Invasive Weed Saunter

The floodplain east of the bridge over Putah Creek where the stream burst its banks this winter has been for weeks now covered with a tall, white-flowering weed. I ventured down the bank to collect a specimen and took it back to the house to identify and sketch. It turns out the plant is perennial pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium), which is a nasty weed invasive in wetlands and riparian areas.

On a brighter note, I saw a sloughed-off snake skin (probably a gopher snake) on the grasses by the bank, and I heard a ring-necked pheasant calling.