Distinct licorice fragrance." —NAS
thistle
LOS TRANCOS DRIVE ENTRANCE
brown garden snails Helix aspersa GASTROPOD CLASS "Introduced in 1850s as food." —NAS	octopus agave Agave vilmoriniana AGAVE FAMILY From NW Mexico. PB		Peruvian peppertree Schinus molle CASHEW FAMILY "Sprays of tiny rose-pink berries …have a peppery taste and have been used like pepper, but are somewhat toxic." —PB
UCI CAMPUS (next to the preserve) Some campus photos were taken at other times of the year besides August. Photos of the preserve were all taken in August.
		black sage Salvia mellifera MINT FAMILY "One of the best sources of honey in the state" —TAS	artichoke thistles (aka cardoons) cynara cardunculus SUNFLOWER FAMILY
bottlebrush Callistemon sp.		Hottentot fig Carpobrotus edulis ICE PLANT FAMILY	lizard

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