BLACK MUSTARD

On display at the Coast Film and Music Festival, Laguna Beach, October 23-25

In the spring, luminous yellow flowers blossom across Southern California hillsides. By late summer after months of little rain, the stalks turn golden and dry.

Black mustard, or Brassica nigra, was introduced to the region by Spanish missionaries in the 1700s. Thriving in disturbed soils, it spread rapidly with the steady march of ranching, agriculture, and colonization.

Once established, black mustard is invasive and hard to eliminate. It grows quickly and densely, displacing native species and disrupting the natural habitat balance. Its dried out stems become fuel for wildfire.

This photography project aims to use dramatic visual imagery to draw attention to colonizing plants and their impact on the delicate, interwoven local environment.