For years, I've heard it's illegal to cut and remove the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), the official state flower of the State of California since March 2, 1903.

Year after year, I've discreetly (and with guilt) pulled out these plants from my yard or waited until the flowers have gone to seed and the plants have dried before I pull them out, then discreetly dump them in the compost bin for pick-up. Sometimes I left them in place as mulch and they come back.

I like them a lot. Who can't possibly not like those 'copa de oro' (cup of gold) flowers, that's what the early Spanish settlers called this unmatched symbol of the Golden State, viewed perhaps as a floral representation of the “fields of gold” sought during the gold rush.

But when one has a small plot of land and wants to plant other things, like vegetables, herbs, shrubs, etc. and the poppies are already blooming in those small spaces, it can get a little frustrating - should I pull them out, but it's illegal.

But is it? This is what the California Department of Wildlife has to say about this topic.

"While there is no law protecting the California poppy specifically, California Penal Code Section 384a requires written landowner permission to remove and sell plant material from land that a person does not own, and removing or damaging plants from property that a person does not own without permission may constitute trespass and/or petty theft. However, these laws do not prevent the collection of California poppies on private land by the landowner."

There it is. I can pull them out as long as they are in my yard. Wish I had known that years ago when I had a tiny yard.

Now that I have a whole front yard for them to grow, that's not a problem for me anymore. I had such a nice display from late winter through mid-spring, growing between herbs, perennials, and shrubberies in the front yard, I think I will keep letting them naturalize/or leave them in place to spread at will.

The California poppies are actually perennials. If I cut the blooms sooner and leave the plant, rather than waiting until all the flowers are gone, seeds have formed and the entire plant has turned straw color, I can get a longer display of gold.

And with our continuing drought, I like having a field of gold that needs little to no watering.