Toyon

The trees you see above

is California holly, also called toyon,

a native plant of the chaparral hills.

It belongs to the rose family,

blooms with little white flowers in spring,

feeding the bees,

and in winter, its red fruits

sustain birds

delighting human eyes,

just see the red against the green.

This is no ordinary plant,

let me share a little trivia.

It is abundant in the hills of Los Angeles,

so that the nearby community

was named Hollywoodland,

later shortened to Hollywood.

Who does not know that name?

But how many know

the plant that inspired it?

Well, now you do.

The other day, my little son

could tell the name of this shrub,

and it made me proud,

it's my ode to toyon

who inspired the name Hollywood.