My Tuesday night sketch group met at North Berkeley’s Monterey Market to sketch just before the produce store was closing. My friends started indoors while I stood and sketched the buckets of sunflowers in the parking lot, using a handy shopping cart as my table.
When the store closed at 7:00 they joined me in sketching the sunflowers. Then I walked around the block to the entrance of the wonderful Berkeley Horticultural Nursery. I saw this crazy Dr. Seuss-like plant along their fence and had to sketch it. Each fuzzy orange-red flower grows out of a stalk that comes up from the flower below it.
The next morning I called Berkeley Hort to ask about the plant. The guy who answered went outside to check and told me it is a Leonitus Lenorius or “Lion’s Tail,” a drought-resistant, sun-loving plant.
You can see Micaela’s market sketches here and Cathy’s market, melon and sunflower sketches here on our Urban Sketchers blog.
Jana Bouc, Artist 
6 replies on “Monterey Market and Berkeley Horticultural Nursery”
I’ve enjoyed catching up with your blog after my holiday, so many good sketches and new paintings.
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Wonderful sketches! I’d have opted for sunflowers, too, and what an interesting plant for your second sketch. Well done!
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Great sketches.
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The Leonotis is a native plant from South Africa. I had some in a garden there – they’re very striking. Love the sketches.
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love the lion’s tail — looks like a very happy plant
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It made me happy! Jana
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