you are overjoyed at the appearance of this little guy, warts and all. Lupinus hirsutissimus, also known as stinging annual lupine. Right now he's about six or eight inches across but could grow to three feet or so. Here's what Wikipedia says:
It is native to the coastal mountains of Baja California and California as far north as the San Francisco Bay Area, where it grows on dry mountain slopes, including areas that have recently burned. ... The stem and herbage are coated in long, stiff hairs that sting skin when touched.
He doesn't even get proper lupine spires, just lupine flowers growing up the hairy stem. Here's the wikipedia picture from the article above:
Definitely not something you want in the front of a mixed border!The reason to be overjoyed is that it appeared in an area where we cleared a lot of chaparral. He's growing under a manzanita, and is a "fire follower" - the first in the succession of plants that follows a fire.
His appearance means the land is alive and well, and responding to the absence of vegetation as if a natural fire had occurred, which of course makes the restoration gardener very happy indeed.
Comments
I'm more at home with removing obstacles than with creation when it comes to gardening I guess, at this point in my life anyway.
Thanks for dropping in and leaving comments, all - I'll keep tabs on the little lupine and look for more instances of it! I may also let it sting me when it gets bigger (hopefully it will get bigger) and see how stingy it is!