mouth of the Ventura River

Given how dry Southern California is, it should surprise no one that the Ventura River doesn't actually reach the ocean. Instead there is this beach. When I asked someone what the big concrete circle was all about, I was told that it was once some sort of artillery installation.

Butterfly Beach

Beautiful Butterfly Beach, where we saw dolphins at the beginning of this decade (from these very rocks), and where I used a Boogie Board in the 1970's.

cycad garden

The botanical gem of Lotusland is the cycad garden, which is one of the most extensive cycad gardens in the world. Half of all cycad species, and nine out of their eleven genera, are represented here. Cycads have an ancient lineage with many extinct species known to us only through fossils. What lives on is strikingly presented at Lotusland.

Madagascar Palm

Madame Walska liked to plant large groupings of a single species. Here we have the Madagascar Palm (Pachypodium lamerei), native of Madagascar and member of the Apocynaceae or dogbane family.

Lotusland vistas and views

Lotusland house part 2

Lotusland house

The Lotusland estate had several owners and architects, but the main house was built in 1919 and the primary occupant was opera singer Ganna Walska, who was the also the mastermind behind the gardens. Although it is quite a large house, Madame Walska lived only in one small section of it.