Day 44: Highway Oleanders

I picked up Mr. E at the airport this evening, and on the way home, we both remarked that the oleanders along the highway median are starting to bloom. 

We noticed and appreciated these pretty flowers when we first arrived in California as we drove south along I-5 from the Portland area after spending a couple of days with W&M during our relocation trek from Madison back in 2004.  Neither of us was familiar with this type of flowering plant, and we were both struck by the brilliantly colored blossoms that relieved the stark concrete and billboards along the freeway:

We later learned that these lovely flowers are quite deceptive, as they are "one of the most poisonous of commonly grown garden plants," according to WikiPedia.  I guess it's appropriate to have them scattered along the freeway, as they're hardy enough to withstand the traffic fumes and various micro-climates while at the same time posing a relatively small toxin risk to humans or animals thanks to their positioning in an area that's challenging to access.