When I was down in Riverside a couple of weeks ago, I saw jacaranda trees covered in purple blooms nearly everywhere I looked. I kept meaning to take at least one picture… but I never quite got around to it. I can’t recall ever seeing jacaranda trees back home in Northern California. But I did stumble across this episode of California’s Gold in which Huell learns all about the jacarandas and talks with people who love them — and some who aren’t quite so fond!

Huell, with the help of his friends from the Braille Institute, learns about the history of jacaranda trees in California, which dates back to the 1890s when horticulturalist Kate Sessions first planted the seeds in Balboa Park. The blooming purple trees can now be seen all across the state, and we will find that some people call the jacarandas a “mess” while others call them a “miracle”.

(Click on the linked image below to see the video.)