A familiar looking black and white rodent painter has appeared with a giant yellow flower at the corner of Melrose and La Cienega. Banksy? Banksyesque? Dangeresque II? Perhaps it's an elaborate Mother's Day offering for one lucky mum. more ›

The famous rotten-smelling corpse flower began to bloom yesterday at the Huntington Library and Gardens, according to the Pasadena Star-News, and today might be your last chance to get a whiff of this real stinker. On display inside a conservatory at the historic site, the flower releases a scent likened to rotting flesh which is strongest for about the first 12 hours. While in bloom, botanists can propagate the plant in order to pass the seeds on to others to grow the tropical flower. The Huntington is open to the public today until 4:30. Members can stop by to smell the corpse flower from 5-7:30 this evening as well. more ›

Last week, a team of National Park Service botanist were surveying for sensitive and endagnered species near Sandstone Peak, the tallest point in the Santa Monica Mountains, when they came upon something out of place. It was whisker brush (Leptosiphon ciliatus), which is typically found at higher elevations in the Sierras, not in Southern California, even around 3,000 feet elevation. more ›