Those of you who read last month's newsletter saw that A is for Acorn, the edible nut produced by the various species of Oak ( Quercus) in our region. A is also for Armillaria, the dreaded Oak Root Fungus (also edible, by the way) that attacks Oaks when summer watering or other adverse conditions allow it to grow.

With the rainy season approaching, it's a good time to know what it looks like and keep an eye out for it. Here's my blog post including a link to a list of Armillaria-resistant plants.

Flowering Plants: The Santa Monica Mountains, Coastal and Chaparral Regions of Southern California by Nancy Dale is a modern classic in the field of native plant books. It's been in my personal collection forever. I've always liked the way it's organized by families and has great color photographs.

Check it out at this link and consider adding it to your library with the 10% discount code you'll find in this newsletter.

Please join me for a Nature Hike on Sunday, November 8, as we return to Matilija Campground, one of my favorite locations in the Los Padres National Forest. The trail will take us into the Matilija Wilderness where the Upper North Fork is still running. With shorter days and cooler temperatures now upon us, the riparian trees are drawing less water from the creek, allowing it to rise again.

This is a great time of year to see how the native plants and wildlife make the shift from the dry season to the wet season, especially for those interested in planting natives in their home yard or garden.

Read more and register here.

As our thank-you to you for opening and reading this newsletter, here is a discount code worth 10% off any of the books in the Herb Walks Store. It's good for the month of November. This offer does not include Gift Certificates and event admission fees.

Just click on the Herb Walks logo below to get the code. Then copy and paste it when requested at checkout. Thanks!

Now is the ideal time to plant native plants in your yard or garden. If you have been thinking about — or already started — replacing your water-intensive landscape with drought-tolerant native plants, please join me and special guest Renee Roth of RainScape Designs for an Urban Herb Walk on Saturday, November 14, from 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Cluff Vista Park in downtown Ojai.

We will identify and discuss native plants in the context of a professionally designed native landscape and see examples of drought-tolerant alternatives to lawns and water-intensive plants. Renee will focus on the water features in the Park and discuss landscape designs that harvest rainwater and are able to incorporate riparian native plants.

Read more and register here.

In what could be described as a tribute to the efficacy of ancient plant remedies -- in this case Sweet Wormwood ( Artemisia annua) -- Chinese scientist Tu Youyou was awarded half of the 2015 Nobel Prize for physiology and medicine for her discovery of artemisinin, now the world’s primary treatment for malaria.

Read the rest of the post on the HerbBlog.