San Francisco Snowy Peaks

The peaks in San Francisco that appear covered in snow in late Fall/early Winter are those of Baccharis pilularis, or coyote brush. The flurries are the wind-blown seeds of this shrub, native to much of California and considered the backbone of many scrub community types. Like other members of the Aster family, Baccharis produces fluffy seed that is transported in the wind. If you are reminded of a dandelion, it's for good reason -- it is in the same plant family. 

I'm told that one of the reasons coyote brush (not coyote bush) has its name is owing to its fluffy seed, which, coating its branches, makes one think that a coyote has brushed against it.

I took this photo while biking to work one cool, late October morning. I stopped along Lincoln Blvd, just north of N. Pershing. I shot it looking east (into the sun, of course).

This is one of the restoration sites where I currently work. It is the site of one of the Presidio's first large-scale habitat restoration projects. Five residential buildings, like those in the background, once stood here and were removed in 1996 to increase the populations of certain plants. The moving .gif below depicts the change from an aerial perspective. 

Now the site supports populations of numerous rare plants, and the spring --> summer flower show is impressive. Last year I photo'd two green hairstreak butterflies copulating here. And I've seen the tracks of coyote here, who brush against the Baccharis.

Baccharis pilularis, North Pershing Dunes, 2012.

1983 - 2012 aerial of North Pershing Dunes - courtesy Google Earth.