At the turn of the last century, an Associated Press correspondent mistakenly identified Santana winds as "Santa Ana" winds in a 1901 dispatch.
Raymond Chandler wrote a 1938 short story about them called
"Red Wind"
"There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas
that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves
jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little
wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks. Anything can
happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge."
View a video from our yard as the winds parch the drought stressed plants early the morning....
Despite the drought, you can still have green landscaping in California if you go native. Take a minute and appreciate the variety of leaves among our native plants. HD
These natives are green and healthy even at the end of a dry summer.
CA coast redwood
How do they do it? Adaptations to their leaves help them avoid moisture loss.
Some leaves are fuzzy with tiny filaments that help break of the sun's pounding rays. A velvety leaf also reduces air movement across the surface, thereby reducing transpiration of moisture. Waxy leaves help seal in moisture, also reducing transpiration.
San Nicolas Island chamise
Narrow leaves reduce surface area exposed to the sun. Some plants like the fairy duster (Calliandra) respond to direct sunlight by closing up their leaves to further reduce exposure. When the sun is less severe, the narrow leaves unfurl and open wide.
sword fern
Many California native plants have evolved with combinations of these adaptations making them successful drought survivors and good choices for planting in yards. Here is a list of the plants as they appear in the video:
