Rare Blossoms in the Bayview

Pictures just don't do justice to the beautiful blossoms on a yucca plant in front of Lisa Foster's house at 1730 Quesada Avenue. If you can stop by to see them, it's worth the trip.

Several staffs each contain hundreds of pure white blossoms, and over time are bowing under the weight of the flowers. You hear a lot about the Quesada Gardens just across the street from Lisa, but here's a stellar example of an individual resident making the Bayview beautiful with a personal touch.

Quesada Gardens Initiative's new Horticulture Chair, Tony Tarket, tells us that a yucca plant in bloom is a relatively rare sighting. Lisa confirms that the last time she recalls a blossom was five years ago. She had the plant cut back before this season, which she says helped a lot. And a bit of research offers another reason why blossoming might not happen every year. It requires a special visitor.

There is a unique partnership between the yucca blossom and a moth known as the yucca moth which deposits its eggs in the blossoms and then adds a ball of pollen to feed the larvae when they hatch. The pollen has the nice consequence of pollinating the yucca plant.

The stately yucca is a lovely complement to Lisa's Victorian house which peeks out over the plant. Neighbors gather nearly every day to just "be" with the plant, and it's common to see people stop to take pictures like the ones you see here.

Thank you, Lisa, for this precious contribution to the life and look of the community you are such an important part of.