Ranunculus californicus

A perennial 1-3 feet tall, goes deciduous in summer. Along with blue-eyed-grass, buttercups are the first color of spring in our local meadows. A must have addition to any bay area meadow garden. Prefers clay/serpentine but can grow on many soils. Buttercups are prone to self-sow so you can have returning spring color every year. Bright yellow flowers April - May Native to California and is also found outside of California, but is confined to western North America. A good nectar source for these butterflies: Common Ringlet, Sara Orange-tip, Adela trigrapha, Large Marble, Mylitta Crescent. No Historical Uses found. Found in meadows, slopes. Communitites located in Northern Coastal Scrub, Foothill Woodland, Northern Oak Woodland, Mixed Evergreen Forest, Valley Grassland, Yellow Pine Forest, Red Fir Forest, Wetland-riparian Between 0 and 7500 feet.

CLAY TOLERANT, drought tolerant, super tough & very long lived, every garden needs this easy going, almost no-care CA native perennial. Wherever you plant it & even if you neglect it, you’ll get a bouncy multitude of glistening, ever-so-yellow Buttercups atop a mass of slender, branching stems 2’ x 2’. Without Summer water it’ll go deciduous. In a watered garden, cut it back to 1” for a second burst of bloom. Gets more bloomy every year! Self-sows, deer resistant!