U. of California Santa Cruz Arboretum 1.20.2025

Yesterday, Jim and I decided to take a road trip and complete a loop around the Bay Area Peninsula. He has been hard at work upgrading the electrical system in the Airstream – replacing the converter with an inverter/charger and installing lithium batteries. And, he needed a break!

We started out the trip with a stop in Boulder Creek. This small town on Route 9 has an obvious “hippie” past based on the vibe and the locals that we encountered. Just my kind of town! It was fun wandering around the one main street and poking our heads into various antique shops. I was lucky enough to find a great deal on a used Chico’s jean vest and a cute watercolor print with a canoe paddle theme.

We had a sweet, inexpensive brunch at a local restaurant called The Tree House Cafe. The food establishment got its name due to being “built” around a massive redwood tree that is the centerpiece in the back dining area.

Our next destination after leaving Boulder Creek was a stop at the University of California Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanical Garden. It sits high up on the hill above Santa Cruz on part of the college campus. I had not researched the arboretum prior to arriving so I was surprised to discover that the plant focus is specific to Australasia with additional plant species from parts of Africa and the Mediterranean. The arboretum is divided into sections – plants from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and an area of California natives. One of the interpretive displays shared that this focus is because these areas have a similar climate to much of California and therefore many of these native plants will grow and thrive here.

It was amazing to see so many totally unfamiliar and unusual plants and flowers. I was loving it! There is a fair amount of plants flowering now and I was in heaven taking close-up photos of some of the curious flowers.

The top photograph was taken in an open area of the garden. There was no sign indicating what these figures were or who created them. I looked it up later and discovered these are called Suncatchers and were sculpted in 2017 by John Hylton. I read that the figures align with yearly solstices and equinoxes and his inspiration came from the “ancient solar calendars of Europe”.

I will tease you with one flower photograph and post a few more in the next couple of days. 🙂