Northern California and South London are worlds apart in all kinds of ways but I encountered some intriguing botanical connections. Above are two plants from the Aconitum genus commonly known as Monkshood.
 The first is Aconitum columbianum which I saw a lot of growing by streams in the meadows of Mount Eddy and is native to western North America. The second is Aconitum napellus growing in my back garden; native to continental Europe, possibly native to the UK, certainly naturalized here and well-known as a garden plant. (NB Worth bearing in mind that all Monkshoods are extremely poisonous, see my recent entry on 29th. June)
 Plant families spread across continents and pre-date the separation of continents so what is basically the same plant has evolved with some variations now separated by oceans and huge distances.

 And here is a humble little beauty: Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris). Native to both North America and Europe (not to mention Asia), I see it everywhere. In the first photo it is growing out of a crack in a paving stone at the end of my road; in the second it is growing in a mountain meadow in California.
 The Cherokee ate it, the Chinese use extracts for medicine, in the 16th. century the English herbalist John Gerard wrote "there is not a better wounde herbe in the world" when the leaves are applied to the skin.
 Old school gardening books advise you to eradicate Self-heal from your lawn lest weeds cast a blight on suburbia. But resistance is futile, Self-heal is indestructible: the meek shall inherit the Earth.