The Los Angeles skyline is on its way to losing its iconic palm-frond silhouette.
A recent story in the L.A. Times explains how, due to a fatal fungus and an invasive weevil, palm trees are on their way out. With the exception of six historic areas, the city will be replacing them with native, drought-tolerant plants.
Despite their instant association with Los Angeles, the palm tree is actually a transplant (pun intended), brought over in the 19th and 20th centuries in order to glamourize the desert-scape of California.
We talk history and ecology of the classic but non-native palm, as the future portends a very different landscape for our city.
Guest:
Kitty Connolly, executive director of the Theodore Payne Foundation, a non-profit that aims to educate Southern California about its native landscape