Hi Friends,

This post is an entry into the weekly Show Us Your California contest hosted by @thesocalhive where we show an aspect of our California.

I was asked the other day why there are so many palm trees in Southern California - I didn’t really have an answer.  

I thought they could be native, but strategically placed, but after researching, I am wrong.  Turns out they are strictly decorative and not native to the area, though they do thrive in the climate of Southern California.  The story is that they were first planted by Franciscan Monks who in habited the area and used them for ornamental purposes, as well as a religious symbol related to Palm Sunday.

Here are a couple of tall ones near my house:


![4B07D97B-C1FA-454A-AC63-886AFC1DC846.jpeg](https://images.hive.blog/DQmbh5zrRdnsWzBEcy6JXod86BVyGMXAPVEZcwmZnV85cZN/4B07D97B-C1FA-454A-AC63-886AFC1DC846.jpeg)


Even if they are not here natively, they certainly have become icons of the area and have thrived here.

Thanks for coming by and seeing a little piece of My California.

Brian