**Nature Nugget**
This time of year there are many flowers in bloom, and more that join the landscape every day. Yellow is a dominant color along our coastline, found everywhere from gardens and fields, to vacant lots and cracks along the pavement. Although this list of yellow flowers is extensive , there are three prevalent non-native yellows that are often mistaken for one another here on the coastside. Take a closer look at these links to examine the differences between :
Black mustard - Brassica nigra:
https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=1144
Shortpod mustard, summer mustard - Hirschfeldia incana: http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/shortpodmustard.html
Sour grass, bermuda buttercup - Oxalis pes-caprae:
https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=6016
Also check out Tom Chester's analysis page to examine a more detailed explanation of the distinguishing characteristics between black and shortpod mustard:
http://tchester.org/plants/analysis/mustard/comparison.html