Today my friend Cindy and I drove out to the beach, a birthday outing for her. It was about 60 degrees, which was truly fine when the sun came out; there wasn’t much wind. While Cindy lay under a driftwood teepee, I took a brisk walk down the beach a ways, trying to exercise my feet in the squishy sand right where the wave has just receded.
Washed up by the surf I saw several by-the-wind Sailors, Velella velella. It’s hard not to notice their brilliant blue. I had heard a couple of months ago that people were seeing thousands of them on California beaches this year, which is unusual. This one was about two inches long.
The only stop we made for wildflower appreciation was on the way home, and it wasn’t for flowers at all, but for grass. Stands of pink grass waved in the breeze a the edge of the road; I discovered it is common velvetgrass, holcus lanatus. I think this is the first time my Seek app has been able to tell me anything about grasses; maybe it has truly been adding to its knowledge base. After all, one often does get the message that “Seek doesn’t know what this is. We are still learning!”
Recently I was offered a cup of tea at a friend’s house, and it was the most delicious drink, toasty and sweet, like nothing I’d ever tasted before. When my host came back into the room I asked her, and she said it was an infusion of wild oats — she had gathered them from nearby fields, and dried them. She showed me her stash, which she keeps in a big pretzel jar:
Just now I read more about this plant, a native perennial called California Wild Oat Grass, Danthonia californica. I was surprised to learn that it is recommended for growing domestically: “In home yard use, this grass gives a lowland meadow look or grows well in a rock garden.”
I don’t think my garden has the meadow look that would provide context for this native grass, but it is nice to think that other people might take advantage of its good features, and maybe drink its flowers, as I did. For now, my own interest lies almost entirely in trying to learn about more of the many grasses that live in northern California. I’ll be sure to let you know if I do.
Gladsome Lights 
I saw thousands of by-the-wind Sailors, Velella velella on the beaches this week. They were everywhere. I didn’t know what they were. Thank you for informing me. I love native grasses and grow many in our gardens.
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Interesting about those wind Sailors and the oat drink. Enjoy your studies!
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What an interesting post. Everything from a drink made from wild oats, a pretty blue jellyfish- looking sea creature, to stands of pink grass. I see that Seek app is very handy.
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When I was learning to be a Texas Master Naturalist, one of the presenters was an expert on grasses. Suddenly I saw native grasses, grasses that had been introduced by ranchers for their cattle, even sedges which I’d not known about before.
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So, your friend didn’t get that oat grass at the supermarket, I don’t think! It has a very rustic appearance. My mouth waters at your description.
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This is so interesting — and what an intriguing subject. They are rather mesmerizing.
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Emoliente is a drink made with roasted barley, very tastey, in my opinion, sounds similar!
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Google Lens says your pink grass is possibly “Ruby Grass” (Melinus nerviglumis) or calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ or agrostis stolonifera.
I also looked up wild oats tea and it is A Thing! Maybe I will order some to try this toasty tea. Thanks for your interesting post!
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nikki, is there some reason you don’t think it is velvetgrass (holcus lanatus) as the Seek app told me? I looked at images of those species Google Lens suggested, and none of them resembles what I saw… Thank you for your interest!
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Yes, it could well be holcus lanatus, now that I see other photos of it online. I’m amazed at how many pink-ish grassy things there are!
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